How do I refinish a cherry wood coffee table?

Question

Cherry wood w/ gloss finish...nicks, scratches, deeper grooves, chips...

Answer 1

To correct the previous answer, Cherry is not a soft wood. Cured cherry is hard enough to bounce bullets off of.

You are going to have to use a paint stripper to get the present finish off. That might also remove the stain. strip it clean and if it needs to be restained, get a penetrating stain (do not use MinWax) which has NO universal colorants that can be picked up by either the varnish or the laquer that you are going to use. Cherry will not take a deep stain easily because it is so hard. You might not have to stain it at all.

Sanding it smooth is a prerequisite to any finishing. Start with about a 150 grit and then go to a 200 or 400 (all three might be necessary).

I use laquer but only because I have the equipment. If you use varnish, which might take 8-12 hours to dry, you will pick up every bug and every particle of dust in the house. Find out how to use a spray gun, take it outside in the drive way, and put on about 8-10 thin coats of gloss laquer. That will be dry about 10 minutes after you do it. If you want the sheen not so glossy, use 0000 steel wool and rub it lightly with that.


It is not difficult, I do it all the time. Keep the spray gun moving, cover the entire surface, wait about 10 minutes, do the second, then ten minutes and do the third. Varnish is not forgiving, if you make a mistake and get it on too thick, you basically have to work hard to fix it. Laquer, on the other hand, is very forgiving, if you glob it somewhere, you can wipe it off with a lint free rag soaked in laquer thinner and spray over it in a very few minutes.

Answer 2

Bill P is right.

It helps to dip your finely grained sand paper in mineral oil as you are sanding to avoid dust packing on the paper. When you use any paint stripper or sander, wear a mask over your mouth and nose like a surgeon's mask, safety goggles, and gloves. The gloves, masks and goggles should be available at the same place you buy the stripper.

Different people react differently to chemicals, fumes, and wood dust. It can rapidly eat through your skin, cause unconsciousness and nausea, and the anti-bodies in your lungs have a hard time clearing wood dust from the air sacks. Many men die each year from what is diagnosed as emphysema when it is actually crystallization or anti-bodies around foreign material in air sacks.

Answer 3

well cherry wood is a very soft wood but. I would use a higher grit sand paper like 400 to remove the varnish and blemishes. the wipe of all the dust with a damp rag. allow to completely dry and revarnish.

Answer 4

I would try putting mayonnaise on it Use a spoon and rub liberally over the stain cover with cling film and leave several hours or overnight this will draw the curry stain out remove cling film wipe away mayonnaise using paper towel and leave to dry out it worked for me on my oak dining table