i was just wondering i need to refinish some solid wood tables can they be planed down and refinished?

Question

they are solid maple

Answer 1

Unless you are really good with a plane, I suggest you strip the table, sand it and then refinish.

It is almost impossible for most people to plane a large surface and not end up with lots of uneven surfaces and not just one smooth surface. Even a belt sander requires some real skill to not end up with hills and valleys.

Answer 2

Why would you plane the table and not just refinish? Is the table dinged up pretty bad on the top?

I have used a great stripper in the past that is eco friendly and enabled me to strip the stain and poly finish off of 80 years old hardwood floors. It's called Soy Gel and can be purchased straight from the manufacturer. (www.franmar.com) it works better than anything else I have ever tried...and it's even safe for lead based paints.

Dings and dents give character but if they are really bad I guess planing (or wood filler and a little sanding) would probably be in order. Planing is just a "lot" of extra work...and if it turns out the table isn't solid but a veneer you will have distroyed the table.

Answer 3

Remove the old finish with chemical stripper, then sand and refinish the wood. There should be plenty of information on the web about refinishing furniture.

Answer 4

Planing would remove quite a bit of wood. Unless the top is severly damaged, the above choice is far more desirable. Chemical strippers followed by sanding, starting with a course paper and eventually finishing with a fine (250 or so). I would use a gel stain for the best penetration and you have a lot of choices of sealer/protectants.

Answer 5

Yes, you can plane a table top to remove the finish. It saves stripping and raising the grain. However, you don't think you'll be able to plane properly to get other parts completely finish free.