Re-Staining an oil finished table

[clento]

I have a mahogony coffee table that is stained, with an oil finish, no shellac or varnish has ever been applied. I recently moved, and the color of the table does not match my new living room and I would like to re-stain the table. Can I simply clean with mineral spirits, re-stain and re-oil, or varnish the wood or do I need to prepare the wood first in some way.

[Pete Bennett]

If you are planning on taking down a shade or two it should be OK with a really good going over with mineral spirits and perhaps a light sanding before re-staining. But, if you plan on making it a shade or so lighter you'll almost certainly need to scrape it back to natural colour first. Be best to try a section under the top first which ever way you go. When you say oil finish I guess you mean something like Danish oil or Tung? Remember varnish is only some form of resin dissolved in oils and maybe some driers.

If you plan to give it a final finish other than oil be sure to get the colour you want underneath and coat it up then let it dry before going for the top. It's almost impossible to be certain of the match until you have given it at least a coat of the final finish.

Hope this helps?

Pete

[AceHoleInOne]

I would strip the table down using the above (make sure it contains methylene chloride ) and use steel wool scrubbing with the grain to remove the stripper and stain residue. Then repeat. The more applications of stripper, the more stain you remove. When you get the table the way you like it, wash the table down with mineral spirits. This will clean any residue stripper left behind. Then sand your piece with 180 or 220 paper.

Then carry on with your finishing schedule.

Use the stripper in a well-ventilated area. Follow all safety instructions on the label.

Wear thick commercial rubber gloves and non-vented type safety goggles.

Take your time and don’t rush it. Just make sure you remove all the stain with no areas looking heavy or streaked, if that occurs, all your doing is moving the stain around on your table. You must frequently change to fresh steel wool, don't let it load up

-Ace-

[clento]

I would strip the table down using the above (make sure it contains methylene chloride ) and use steel wool scrubbing with the grain to remove the stripper and stain residue. Then repeat. The more applications of stripper, the more stain you remove. When you get the table the way you like it, wash the table down with mineral spirits. This will clean any residue stripper left behind. Then sand your piece with 180 or 220 paper.

Then carry on with your finishing schedule.

Use the stripper in a well-ventilated area. Follow all safety instructions on the label.

Wear thick commercial rubber gloves and non-vented type safety goggles.

Take your time and don’t rush it. Just make sure you remove all the stain with no areas looking heavy or streaked, if that occurs, all your doing is moving the stain around on your table. You must frequently change to fresh steel wool, don't let it load up

-Ace-