Stripping Oak Furniture

[hairbearbaby]

Has anyone on here ever stripped a piece of furniture from the likes of Oak Furniture Land, Furniture Village etc?

I'm buying a second hand dining table (link to item in store below), and I plan to strip it back and refinish it in a lighter colour stain and sealant.

I'm not sure whether to use an orbital sander, or whether to use a stripping solvent type application instead?

Any thoughts or pasts experience at all? 🤞🏻

https://www.furniturevillage.co.uk/california-round-solid-oak-extending-dining-table/CLFNRTBL--001.html

It is usually easier to strip a piece of furniture by sanding. But oak is a particularly hard wood and will require some effort to get back to its original surface, especially if the varnish is thick with multiple coats. Give it a try in one spot to see how long it takes. Then you can try stripping to see if you prefer that method.

@Whataretalkingabout thank you for the reply, I feel a bit nervous now that I'm setting myself up for failure 😂 do you think it will be difficult to bring this piece back to its natural surface?

Have you ever refinished a piece of furniture? A table is pretty easy because it has mostly flat surfaces. What worries me most about yours is the veneer top. You have to be careful and not sand through the veneer. And if stripping , be careful not to warp the veneer with too much product and it becomes unglued. What might be easier for you and more successful would be to do a superficial sanding and then paint or stain it.

An oak table painted with a matte milk paint finish and then waxed is gorgeous and easy. It depends on what style you want of course.

If you want a professional finish it would be worth paying for it.

I am an amateur myself with lots of experience but it is your table!

@Whataretalkingabout thank you they're all very good points raised.

The only furniture I've stripped and refinished has been garden furniture, but I'm pretty competent at DIY, have built various built in storage cupboards from scratch, done panelling projects etc so I'm hoping this would turn out well too 🤞🏻

I don’t think I would with that table given the veneer. But i usually do a combo of sanding and stripping.

It would be safer to whack some primer on in and paint it.

@Mirabai thanks for the reply. I definitely don't want to paint it so I may reconsider the purchase

I don’t think it would look nice painted either. I’d look for solid wood then you can do what you like to it.

Mirabai is right. Choose solid wood for stripping projects.
If you don't already own that table then best to choose a different one. Take your time to find the right one. ( easier said than done )!
Good luck OP.

Do we think something like this would be better? Or harder because of the mahogany stain?

I won't be using the legs off either table by the way, just the table top.

Woops forgot to add the photo

If anyone cares I took the risk and went for the table 😅🙈

I've done a little test patch with 120 grit paper and it's looking promising 🤞🏻

There are veneers over the oak but they don't look too wafer thin. Wish me luck 😆

Good luck! Love to see your work in progress. ;)

Hi @hairbearbaby I just wondered how you got on with this project? I really want to lighten our bedroom furniture (oak, far too orange for my liking!), but I think it's a mix of solid and veneer, so I'm a bit nervous how well it will work! Thanks so much 🙂