An extending dining table is a great piece of furniture to own because it allows you to increase the size of your dining surface when you are entertaining guests. This gives you the best of both worlds – a relatively small dining table to use on an everyday basis, and a larger extendable dining table to keep things comfy when you prefer to share a big meal with family and friends.
If you have an older or worn dining table with extensions (or without) that could use a bit of TLC to get it back into shape, then you may want to consider refinishing the table to breathe new life and style into it. Refinishing extending dining tables isn’t much different from refinishing any other type of dining table, with one exception. You need to take special care to make sure that you apply the refinishing techniques to the dining room table extension leaves in a uniform manner as you do the table itself, including all of the edges. This will ensure that when you have the extensions in, the whole table looks the same.
Of course, these tips are intended to show you how to refinish a wood extending dining table, so if your table is metal or glass, this method won’t be of much help.
Ready to get started? Here are the steps to refinish extending dining tables:
What you’ll need:
wood stain
polyurethane
brushes made for stain
clean rags
tack cloth
sandpaper – 100, 250, 220 grit
orbital or belt sander (optional)
How to do it:
- Start by sanding the existing finish off the table, removing all varnish, polyurethane, paint or stain. Make sure to also sand the extensions in the same manner, including all edges. You can do this by hand, but it will be an easier and quicker job if you start by using an orbital or belt sander to do the job (although you’ll still have to manually sand any small grooves and edges). Just be careful if you are using a power sander not to nick or gouge the wood during the sanding process. You should do a few passes of sanding, with finer grits as you go, to remove all existing finishing and smooth out the surface (so start with 100 grit, then 150 grit and finish with 220 grit sandpaper).
- Once sanding is complete, brush or blow off as much dust as possible, and then use a tack cloth to remove any residual sanding dust.
- Liberally brush on stain along the entire table and extensions, following the natural grain of the wood. The extensions should not be locked into the table during this process so you can get all edges. Let the stain sit briefly (check the directions for how long on the particular type of stain you are using) and then wipe off the excess stain. Make sure to do this step uniformly or you will have a blotchy looking table when you are done.
- After stain has dried, lightly sand the surface with very fine (220 grit) sandpaper to remove any wood fibers that become raised in the staining process. Then remove sanding dust with a tack cloth.
- Most wood extendable dining tables will need at least two coats of stain, although you can opt to add additional coats if you want your table to have a darker finish (be sure to sand lightly and remove dust between each coat)
- Once the stain has dried thoroughly and you are happy with the look of your table, you then need to add multiple coats of polyurethane to seal the surface. The polyurethane should be applied with a brush and the table will need at least 3 – 4 coats to properly protect the surface (allow each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next coat).
- Wait at least 24 hours or more after the last coat of polyurethane is applied to use your new extending dining room table.
This project is not overly difficult to do, although it is rather time consuming since there are many passes of sanding, dust removal and staining and sealing that need to be done. So, while you don’t need expert skills to complete the job, you will need a great deal of patience and attention to detail to make sure that you wind up with a uniform finish.
One of the great benefits of being able to handle this refinishing job yourself, however, is the amount of money you can save. It doesn’t cost much to buy some stain, polyurethane and a few new brushes and rags. On the other hand, if you are looking to buy extendable dining tables, especially those made of wood, you are looking at a rather large purchase. So, if you have an old extending dining table that looks like its seen better days, consider taking some time to refinish the table and give it a new look and style, rather than sending it to the curb. The next time you’re planning a big gathering, you’ll be happy you did!
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