Who knows anything about oak tables ?

[oaktablerestoration]

I inherited a solid oak dining table years ago, it is so sticky !! Your hand sticks to it, paper etc...
it needs a good clean because none of the usual stuff works ! Ideally I want to sand it back and then use osmo wax on it.
Do I need to clean it with vinegar before I start sanding or shall I just go straight to sanding ?
Any tips would be great !

We're getting some beautiful velvet chairs this week to go with it and the table is horrendous atm !!

I just cleaned mine with a soft soapy cloth not wringing wet though, had to do it a few times as it was very grubby then sanded & waxed it also occasionally give it a wipe with hemp oil letting in soak in & buff with a lint free cloth.

Try turpentine or a wax/polish stripper.

I'd like to use something natural if I can as I'm pregnant and have a baby in the house

I can't believe how sticky it is it's horrible

The sanding will remove a lot of the gunk from it I found, I have a small electric sander which is much more efficient than hand sanding on larger areas.

I would sand it. Well, my husband would. We bought a lovely solid oak table second hand and it was covered in glitter, so we sanded it and oiled it. Looks lovely now.

It sounds as though it's been cleaned with something that's reacting with the wax.
I'd give it a good clean with a damp cloth wrung out in warm water with vinegar and a drop of washing up liquid. Then rewax with a thin layer of something like Fiddes or Briwax, the important part is letting the wax dry and polishing off properly. Failing that then resanding is an option, but a lot of work, you'd need to do the whole table to get the colour right.

I have an oak table which kept getting sticky with use despite regular cleaning and waxing. In the end I gave it a good scrub with hot soapy water and fine wire wool to get all the crud off it and then sealed it with clear matt varnish. Sacrilege, but SO much easier to wipe clean and keep looking good.

I’d start off by cleaning with a solution of Stardrops (petrol based cleaner) to see what it’s like under the sticky grime.
Then I’d resort to diluted bicarbonate of soda, cif and finally scouring powder.
If none of that works, then it’s gentle use of sandpaper and finish off with wood oil.

We have a table like that and the instructions are to oil it....once a year I think. (Although we've only done it once....). It sounds like yours was over oiled....

We acquired a table from MIL. I think she’d gone at it with the mr sheen rather heavily. Anyway, I sanded the varnish off and it was fine.
We just left it naked, as it was a coffee table, but for a dining table I’d use mat osmo danish stuff I think, as used on worktops.

https://amzn.to/3SgK7XK

If you've been using some sort of spray cleaner that may contain alcohol and be reacting with the finish. You get this a lot in cafes and restaurants because somehow hot, soapy water isn't seen as a hygienic enough cleaner.

Are the legs sticky or just the top? If the legs are sticky as well, that suggests someone has used something that is sitting on the surface because the wood hasn't absorbed it.

The legs are absolutely fine!! They are smooth and I really really don't want to have to sand the whole table... I'm going to try giving it a good scrub first of all with white vinegar and bicarbonate - will that be okay ?

Well I don't claim to know much about them other than through trial and error and owning an oak dining table for 13 years. I've tried various products and have found this to be the least labour intensive with the best results. Every 2-3 months I scrub it with washing up liquid and hot water and the green side of a kitchen sponge really thoroughly, do this a few times. I suppose if yours is really bad then sanding it would also be an alternative to scrubbing it. Then leave it to thoroughly dry. You literally just slather the stuff on, let it soak in overnight and buff it off. Leaves a lovely golden sheen on it and dries hard or soaks in so isn't sticky. Also evens out any discoloured patches as I find where the kids sit end up being a lot more faded. I also turn the table round once a year so the other side of the table gets used evenly if that makes sense. I don't think it'll take much to bring your table back to life at all.

Will sanding it ruin the colour ? Thats one thing I'm worried about because then the legs won't match the top and I'm trying to avoid doing the rest of the table

dont think it would be that noticeable, I didn’t sand the legs on my dining table & the wax does bring the colour back up a bit more
Yy something like pp anything that “feeds” & protects the wood does help keeping it in good condition.

Couple of photos that might help

This is the top of a small battered old cupboard that I sanded & waxed

If you sand down and Danish oil or wax it will be the same colour as it is now. The wood is the same colour all through it.

This looks great !

I've only got osmo top oil that I've used on my worktops, would that be alright ?

Right this is it after scrubbing it with water and vinegar, then scrubbing with fairy liquid. It has no shine to it at all it looks really dull. I think it does definitely need sanding and a wax
It also still feels sticky to the touch

Another question - when you spill any liquid on it it goes white, why is that ??

Reaction with the finish, usually french polish that contains shellac. You need an alcohol based product to remove that finish.