I have an antique mahogany dining table I’d like to refinish. I’m wondering what the best refinishing option is to preserve the wood and look good as a formal dining room table. A couple options I’ve considered:
1. Complete the veneer, then paint the whole thing (thinking the veneer will protect the wood)
2. Remove the veneer, then paint the whole thing.
3. Remove existing veneer and refinish (not paint) everything.
Any insight on the best option to make it a nice, finish-matching dining table?
Here’s some detail on the table:
– The round top is veneered in what looks like a straight grain oak (which I do not like). The leaves are not veneered but some have residual finish from previous work.
– Some of the leaves have some stains/light damage.
– The base is an unknown wood type and finished in a light brown/gray color. I’m not sure if it’s stain or paint but it looks more like stain.
Here’s a video walk around (commentary is kind of obsolete): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQiaoH2pZvM
Replies
That mahogany is gorgeous, I wouldn't paint over it. For option 3 do you mean remove finish. I think, in the video you said it's solid wood, not veneer. I would do that, strip the finish and refinish. You might need to stain the legs to color match the top, not sure what kind of wood they are made of. Nice table.
Base looks like veneered or faux-painted poplar. The sappele veneer on the half-rounds is pretty sweet. Perhaps someone re-worked the rounds and not the leaves? When you put a leaf in is it slightly lower than the rounds?
That "super straight" grain on the top is what is known as ribbon mahogany. Don't even think of painting it.
Paint + wood... a match made a few feet shy of heaven. Those words should never be used in the same sentence together.
Yes, the veneer on the half-rounds was added by my dad about 15 years ago. There's no veneer on leaves and they are ~ 1/16" lower than the half-rounds when installed. I'd like the leaves to match the round so I can add then w/out a table cloth. Also, the current color of the veneer does not match / work with other items in the room. So, the best option is to remove the veneer on the half-rounds and finish the whole top?
Awesome input, thanks.
I refinish furniture part time (semi-retired). First off, you must buy a copy of, “understanding wood finishing” by Bob Flexner. His books will change your life.
I always strip the existing finish. I’ve been using Blue Bear with Safenol lately. No mask needed, just put it on thick and keep it wet for easy removal. Remove the veneer, don’t need it. Strip, and plane table. I like to completely disassemble something when I refinish. A heat gun helps. If sanding on top, use a block to keep it flat. If needed you can add a paste filler to level grain before finishing. Stay away from stains and buy some dye online. I recommend dying everything, it pops the grain. The “natural”wood look is a direct cause of most wood workers being poor at finishing. Consider a gloss polyurethane for top. Sturdy choice for table top. Sand between coats, thin first and last two with mineral spirits. Here are three recent Mahogany family pieces I saved from the landfill. The last one was an old courthouse pew from Kealakekua where I live. Hope that helps. Finishing is all trial and error. Experiment, find what you like and can replicate consistently. No piece is too far from saving. Above all, have fun, refinishing and woodworking are great for the soul.
Aloha
It is unlikely the wood under the mahogany veneer is solid mahogany. If it were solid mahogany why the horizontal grain (veneer) on the outside edges rather than showing the vertical grain glue ups of several pieces of wood to build the top? Also there is no inlay in the leaf skirts like the main top in combination with the newer metal brackets which means the skirts are not original. The storage rack for the leaves would not accommodate skirts anyway.
Removing the veneer on the two halves can be difficult, causing gouges, dents and scratches, resulting in an unpleasant result.
Assuming in a table this old there is a bit of wear in the pin holes along the edges, the leaves can be shimmed from underneath to raise the 1/16th to even the surface.
The base appears to have been stripped and lightened either with bleach or oxalic acid. It’s not mahogany.
It’s your table and you can do what you want to it but your in for more work than you imagine.
The authority I write under is having owned a refinishing business for 40 years.
Have fun.
Hmm.
The veneer would have been added for a reason, either fashion at the time (most likely) or to cover damage.
Paint is not going to achieve the classic look you want.
Removing the veneer is going to be hard but probably worth it.
My suggestion:
Take the top pieces to someone who has a drum sander that can accommodate it. I had an extra-wide sliding door done at a machine shop a few years ago - cost under NZD100 for the sanding.
This will remove the veneer safely and also do most of the surface prep for the top.
Once you see what you are dealing with you can decide to leave it or veneer it again.
I suppose a nice sharp plane would get rid of the veneer and a few extra pounds of weight from the carpenter, but realistically this is what drum sanders are for. You will have to fix some sort of support under the top but that could just be 2 x 4 and MDF.
Is that base original? It looks like it matches the new veneer? That would be amenable to a strip-down and mahogany stain though and will not be seen if everyone is making eyes at your fancy top!
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