by Melanie Adkins

Bringing an Old Teak Treasure Back to Life

Some say I have an old soul. I think that points to my love for Van Morrison’s Moondance album, the fact that I try to embody Stevie Nicks at every stage in my life, and that I absolutely LOVE cool vintage furniture (mid-century, 70’s bohemian anyone?).

When my parents sold my childhood home to move to the beach in California (jealous I know), I inherited the most incredible vintage table from my Dad. He bought this solid teak card table in 1970 from a Danish importer. Back then, he used it as a workbench and frankly, it had seen better days! Despite looking a little rough around the edges, I thought it would make the perfect expandable kitchen dining table for my first home!

Supplies

Once I decided to breathe life back into this groovy vintage table, it was time to gather my supplies!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Ryobi wireless orbital sander
• 3 gauge of sanding pads: 80 grit (rough), 120 grit (medium) and 220 grit (fine)
• Wood filler 
• Microfiber cloths
• Tacky Cloths
• Teak Oil
• Sponge brushes
• Folding sawhorse stands (set of 2)
• Mask (don’t want to breathe in those dust particles)
• Protective eyewear (Safety first!)

Preparing Your Teak for Refinishing

The first step to refinish the teak table was to disassemble it, and sand all the pieces as much as I possible. I went pretty heavy with my orbital sander, using 80 grit sandpaper until almost all the blemishes were gone.

Keep in mind my table is solid teak, so I didn’t need to worry about overdoing it on the sanding. If you’re re-finishing a piece of furniture with veneer, you will want to take it much easier than I did.

“Embrace the Imperfect!”

I filled a few gashes on the most heavily used side of the table with wood filler. To be honest, I wish I hadn’t done this. It didn’t match the color of the teak, and even a wood stain couldn’t save it. It still turned out great once it was all said and done, but I say “embrace the imperfect” if you know what I mean.

After sanding down all the sides, legs, top and bottom of the teak table with 80 grit, I went back and repeated the process with 120 grit, and then finally 220 grit. This left me with an incredibly smooth surface to work with when refinishing.

Get That Dust Outta Here!

Now that the teak was prepped and ready to go, it was time to remove all the remaining wood particles before applying teak oil. To insure the teak table was sawdust free, I wiped every surface with a microfiber cloth. Afterwards, I went back through with a tacky cloth to make sure there were no little dust bunnies left behind. 

Note: This is a very important step for your stain and finish come out looking clean! it may seem tedious but don’t skip it!

Sanding: done!

Cleanup: done!

Now for the fun part: Bringing this table back to life, and giving it that gorgeous color teak is famous for! 

The Fun Part: Refinishing This Teak Treasure!

To start refinishing the teak, I poured about ½ cup of teak oil into a plastic container (think pho takeout) so it would be easier to dip the foam brush (replenish your container as needed). I only saturated the bottom half of the foam brush so I could apply a smooth, even layer of teak oil. Then I began brushing the teak oil onto the wood WITH the direction of the grain (very important!). 

With each coat you want to go pretty heavy on the teak oil, as naked teak will really soak it up. After applying the first coat, I let it soak for about 15 minutes.

Afterwards, I went back through and applied a second coat, and waited 30 minutes for that to soak in. After 30 minutes had passed, I wiped off all the excess teak oil (really get in there, you don’t want any pools left behind). 

At this point, I let the teak cure overnight. The next day, I quickly hand sanded the teak with 220 grit sandpaper. Then I wiped everything down with a tacky clothe one more time.

I applied the final layer of teak oil to everything (a little thinner this time) and waited 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes was up, I wiped the teak down one last time to make sure there were no pools left behind. Then it was time to let the table cure for another 24-48 hours.

Once your final coat of teak oil has cured, your refinished teak furniture is ready to rock! Just reassemble your table and you’re all set!

Back to Its Former Glory!

I absolutely love how this vintage teak table turned out, but the real joy was showing my Dad the pictures once it was done. He could not believe it was the same table he had bought almost 50 years ago!

Now, don’t get me wrong, new Mid-Century furniture is cool, but an old vintage piece that tells a story is the ultimate in my book. Maybe one of these days I’ll whip out my record player, put it on this beautiful vintage table and blast my Fleetwood Mac Albums!

Thanks for reading! I hope this gives you a little guidance and inspiration so you can take on your own teak (or hardwood) refinishing project.

Groovy baby!

Quick Bonus Note:

Hey everyone, it’s the other Melanie again! Biggest thank you to Melanie for writing this fun featured guest post about her vintage mid-mod teak table rehab! I’m obsessed, and frankly itching to find a cool teak furniture piece to rehab myself!

I truly cannot say enough nice things about Melanie. She and I go all the way back to elementary school, where we immediately bonded over our shared name and have been basically inseparable ever since!

Mel is without a doubt one of the coolest people I know. Her unique vintage style really does embody Stevie Nicks, and she has a bigger than life personality to match! Not to mention this smart cookie has a double degree in both Philosophy and Communication from the University of Colorado Boulder, so there’s never a dull conversation whenever she’s around.

In her spare time, Melanie is a hardcore video gamer (like I said, she’s a rad chick!). But when she’s not gaming, you can typically find Mel and her husband hard at work on one of their many DIY remodel projects for their first home. (I’m really hoping she will give me the thumbs up to write about their amazing kitchen remodel that’s currently underway, it’s going to be incredible!)

“If I can do it, anyone can do it!!!”

Until recently, DIY projects have been new and uncharted territory for Mel, but she has taken to them like a fish to water. One of my favorite things she said to me while writing this post is “If I can do it, anyone can do it!!!”, and to me that’s what The Bonus Space is all about. Whether you’re an experienced DIYer, or a newbie just getting started, our goal is to help you tackle any DIY project you set your mind to!

So, what are you waiting for? You got this!

Want Your DIY Project Featured?

If you would like to see your DIY project featured on The Bonus Space, send me a short summary about your project, with a few before and after photos.

Don’t forget to include your name and your social tags so I can credit you on the blog! Please review my blog policies for detailed instructions regarding guest submissions and collaborations.

I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on!

thebonusspace@gmail.com