Don't call me Handy Mandy

I inherited a cargo style coffee table from a former employer over a decade ago but it is big and sturdy and has such a simple style that it has migrated with me throughout the years.  The only reason we removed it to the garage was to prevent our son from killing himself.  He would (and still does) literally run circles around the open-space living area as toddler/preschool aged children are prone to do.  Frequently, he would trip and fly face first into whatever furniture, people, wall or toy that was in his path and this was the cause for our replacing the table with a HUGE padded ottoman.  Lest you think I hadn't tried to "babyproof" the table, let me assure you that protective foam is of no use in high-speed facial impacts.

In addition to the ottoman, we had a hand-me-downed 3 times train table in front of our fireplace that served the dual purpose of child entertainment and creating a barrier that may prevent our children from accessing said fireplace.  Well, recently that 10+ year old assemble-out-of-the-box, press-board table began to show it's age and travels and abuse with splitting and cracking that became hazardous.  It wasn't until that crotchety table lashed out and gashed my 4yo in the leg so bad I suspected deliberate shanking that my lazy butt stepped up and decided to defend my cubs by evicting the vicious train table.

I decided my sturdy cargo style coffee table would do nicely in place of the train table.  In addition to being more sturdy it's much taller which makes it easier for my 90%tile height children to use.  However, it had been in need of a refinish for sometime and if I was going to be a child's plaything I had better at least make sure to sand away any dangerous splinters.

Here's how the project went down.

This picture shows the table after the foam padding had been removed but it's left with an awesome film of adhesive that took 4 applications of Goof Off in some places.

See that yummy-gummy goodness?

Let me take a moment here to tell you that initially I had thought this to be a project I could complete in one 4 hour time frame but after the Goof Off stage I decided it might be more realistic to consider it a two day project.  My expected working time was reserved for days when both children would be at preschool.

So after 1.5 hours of Goof Off-ing I finally got ready for step 2: SANDING.
This was the fun part.  No not really.  While the coolness factor of playing with a power tool made it bearable we were still in the grips of the hottest summer EVER.  Seriously, we beat out the DUST BOWL for hot this summer.  While we are speaking of dust let me mention to those of you who haven't used a CHICAGO ELECTRIC 5" Random Orbital Palm Sander that you might consider that the sanding discs create at least if not more mess than the wood you happen to be sanding.

It took about 20-30 passes over any given square inch of the table to get it to appear to be a somewhat uniform surface.  I was really pleased at this point to only be resurfacing the top of the table.  I can't imagine how much time it would have taken to do the legs and sides.

I asked my husband to go on a quick trip to the Home Depot to choose a product to prep the wood and a product to finish the wood.  Men always like to be invited on a lunch time trip to the Depot.  After much consideration we chose GREEN Mineral Spirits and  WATCO Teak Oil Finish so as to prevent poisoning our children who very likely might attempt to eat the table at some point.  By the time we returned home the temperature outside had gotten too high to safely and effectively use our prep and finish fluids so I put the rest of the project off until the next day.

Day 2:  Step 3 PREP (this is a man word for cleaning) THE SURFACE
Basically, I apply the mineral spirits to a rag and wipe (repeatedly) until dirty stuff no longer appears on the rag.  See?  CLEANING.  After the SPIRITS dissipate it is permissible to begin finishing (hehehe) the wood.  In the heat, drying took less time than it took me to read the label on the teak oil bottle.

Step 4: FINISH which means not only "To give a desired or particular surface texture." but also "The final part; the conclusion."
This involves wearing gloves because despite the oil having a clear appearance it will stain skin.  Actually, it's a good idea to wear gloves anytime one might touch chemicals (including Goof Off and Mineral Spirits) but I don't always behave prudently.  I'm a rebel like that.

After just one application the difference is drastic. (sounds like an infomercial pitch line)

Also, after the first application I realized that in spite of apparently adequate sanding I was unable to remove residue that came from the tape my former employer had used to leave notes to herself.  No, it doesn't both me enough to make me start over.  Next question?

The bottle recommended 1 application, 30 minute wait, 2nd application, 15 minute wait and then a 3rd application, if necessary.  Of course, I HAD to have an additional application.  This time my just-one-more compulsion did not cause any harm.  I can't verify it caused any benefit either but I am certain there was no harm done.

The final product looks nice and a week and a half later I swear it already looks close to the same tone of the legs which I didn't refinish.  It should continue to darken as is the nature of wood.

I can't say I have any valuable new lessons to pass on from this experience only to reaffirm that power tools are fun although messy and that I would do many more projects like this if 1/3 of the year wasn't 100+ degrees.