PO1048M Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Hi all, Brand new to this forum, and to woodworking. My finishing experience doesn't go much beyond oil stains and I really don't like the way they take to bare oak.,,not my style. My question is about the attached photo. Had to strip down and rebuild this table and love the look of the natural oak base here. The table top in the front of the photo is the colour it was, but I've taken about a 1/8th of an inch off the base as there were so many colours on it. So this is the bare wood, but it looks nothing like the new oak that I have kicking around Does anyone know how I can replicate this finish for the table top? Obviously refinishing the existing table too would be easy, but I'm married...so nothing is easy...and my wife wants a bigger table top. Sigh* So with having to build a new top, is there a way to get this "blond-ish" finish? Thanks all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 It seems like the base is natural.... Building a top to match the base should be simple. It's natural, naturally., then if you want a specific color, use test pieces from the off cuts you get from your top sizing, and the under part of the base! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Should be pretty straightforward. Start by using a brown grain filler. Sand back then apply a thin amber dye to build up to your tone. Then a clear topcoat tinted with amber dye or a good drying oil like Arm-R-Seal ( it has an amber tone due to the oil). Remember, your old top has aged and the finish has yellowed and taken on a pretty good amber tone. So the goal here is to get it close. Unless your trying to match the color of some chairs? Now your going to have to figure your finish schedule out on samples boards. 1coat, 2coat, 3coat, etc., type of thing. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PO1048M Posted January 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thanks for the quick replies guys...and some good advice here. I think you're tight in that the shadowing will give me some leeway for sure so will keep that in mind Ace...thanks for the specifics. Just so I'm clear though, wouldn't the Amber die make it look like the existing table top? I want it to look like the base which has been stripped down. Thanks again for the tips guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thanks for the quick replies guys...and some good advice here. I think you're tight in that the shadowing will give me some leeway for sure so will keep that in mind Ace...thanks for the specifics. Just so I'm clear though, wouldn't the Amber die make it look like the existing table top? I want it to look like the base which has been stripped down. Thanks again for the tips guys Oops sorry my bad. Is the base all new wood, combo of new and old? Stripped down by sanding or did you use a chemical stripper? -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PO1048M Posted January 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Not a bad idea. I live in Canada. So your 200 dollars of wood would be about 400 here! The base is all the original wood. I used a chemical stripper as it had A LOT of clear coat from when my father restored it originally. That was about 14 years ago. Then I sanded it to bare wood with a belt sander initially, and even a bit further. So it's bare wood. I just called him and he said original all when he stripped it, about 15 years ago he thinks it was shellac (almost black) as it was really diffocukt to take off. He basically stripped, hand sanded and put clear coat on it which is the current colour of the table top. I'm really liking the base, so have to figure out how to make a new table top look like that base as its "not big enough" It is four generations old (built in 1900s) which is why I'm bothering with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 It looks like white oak to me. I would need much better pictures to be certain . Are you trying to get the new top and base to the color of the old top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PO1048M Posted January 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Correct mike woodsap. And I have very little experience with oak. I can tell you the sanded base is very smooth. Doesn't feel like oak with those deep grains. And I can't for the life of me replicate that colour. Stains look like stains on oak-deep grain colour and lighter elsewhere. Which won't match Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Try a very weak alcohol dye, say black /brow tone. Try to wash down the new wood to age it some. You could try baking soda and water to see if that will get the new wood to age. Disclaimer here....not sure if the water/baking soda thing will have a reaction with the tannins in the oak? Please do your testing on test boards! -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Ya know.....you may want to think about using wood bleach or household bleach on the base to match the new wood? Never bleached oak, so not sure how the wood will react to the bleach???? You may have to bleach the new wood as well, to keep everything even. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 i have used wood bleach (oxalic acid) on white oak. It did not really change the color of the oak. I was trying to kill a black streak from where a nail was in the tree. It did a decent job of getting rid of the black streak but did not change the oak much, if at all. That's good to know Mike. Then I would try the household bleach, that may lighten any stain/dye pigments left behind in the wood. its really hard to tell. Perhaps a close up shot of your table base and the "new" wood. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PO1048M Posted January 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Here it is guys. Thanks for the advice. Ended up putting a maple top on it @ 60 inch diameter and my wife likes the uneven staining be user it looks "rustic" so that's what it is...coated it with chemguard lacquer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Very nice looking table! If the wife is happy, its all good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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