The previous owner had left behind a few items, including a striking antique dining room table and chairs that had definitely seen better days. I had someone from a furniture restoration shop drop by to evaluate it, and they placed it from around the 1940’s. They were asking way too much to restore it to its former glory, so I decided to see what I could do myself.
I found someone to recover the chairs, and they came out beautifully.
I also showed him a picture of the table and asked what I could do to refinish it myself. He recommended giving the table a good cleaning to remove any oils and then use some Wipe on Poly to refinish.
Before starting, I googled to see if there was any way to remove a couple of what appeared to be permanent water stains. I found all sorts of interesting home remedies, from ironing or blow drying the table to steel wool and lemon oil, baking soda and toothpaste, petroleum jelly or even car wax.
The most popular seemed to be baking soda and toothpaste, so I gave it a try… and it actually worked! The stains didn’t quite fully disappear, but once I used the Wipe on Poly, they blended so well with the rest of table that I’m the only one who will ever know they’re there.
Perhaps it’s silly, but I feel so ridiculously proud of my accomplishment…
