# How to clean/protect older oak tabletop



## anna5 (Oct 5, 2011)

Hello all,

I picked up an older (don't know how old) oak pedestal table yesterday and the finish on top is partially worn away. It seems a little bit grubby, but I am not sure what to clean it with, since there seems to be a little bit of bare wood showing through in the places where there is no finish.

I also want to smooth it a little bit if possible, and protect the wood. Since I have young kids we are a bit rough on furniture and I have no desire to sand and polish the thing until it looks new and perfect, I rather like the appearance of it as is. If smoothing it means we'll have to sand it until it will lose its weathered look, we can skip that. But whether it is sanded or not, my husband and I are not sure what product is best to protect it from spills and that type of thing.

Don't know if this matters but the top is a sunburst veneer pattern.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

try wet sanding with lemon oil. Grit would depend on what you are try to smooth out. You can start with 220, 320 or even finer.


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## woodzy (Jan 24, 2011)

A couple of days ago i found a 10ft long bench in the trash (well on the curb).
I am faced with the same issues.

Great question, looking forward to seeing some of the feedback.
Sorry i can't help.


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## anna5 (Oct 5, 2011)

Thanks, Don! Would we need to sand the remaining finish off before using the oil?


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I don't know what the finish is or the shape its in, but typically no. And you shouldn't hurt anything if you try. You can basically do this with almost any oil, but lemon oil smells nice, isn't harmful and dries much quicker than say BLO or tung oil. Its the basis for stuff like Lemon Pledge. (which I have used in a pinch, wet sanding with it to hide and feather some finishes). Again, if the finish is real bad, and has really defined chips, it may not work. If its just worn in spots, it works like a charm.


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## anna5 (Oct 5, 2011)

Thanks! That sounds encouragSince the top is in a sunburst pattern, I do need to ensure I sand with the grain, even though the grain direction changes every few inches, right? I hope that's not as hard as I'm imagining it to be


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

wet sanding should be polishing whats left of the finish. Direction should not make that much of a difference.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

If the surface is truly grubby and assuming we are talking about the same thing when we talk about grubby, I would begin by washing this top well with TSP. This casn be purchased at building centers. Follow the directions and it will remove the grubby stuff and make it ready to finish with the paper and oil.


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