{"title":"How to Refinish a Wood Table - 7 Steps","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/woodworking-crafts/how-to-refinish-a-table","category":{"slug":"woodworking-crafts","name":"Woodworking Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"HouseCalls","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT7uKjjnhi3eozGVrjKfTzQ","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS6LgYxbx9M"},"tldr":"Refinish a worn dining table - strip, sand, stain, and seal. 7 steps from a HouseCalls workshop demo. Bring an old kitchen table back to brand-new shine.","totalDurationSeconds":595,"difficulty":"medium","tools":["Wide natural-bristle disposable brushes","Wide putty knife (corners rounded)","Finishing sander or sanding block","Medium-fine and fine steel wool","Yellow chemical-resistant gloves","Respirator or dust mask","Clean rags and paper towels"],"materials":["Paste paint stripper","Liquid paint stripper","Lacquer thinner","220-grit sandpaper","Wood stain (matching color)","Polyurethane top coat (semi-gloss)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Apply Paste Paint Stripper","text":"Brush a thick paste paint stripper across the table top with a wide natural-bristle disposable brush. Don't overbrush - the active chemicals are gases, and every stroke lets more escape into the air.One light coat is enough. Work in small sections at a time so the stripper doesn't dry out before you can scrape it."},{"number":2,"title":"Scrape Off the Old Finish","text":"Wait until the finish bubbles and lifts away from the wood, usually 5-10 minutes. Then drag a wide putty knife at a shallow angle to scoop the loosened finish off in one pass.Round the corners of the putty knife first with a file or coarse sandpaper - sharp corners dig into the wood and leave gouges."},{"number":3,"title":"Apply Liquid Stripper for Residue","text":"The paste pulls off most of the finish but leaves residue in the wood grain. Brush a liquid stripper liberally across the surface to dissolve what's left.Work medium-fine steel wool in long strokes with the grain. The wool catches the loosened finish from inside the pores."},{"number":4,"title":"Wash With Lacquer Thinner","text":"Strippers leave wax behind. New finish won't bond to wax, so this step is critical even though it feels redundant.Brush lacquer thinner across the entire surface, then go over it with fresh fine steel wool. The thinner dissolves the wax and the wool lifts it away."},{"number":5,"title":"Sand Lightly With 220 Grit","text":"Use a finishing sander with 220-grit paper. This is light scuff sanding, not heavy material removal.If your table has veneer (most factory dining tables do), the veneer is usually less than 1/16 inch thick. Aggressive sanding cuts through it and exposes the cheap substrate underneath."},{"number":6,"title":"Mix and Apply Stain","text":"Test stain colors on a scrap board first to match the base of your table. Ron mixes Special Walnut (his base color) with a small amount of Ipswich Pine to lighten it.Apply the stain with a brush, working in long strokes with the grain. Then wipe off excess with a clean cloth or paper towel. Let it dry at least 24 hours before the top coat."},{"number":7,"title":"Apply Polyurethane Top Coat","text":"Stir the polyurethane thoroughly - the flattening agent settles to the bottom of the can and gives you uneven sheen if you don't mix it.Use a high-quality natural-bristle brush. Pour the poly into a clean container instead of brushing from the can. Apply long strokes with the grain, then tip off with very light strokes to remove brush marks. Two to three coats with light sanding between each."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:28:32.058Z","published":"2026-05-07T23:09:47.788Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}