Years ago, Steve built our dining room table from old 2″ x 6″ tongue-and-groove pine flooring that came from a hangar at Love Field in Dallas. I wanted a table I could baste on and not feel bad if the finish got marred and it’s been perfect!

However, the stain and polyurethane on the table top has gotten gummy over time. Our friend Jacquie (who makes the Hand Crafted Sewing Boxes) thinks the oil in the pine reacted with finish. After 3 years of wishing someone would fix it, I realized I was the someone.

First, I stripped the table top (the legs are fine) with a paint and varnish removing gel. You cover it with plastic to keep the gel moist and let it sit for 1-24 hours. I lasted 2 hours and then I started scraping. It took off the polyurethane, but not the stain.

Then I sanded. So much sanding! 5 hours with the orbital sander and 50 grit sandpaper took off a lot of the finish, but not enough… I could still feel the gumminess in the wood.

After a consult with Elizabeth (who makes our Mending Turnips) I pulled out the belt sander for 2 more hours of sanding with 80 grit sandpaper. I went through a lot of sandpaper because the finish was gummy and clogged the sandpaper but, as you can see below, I finally got down to clean wood.

That used up one full day. The next morning, I put on a coat of Odie’s Oil. This stuff is like magic! It doesn’t have much of an odor and, what you can smell, is pretty nice. Not a problem to use inside the house! It’s food safe, can be used on cutting boards, and it looks great on the table.

I added a second coat of oil the next day and I can add more over time if I need to. It cures for 3 days, with hand buffing as needed. Jacquie says the oil in the pine and Odie’s Oil will be good because oils like each other (I’m paraphrasing there).

We can see a lot more of the pine wood grain because it is not hidden by the stain and Steve and I both like it. If we want to, we can get the darker Odie’s Oil and even it out, but not yet. It is wonderful to have this job marked off the long-term list!

Side note: Belt sanders make a huge mess—I was happy that I had a mask on—but I should have covered the light fixture before sanding 🙄. Almost all of the rods in my Sputnik light fixture had to be unscrewed and everything thoroughly dusted. TIP: I put a tiny bit of Lolo Moisturizer on the threads before screwing them back in and that made the action smoother.

I am inordinately proud of myself 🤣.