Refinishing Ercol table

Leif

I stripped an Ercol beech and elm table to the bare wood, and want to finish it with a medium oak colour. I want to put on Danish oil, and I think this is not compatible with oil based stain, such as Blackfriar, as the latter seals the wood too much.

So, is coloured Danish oil good? And should I apply coats until I get the colour I want, followed by natural uncoloured Danish oil if needed?

Does wood filler take coloured Danish oil? The manufacturer had filled knots with a grey filler. Or should I apply some stain to the filler with an artist's brush before oiling?

Is water based wood dye okay? I've read that it is hard to get even colouring on large areas e.g. table top.

DirectDebacle

Leif wrote: »

I stripped an Ercol beech and elm table to the bare wood, and want to finish it with a medium oak colour. I want to put on Danish oil, and I think this is not compatible with oil based stain, such as Blackfriar, as the latter seals the wood too much......

What did you strip it with? If Nitromors or similar it needs to be washed thoroughly with meths to remove all traces. Then lightly sand.

Bear in mind that even clear finishes will darken wood so before going the whole hog experiment on a small obscure area eg inside of a leg to see the effect. You can always go from light to darker, but not the other way round without re-stripping/sanding.

Some dyes are trickier than others but they will all be uneven if unevenly applied and/or surface preparation isn't spot on. Remember wood is a product of nature and will not be of uniform colour throughout so expect some variation in the finish.

Most oils work well as a stand alone finish Danish, Tung, Teak etc but do not offer much in wear protection. If the table is a dining/coffee table or of a type that will be used as such (wet or warm and wet objects placed upon it) then better protection is afforded with a polyurethane varnish. This can be applied over Danish oil if desired.

If you use a poly varnish eg Ronseal or similar on bare wood apply in thin coats as follows

1st thinned 60 white spirit/40 varnish. Very thin coat will penetrate deep into the wood and dry quickly.

2nd thinned 40white spirit/60 varnish.

3rd straight from the tin. Lightly de-nib between coats with 400ish wet and dry used dry. Clean dust off with cloth dampened with white spirit or buy some tack cloths before applying next coat.

With a little practice and a good quality brush a very fine finish is achievable.

Waterbased dye is ok but it will slightly raise the grain and require sanding back. For this reason I prefer oil or spirit based stain.

Leif

The frame and underside were sanded down, the top was treated with Nitromors, and I am going to wipe it with white spirit. I know water based dye raises the grain, but that is not a problem.

I don't want to use polyurethane finishes or varnish as once chipped, you have to remove them to redo.

This evening I tried Colron water based wood dye on a hidden area, and the filler did not take it. I then tried a Blackfriar solvent based wood dye, and the filler did take it. I can only assume that the filler material does not absorb water.

I will try the solvent dye followed by neutral Danish oil. I think the earlier problem with Danish oil and dye was due to not wiping off excess.