Wax, oil or varnish renovating table??

[FusionChefGeoff]

So I've got a wonderful, solid pine farmhouse table but with an 80s orange varnish on that's scratched and worn on the top.

Going to attack it with a belt sander on the top (can't face the fiddly bits ie legs / chairs I'll live with them) but when it's stripped back, what is best to treat it with?

I would go for wax, Osmo is good for kitchen tables because it's so waterproof. You can also bleach the pine if it's still orange under the varnish.

I did this with awful looking fake mahogany coffee table. I scrubbed the old varnish off with caustic soda and put Danish oil on the top. I then painted the legs in a cream furniture paint. Was going for a county kitchen look. I have dining chairs to sort varnish on so I'm going to look into getting a furniture restorer to dip them in a tank of varnish remover.

I really like wilko clear matt varnish. I've used it a few times and it gives a lovely finish

*But.... wax can bring out the orange in the pine again. A coat of very watered down white emulsion followed by 2 v. v. thin coats of clear matt water based varnish sanded down between each coat before putting the wax down can prevent this.

pine starts whitish, but yellows with age.

So in a few years it might be looking orange again.

Oil and wax are easier to re-treat in future. Old varnish really needs to be sanded off once it has got scratched, chipped and worn.

Well I've gone for the Omos wax suggested above in clear so hope that works!

Sanding went well.

Do you think the places that strip doors would consider taking the chairs?? It's not a shiny, obvious varnish so I'm just assuming it's varnish rather than just old / waxed. Is there any way to tell before sending them off and it being a disaster??

Oh @SpamChaudFroid why didn't I read your 2nd post properly I've put the osmo on and instead of aged scrubbed pine country farmhouse I've got bloody ikea 80s pine!

Am I going to have to sand again and then do what you said or is there another way to age it??

Oh bollocks! Try removing the Osmo with mineral oil, (ie. white spirit) and a rag then a good scrub with detergent.

Thank you so much for coming back on - I'll give that a try this week.

In other news, the osmo is ever so waterproof which is good! DC spilt a whole cup of water on it and it just slid right off.

Which doesn't bode well for removing said Osmo but hey worth a shot!

You can get a formulation called Osmo raw which is meant to counteract the orange. Old pine can have a lot of red in it but it's the authentic colour.

Resanded and used Osmo Steamed Beech Wood wax and finally I have the look I was after! Slightly aged antique pine not an orange ikea in sight!

Well done. I was going to suggest a PVC tabkecloth!