Dining table - what finishes to use for a rustic look?

[Krome10]

Hi

I have a dining table I want to restore... It was from a pub, and took an age to clean! The top has since been sanded, and the legs - which were painted orange - have had the paint removed and also been sanded back.

The top, I think. is made from old floorboards. Not certain, but either way there's lots of wear, splits, old worm holes, etc. And that's how I like it. So for the top I'm looking more for protection against food, drinks without coasters, and humidity - which can be quite high in the house at times. If whatever we use darkens the wood a little, that would be fine so long as it is not too much.

The legs on the other hand seem more modern wood with little sign of age or character. The wood is very flat and smooth (planed?). I'm not sure if it's possible to get the legs anywhere near to something I would like, but hopefully that's where you guys come in Aside from choosing the right finish, I'm happy to try any techniques that might exist to help rustic-ify them. I want the legs to be darker than the top, but I'm not dead set on one particular tone.

Here's some photos of the table in question. I'll follow up with some examples of tops and legs I'm keen on emulating.

Huge thanks

 

[Krome10]

And here's a few interweb examples of things we like...


Especially like this one:





These two aren't bad either. Not sure if the second one has stained or painted legs??






Not ideal, but if something like this is more achievable...




Legs are a bit too dark and opaque on this table, but again, if that's the best we can do with what we've got? Really like the top...






Thanks again

 

[recipio]

I would probably use a good quality solvent based polyurethane. The trick is to go to a good paint shop and buy a dedicated varnish brush. Polyurethane has fallen out of fashion recently but I find it good for utilitarian furniture and it mellows nicely with age. Best to varnish it twice in a warm room and leave it a week to harden.

 

[Argus]

If you are down to bare wood whatever you use will soak in - so it's a good idea to use this to your advantage.
Secondly, on a table that size there's a large surface area........ a lot of brushing or rollering.

An alternative to all that work is an oil finish which can be rubbed all over with rags. No brushes to clean and dry.

As a good general-purpose finish in kitchens and the like I tend to go for Danish Oil, my preferred brand being Liberon. It has a minute amount of colour, but not much - about as much as you'd get from a varnish. If you need a little darkening, optionally add an oil-based wood dye of choice to the first layering.

An advantage is that it can be put on in bulk on a large area by hand with a rag. Decent rubber gloves are a must and its much the quickest way.
Layer on..... wait 20 minutes, then rag off. Allow it to dry and repeat. It dries in three/four hours at normal temperatures.

Let the first couple of coats to soak in, so be generous...... you may even dilute the first coats with white spirit to advance the process, thereafter put it on neat.

Three or four layers on the legs and a few more on the top.

An advantage of Danish Oil is that if it looks a bit worn in a few years, just rub it down lightly then add another coat or two. It isn't affected by cups or drinks..... just wipe it off.

If you use an oil, don't forget to soak your used rags in water and dispose of them when you've finished.

Good luck..... you'll have a great range of different and competing suggestions coming up!

 

[Mike.R]

The well scrubbed look is a favourite of mine. Traditionally table tops like this would have no finish and would be literally be scrubbed clean as and when required.

To seal the wood and retain that character you will need a dead flat finish that doesn't yellow. For a start you could look at the Polyvine range, something like their Extra Pale Dead Flat Varnish.

polyvine-extra-pale-varnish

 

[eribaMotters]

For the top I'd do nothing. Just give it a scrub every week with a spot of water and bleach. For the legs I'd paint them with as flat a finish paint as I could get, a dark blue would look nice. You could then distress the finish if you want with wire wool rub down. As much as I prefer acrylic I think an oil paint would be best to resist the possible bleed from knots.

Colin

 

[jcassidy]

Whilst in previous times you might have a scullery maid to scrub your kitchen work surface daily, this isn't really realistic today and the novelty of a bare wood tabletop will wear off pretty quick once mould starts appearing. Unless it's a purely decorative feature in a shop or something.

If you really want the bare wood look, then Danish oil would be the way to go. It's food safe and fairly easy to apply if your follow the instructions...

For the legs, they would be painted in some tough oil colour, and naturally worn by knocks and use. Easily reproduced with masking fluid and wire wool. For a proper rustic look, you could apply several coats in different colours, distressing each one, so build up an interesting visual history

 

[Sachakins]

Have a look at Rubicon finishes, seem a firm favourite with many YT woodworking videos!
https://www.rubiomonocoatonline.co.uk/collections/wood-protection

 

[Jacob]

Simplest and most traditional would be linseed oil all over. Takes a few days to dry but is very durable and easy to top up as necessary.

 

[Agent_zed]

Depends on how you want it to look. If you oil it, it will darken off a lot. I personally like the very light look so would potentially look at a limewax. The legs could be wirebrushed to bring out the grain a bit so it holds more of the wax.

 

[XTiffy]

I would go with recipio. A good technique is to thin the varnish around 20% white spirit and "cloth" it on dries very quickly and half a dozen coats can be put on without brush marks etc. (Store the rag in a metal tin). The legs look original to me so light staining to colour choice and same varnish technique to finish.
If you wanted to "disstress" the legs use a brass wire brush (not steel wire).