Best way to refurbish maple butcher block table top

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

We have a maple butcher block table top that we would like refurbish. The table is from 1995 and was our kitchen table in 2 of our houses and then became a playroom table for my kids. We moved it to our current house and took off the base which was just white painted wood and not very attractive. The thought was to hold on to the table top and make some butcher block cutting boards. Well the kids are grown and DD is getting her first apartment and this table would fit perfectly in her apartment. We are going to make a base for the table.

The top is 42 inches in diameter. It has some water rings and magic marker marks/maybe paint on it. We never put any kind of treatment on it over the years. I am wondering how best to go about refurbishing the top. Clean it and I assume sanding it? What grit of sand paper to start with and end with? What about the water rings. Do we need to do something with them or just sand the top down? What best to use on the top once sanded? Poly or some type of oil? We are not staining it.

Featured Answer

rwiegand

5 years ago

I'd plane the surface because it's so much faster and more pleasant than sanding; but if you don't have a good smooth plane that you know how to sharpen then sanding with a random orbit sander--preferably one with a vacuum attachment to contain the dust. Use one of your better N95 masks while sanding either way.

If there are deep stains that you need to remove start with 80, then 120, 180, 220, 320 grit. (I'd do one farther than Klem, but his suggestion will work too, it comes down to personal preference) If the damage is superficial you can start at 120. Don't try to skip grits as it will end up taking forever. (and use your sandpaper as if someone else is paying for it!) Be sure to sand with each grit untill all of the sanding marks from the previous grit are gone. Check by wetting the surface with denatured alcohol or water; if you see swirls keep sanding. When you get to the last grit dampen the entire surface, let it dry and then sand very lightly with fresh paper at the same grit to knock off the "fuzzies" that will pop up -- better than than when you apply a water-based finish if you go that route. This is a long, unpleasant task, expect to spend many hours sanding.

An alternative is to take it to a cabinet shop who has a wide belt sander to do all the initial work. You'll still want to do the finer sanding steps by hand.

Finish will depend on intended use. For a durable utilitarian finish I'd use polyurethane or a traditional varnish like Waterlox. I prefer oil-based, but that will give you an amber tone like the table has currently. Target Coatings and General Finishes make water-based poly's and conversion varnishes that look a whole lot better than the big box store brands; some can be brushed on some need to be sprayed. Not staining is a really good choice on maple!

Klem-- I use a card scraper when I want the surface to look perfect!

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Comments (6)

klem1
5 years ago
I would sand ending with 220 grit to bring out the flecks and rays. I've used a card scraper to intentionally make butcher block look worn.
vinmarks thanked klem1
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vinmarks
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the great info. We do not have a hand planer so we will go with an orbital sander. We do have a vacuum system we can hook the sander to. I think the damage is superficial but I think I will know a little better once I start sanding.

We have General Finishes satin and semigloss. I prefer the look of the satin but I don’t know if the semi gloss will be more durable.

I would never attempt to stain maple. I know how hard maple is and how it does not take stain well.
rwiegand
5 years ago
Durability is the same for all practical purposes.

For the best satin finish use a gloss finish, let it dry for several weeks and then rub it out with 0000 steel wool to the desired sheen-- you can bring it back up to semi gloss or even high gloss levels using other kinds of finer polishing compounds.

Satin finishes use flattening agents that obscure the wood surface to some extent making it look muddy, gloss gives you optimal clarity. If you use a satin finish use if for only the final coat, all the earlier ones should be gloss.

Polishing the finish with the steel wool evens it out, levels any nibs, and can even obscure brush marks. It makes for a much silkier feel than the raw finish. I think "finishing the finish". whether by rubbing out with steel wool or polishing agents ranging from pumice/rottenstone to high tech automotive polishes or buffing is essential to make a piece of furniture look and feel really nice.
klem1
5 years ago
rwiegand You recieve this week's smiley face sticker for tips that can make the difference between a good finish and a fine finish.
vinmarks
Original Author
5 years ago
I wish we had the time and expertise for all that. I think we are going to go with semi gloss. We have made a few things in the past and used semi gloss with sanding between coats and they came out nice and have held up really well. I'll be working on the top everyday and hopefully we can get it done in time. August 6th is move in date as of now. I'll have to see if the top will fit in my husbands Equinox. If it does then the top can be brought up at a later date and maybe be I'll able to spend more time on it. If not then it needs to go in the moving truck.

Im am hoping this is a bit easier than some of the stuff we have done before. We took some raw wormy maple and made a desk top. We had to send each plank through the planer millions of times. That was a process. Then of course hand sanding, routing and many coats of poly.

We turned these planks:

Into this desk top. It's not perfect and not fine furniture but I think we did pretty good for novices.