Refinishing Oak Furniture

[WoodChuck1]

I am getting ready to refinish some oak dining furniture. This is my first time refinishing oak and am curious is if there is any special handling or care required when working with oak?

 

[woodpecker]

Is this an antique piece? If you are not a professional, there are chances of lowering the value of this piece if you refinish it. Why not call in a professional and ask him/her whether the piece really requires refinishing or whether it is valuable as it is?

 

[Taggart]

My impression would be that oak wouldn't be particularly fragile compared to other woods, but I'd be interested in answers from people more experienced in dealing with it.

I love the grain of oak, and I'd suggest trying to finish it to showcase that as much as possible.

 

[oldnamvet]

Why refinish is the first question. Is it all dinged up and scratched or you want to change the appearance (color, etc)? Depending on how worn the finish is, you may have to strip and do it all over (stain, fill pores, finish). If it is just worn, scratched, no real stains, you can give it a good cleaning and sand it well to scuff up and even out the old finish, and then put on a couple coats of poly or whatever you are using. That assumes that it was coated with varnish to begin with. If it was an oil finish, hand rubbed, then you need an expert to avoid making a mess of things.

 

[Twiceshy]

I am getting ready to refinish some oak dining furniture. This is my first time refinishing oak and am curious is if there is any special handling or care required when working with oak?

Wile calling a professional might put money in someone's pocket, it sounds like you aren't worried about the furniture's value as much as you are about its appearance.

You might take a look at the DIY Network's website to see if there are some directions associated with the project you have in mind.

 

[Tom Heard]

On a similar note, I am working on an old oak rocker, curved back and seat slats etc. It has been around for a long time and was originally painted with what looks and acts like the old blue milk paint. Most of the paint has flaked off and easy to remove but what is stuck is stuck. Will sand the rest off. Hate to use stripper for fear of staining the wood. Question...I will finish it with a Danish oil probably but since it will be out on a covered porch, almost out of the sun and weather, I was wondering what I could use to further protect it without giving it a gloss. BTW, new here and hope to be back often. Nice site.

 

[oldnamvet]

Since it will be ALMOST out of the sun, it will get some sun and weather. Danish oil is not known for outside use. I would consider a marine satin spar varnish. It has UV inhibitors and stands up to weather.