Refinishing Wood Surfaces

[Keebler]

My dining table and the top to my hutch are in bad shape. I want to totally sand and refinish them. Has anyone done this? Not sure how "real" the wood surface is and if it will hold up to sanding and then take a stain.

Plan B is to just remove and replace with real wood. Any feedback from someone that has gone down this road is appreciated.

[gbkims]

My table top is real wood, along with the cabinet doors/drawers.
The wood is a hardwood and takes a lot of sanding to remove the, I assume, sprayed on stain/sealer.
My cabinet sides, TV and hutch and dresser drawers top surfaces are coated medium density particle board.
Most of the slide out fascia trim is a manufactured wood product.

[WhittleBurner]

The hutch is a solid surface top. Back when I worked at a cabinet wholesale supplier I learned that you can sand away the scratches moving up in grit until it starts to shine (a matte finish requires less sanding). Micro grit sandpaper is a must as well as patients. It's not a fast process and using power snding could leave dips in the surface if you're not a pro at sanding. Replacing the top may be an option, to match what you have it could be ordered from GD

on edit: this would be a temporary fix. Solid surfaces scratch no matter how hard you try not to scratch them. Option could be a good quality textured laminate. there are so many color choices between Wilson Art or Formica brands you might be able to get a close match.

[Keebler]

The hutch is a solid surface top.

The top of my hutch is definitely not solid surface (assuming by that you mean some sort of Corian-like product). There is a solid surface counter, but there are cabinets above this counter, and the top of these hutch cabinets form a ledge at the top of a half wall in the living room. Mine is a front living room unit, where one goes out of the kitchen space and up the stairs into the living room.

At any rate, the top appears to be a similar material to the kitchen table.

Things are starting to sound like plan B, replacing the surfaces, may be my path of least resistance.

[Bradnailer]

My suggestion is to use a Minwax product called Poly Shades. It is a lacquer based stain with polyurethane. It not only protects the surface but also provides some stain qualities. You should be able to find a tint close to the original color. Even if you don't sand to bare wood, Poly Shades will normally blend it all to one tone while providing poly protection. It will take several coats to get the tone and blend you want but it will last. I use it all the time on furniture I build. Good luck!

[ScopesNC]

You could also look in to Rustoleum cabnit and counter top kits.

shorturl.at/opX26

[Keebler]

My suggestion is to use a Minwax product called Poly Shades. It is a lacquer based stain with polyurethane. It not only protects the surface but also provides some stain qualities. You should be able to find a tint close to the original color. Even if you don't sand to bare wood, Poly Shades will normally blend it all to one tone while providing poly protection. It will take several coats to get the tone and blend you want but it will last. I use it all the time on furniture I build. Good luck!

I am going to try hand sanding until smooth and follow up with coats of staining with the PolyShades, sanding with an ultra fine grit between coats. Will be a few weeks before I am out in the unit again, but will follow-up here with feedback.

[Bradnailer]

I am going to try hand sanding until smooth and follow up with coats of staining with the PolyShades, sanding with an ultra fine grit between coats. Will be a few weeks before I am out in the unit again, but will follow-up here with feedback.

That is what I would do and I've finished and refinished a ton of furniture. Mostly, take your time and as you've stated, lightly sand between coats.

[Dick Noble]

After you refinish the table, give some thought to buying a piece of plexiglass to cover it. DW had this idea and we found a glass company that used a cardboard template that I made to cut and finish a piece. We put small tabs the glass company had under the piece to keep it from sliding off. Should keep the table in nice shape for a long time.

[MarknCA]

Hello Keebler!
Just saw this post.... How did your project turn out?

I'm looking at doing the same thing to our dining table.

Thanks for any insights.