Sanding and re-varnishing dining table

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Sanding and re-varnishing dining table - MDF?

Lizard1977

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#322627 5-Sep-2025 14:07

Last year I found a pretty solid dining table that was free to a good home. It had some marks and scuffs on the surface but it was in pretty good shape otherwise. I figured it would be a reasonably straightforward exercise to sand it back and then re-varnish it to make it look nice again.

But taking a closer look (see photos below) I wonder if the top is MDF? Hopefully you can tell from the photos. To my untrained eye it looks like MDF with a thin veneer on the top. If that is the case, would it be a bad idea to do what I'm planning to do? Will sanding it just ruin the surface completely?

eracode

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#3411627 5-Sep-2025 14:38

Hard to tell from the photos but in the second photo it does look like MDF and veneer.

If that’s the case, as you suspect, it won’t withstand any aggressive sanding. You could use fine sandpaper - say 240 grit or higher - sanding gently with the grain by hand and using large-area sanding block. This should reduce any chance of going through the veneer. Maybe use steel wool rather than sandpaper - again rubbing parallel to the grain.

Then re-finish with a water-based polyurethane applied with a small-diameter roller. However it’s possible that if you haven’t got all of the original finish off, the new finish could be patchy.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Bung

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#3411658 5-Sep-2025 16:33

I have an offcut of the same material. The face veneer is only 0.5mm thin.

eracode

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#3411659 5-Sep-2025 16:34

Bung:

I have an offcut of the same material. The face veneer is only 0.5mm thin.

Yeah in that case way too thin - dangerous and I withdraw my comments.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Dulouz

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#3411662 5-Sep-2025 16:51

Sometimes the best DIY decision is knowing when NOT to do a project. I'd save the effort for something worthwhile.

Amanon

richms

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#3411669 5-Sep-2025 17:27

A new coat can do wonders to smooth out scratches and scuffs, just sand it lightly enough to let it key onto the existing finish. Problem is identifying what you have and getting something compatible.

Otherwise give up on the wood and paint it.

Richard rich.ms

tieke

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#3411673 5-Sep-2025 17:47

If you don't want to paint it and can't fix it with a very light sand, then gluing on a new thin sheet of ply to the top would be another option, although the curved edges make that a bit trickier. I replaced a water-damaged top surface on a 60s table about five years ago and it's still going strong.

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qwertee

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#3411697 5-Sep-2025 19:03

That looks amazing. @tieke

You should work at 'The repair shop' a BBC programme. Look it up . Its right in your alley.

Now for the questions:

Man/woman hours for the project
Clear varnish / stain or bees wax

cheers

SepticSceptic

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#3411725 5-Sep-2025 22:33

qwertee:

That looks amazing. @tieke

You should work at 'The repair shop' a BBC programme. Look it up . Its right in your alley.

Now for the questions:

Man/woman hours for the project
Clear varnish / stain or bees wax

cheers

Whatever the answer, it will:

Take twice as long to complete

Cost twice as much as estimated

larknz

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#3412141 7-Sep-2025 10:16

To identify whether finish is water based or oil based put some methylated spirits on a cloth and rub it on a spot that won't be seen. If the finish is water based it will come off on the cloth. If it is oil based then the finish won't be affected. You can then talk to your paint supplier about the best option.

Lizard1977

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#3412666 8-Sep-2025 20:37

I ended up giving the table a really thorough clean using sugar soap and a gentle nylon scouring pad to remove the sticker residue and some old paint marks, and it came up pretty good. I found one patch where it looked like someone had previously tried to sand the surface. It's slightly scuffed but it doesn't look like it's reached the MDF. I decided to leave well enough alone.

I got hold of some furniture wax from Bunnings ("Maxwax?") and applied that. It's made a little improvement. I'll keep on with the wax treatment over a few months and hopefully that helps to improve the surface.