We got this solid oak dining room table from Facebook marketplace for a crazy low price. It was exactly the size we needed for our family and our dining room. However, the orange oak did not look good in our home. I definitely didn’t want to spend the money on a brand new table when the color was the only thing wrong with our current table.

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Here’s how we refinished our oak table to take away the orange-ness.

We waited until the weather was nice, so this could all be done outside. High humidity would not work with this project.

To minimize the amount of sanding, we decided to paint the legs black, and only sand down the top. I wanted the wood grain to be less orange to match the other woods in my dining room.

My husband did all this work, so here’s what he did:

First, he applied a wood stripper and paint scraper to get the poly off.

The next step was using an orbital sander to get the top smooth and even. He drew squiggly lines on top of the table so that when he sanded it would be more even. He would know that he sanded enough and evenly enough when all the squiggles were gone.

Because of our bathroom project from years ago (see this post to see our mistake), I was highly concerned about the new stain and poly turning the table orange again.

Thankfully, we found some wonderful products that gave us the exact look we were going for! Hint: don’t use polyurethane if you don’t want orange.

• Old Masters, Dark Walnut Gel Stain
• Clear Briwax Original — this was the secret to getting the color we wanted, having it sealed, and keeping the color without it changing to orange.

Refinished Oak Table: Painting the Legs

Here we made our first minor mistake. We just went out and bought black paint for the legs. However, talking to my husband’s aunt (who helped refinish our staircase) we returned that paint and bought cabinet paint. As wood ages, heats, and cools, the paint will flake and crack unless it is specific wood/cabinet paint.

To make the paint smooth and to drastically speed up the painting process, my husband used a handheld paint sprayer. The paint finish is smooth and flawless.

I am super happy with how this turned out. At first, I was hesitant to spend the money on the products needed to make this happen, but it was HUNDREDS if not a thousand dollars cheaper than buying a new table. This refinished oak table looks so much better in our house now.

Link to my chairs on Amazon: Target Marketing Systems Windsor Set of 2 Farmhouse Inspired Spindle Back Arm Chairs with Saddle Seat, Set of 2, Black/Espresso

We LOVE these chairs. They are very comfortable, have held up great over the years with young children, and are easy to clean.

Check out more of our house projects: