DIY : Removing Finish from Furniture (Dining Table)

I’m finally getting to share with you my first experience of removing stain from furniture! I removed the finish from my dining table and nightstand. What I did was different for each piece of furniture which was not my plan but what worked for one did not work for the other. So on this blog post, I will be sharing what I did with our dining table, and on the next blog post I’ll share what I did with our nightstand. When comparing the 2 furniture pieces, removing the finish on the dining table was more of a pain in the behind so let’s start off with this specific project! It took longer than what I anticipated since I had no idea what I was doing, but now that I know what to do, it shouldn’t take long for the next time!

We purchased a mid century modern dining table in the clearance section at HOMEMAKERS 1.5 years ago. I really love this table but wished it was a lighter piece of furniture against the black shiplap. That’s when I decided to tackle this project of removing the finish. Here’s a photo from last Christmas:

Here are a couple before shots:

I did some Googling before I started, and the CITRISTRIP seemed to be a popular stripping gel so I decided to give it a try.

I’ll just say it now. THE CITRISTRIP DID NOT WORK ON THE DINING TABLE, but it didn’t go to waste since this stripping gel worked on the nightstand! The finish on the dining table especially on the table top was a thick coat of some sort which obviously makes sense since it’s a tabletop that will need to resist heat and liquids.

Even though the Citristrip didn’t work on the dining table, I do have suggestions for you so you don’t make the same mistake I did. Like I had mentioned, the Citristrip DID work amazing on the nightstand.

TIP #1: Apply Citristrip stripping gel with a PAINT BRUSH and wear rubber gloves.

TIP #2: When using the Citristrip, I first applied a thin coat. You’re actually supposed to apply a THICK coat. Don’t be stingy! If you apply a thin coat, it’ll dry out quicker.

TIP #3: Apply it in sections. I don’t know what the heck I was thinking and started applying it EVERYWHERE on the table. By the time I was done applying a layer on the entire table, the area I applied it first was drying out because I applied a thin coat (see TIP #2).

TIP #4: You don’t want the gel to dry out. Leave it on for 30 min or so and then scrape it off when gel is STILL wet.

TIP #5: If you apply the stripping gel and the finish doesn’t come off even the slightest when you scrape off the stripping gel, then the stripping gel is probably not going to work on the furniture. Looking at the image below, the lighter leg on the right was after applying the stripping gel FOUR times and applying MINERAL SPIRITS between stripping gel applications. As you can tell, it barely did anything after 4 applications of using the Citristrip! Why did I not figure this out after the first application?! So much time wasted, but I just wanted it to work so bad!

TIP #6: If the Citristrip doesn’t work, use a hand held sander. We don’t have a sander so I was going to rent one at Home Depot. I think it was $30 to rent it for the day so I decided to just buy one! I figured, I may need it for future projects! I found this BOSCH HAND HELD SANDER that had great reviews online so that’s the one I went with. I bought a SANDING DISC PACK that had 3 various grits. I also bought an 80 GRIT SANDING DISC PACK.

This sander worked awesome, and I used the 80 grit sanding discs for the entire table. I was so excited to see that beautiful looking bare wood! Then I used the 220 grit to smooth it out.

Once I was done sanding, I applied the OSMO POLYX-OIL NEUTRAL FINISH (a great nontoxic option) to protect the wood but would still leave a raw unfinished wood look which is what I prefer! They do also have a MATTE and SATIN finish.

TIP #7: Make sure to apply a THIN COAT, and then repeat as desired. I watched Youtube videos, and they mentioned the best way to apply this was using a NON ABRASIVE PAD.

CHECK OUT THE FINAL PRODUCT!! What do you think?! If I can do this, I surely know you can too! Just follow my tips, and you’ll do great!

Gunner is always curious when I do something new to the house. I wonder if he likes it? 😉

**I have a FAQ post on stripping furniture so make sure to check that out!