Barn Wood Table Refresh

text by Vicki     Sign up to get Mother Daughter Projects updates in your email!

One piece of furniture Steph wanted for her house when she moved in was a farmhouse table. At the time, neither of us had the skills to make one. She found a shop north of Tallahassee and had one custom made of old barn wood with metal legs. The lumber the owner showed us along with the metal legs seemed like a perfect combination. The order was place; payment was made.

The table was delivered and set into place; we admired its beauty. We realized, too late, that the actual construction of the table was poor. There was nothing structural built into the table to keep it from wobbling which it did with the slightest touch. This annoyed Steph to no end!

Also, at my suggestion we had it waxed, which was a terrible choice. It didn't protect the wood from liquid at all and the table top suffered. 

We now have developed woodworking and refinishing skills so it was time to tackle the top and add structural strength to the legs. Here's what we did.

Before: the table was in rough shape as the finish did not hold up. The spaces were crumb magnets, the wood was rough, and there were lots of water spots.

Materials:

• Shellac (Home Depot)
• Sandpaper (Home Depot)
• Wipe Clean
• Aluminium tape
• Epoxy (Amazon)
• Metal Sawhorse 

​Tools:

• Orbital Sander
• Impact driver (Home Depot)
• Drill/driver (Home Depot)

We started by removing the legs which were simply screwed into the top.

It was so much work to removed the wax. We used a wax removal product, mineral spirits...

...AND lots and lots of sanding! Sand, Repeat, Sand some more.

We decided to use clear epoxy to fill in the cracks between the boards. We prepped the table by taping off the underside with aluminum tape so the epoxy would not drip through.

We used a two-part epoxy mixed according to the directions and poured into the cracks over a period of days.

We wiped on clear shellac with an old t-shirt. We sanded with 220 grit sandpaper between coats doing 4 total coats.

It's difficult to pour into the cracks without spilling. We wiped up what we could and then sanded off the remainder.

Part way through the refresh we decided to add sawhorse legs rather than the apron we intended to construct.

The sawhorse legs fold up. If we decide to change them out they can be unscrewed. Our new Dewalt impact driver drove the screws into the aged hardwood effortlessly.

The finish on this table is 100% better than where it started and no longer wobbles! 

We would recommend for anyone wanting to wax a piece of furniture to think long and hard about that decision. The wax is extremely difficult to remove and even with all that we did to remove it, we still had some that was deeply ingrained into the wood. 

If you decide to get a piece of furniture custom made, be sure to do your homework. Really examine samples of the woodworkers work and get recommendations from friends. Know how a table or piece of furniture should be constructed to be sure you are getting a quality piece. 

FYI: We are part of The Home Depot Tool Review Program. As bloggers in this program we are receiving compensation and products to use and review. The Dewalt impact driver used in this post is part of this program. All other products and tools were picked and bought by us. 

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

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