How to Age a Wood Dining Table (and Make it Food Safe)

Are you hoping to give a little bit of an aged or vintage charm to a wooden table, or piece of furniture, that you’ve just thrifted? Look no further. Below I will walk you through how to quickly get an aged look for any piece of wooden furniture you’ve got, not just dining tables.

I recently snagged a solid wood dining table and bench off of Facebook Marketplace, with the goal of using it for bulk baking prep. We live in a 1948 home, so keeping the space feeling vintage, but fresh, is key! After doing heaps of research, gathering espert advice, and wandering through hardware store aisles, I landed on how I would repurpose my find to clean it up, give it an aged look, and be food safe/water resilient. This project requires relatively few products, all of which can be stored and used on future DIY projects around your home!

Material List:

• Varathane Aged Wood Accelerator
• General Finishes Wood Bowl Finish
• Respirator
• Chemical Stripper (optional)
• Sander Or Sanding Block
• Disposable Natural Bristle Brushes
• Old rag

Preparing the Wood

It is important to begin with bare wood – depending on your piece you may need to use a stripper or simply sand your piece down to completely expose the original wood. You may find that starting with a chemical stripper helps to get the bulk layers of paint or stain off your piece, then following with sanding is an easy way to finish up the process.

Whenever you are using stripper or sanding, work in a well-ventilated area and wear a respirator.

Once you’ve, exposed the wood, be sure to wipe of any dust from sanding, using a damp rag, and allow it to dry. If you used a chemical stripper, follow the product’s instructions to remove the excess chemical and allow the piece to dry completely.

Creating Age

Next, grab your old rag, Aged Wood Accelerator, and a bristle brush. The Aged Accelerator can feel intimidating at first, because of the drastic color change, but moving quickly and smoothly with it will give you the best and most consistent results.

Be sure to thoroughly stir the Aged Wood Accelerator before using it. Then, with your bristle brush, apply the color directly to your wood surface; it is a liquid-y product so be careful with splattering but be generous as you apply it. Once you have stroked some of the product onto your piece of furniture, use your old rag to smear and blend it into the wood more evenly.

If you want your piece darker, you can come back to it in 24 hours and repeat the same steps until it has reached the tone you like. Allow your piece to dry for 24 hours before applying your finish as well.

Finishing Your Furniture

I recommend using the General Finishes Wood Bowl Finish for any furniture that may come in contact with food, or that will be wiped down frequently with water. There are other finishes that work as well, and are food safe, but have longer resting times before they are completely cured. The Wood Bowl Finish is cured and safe for use 2 weeks after the final coat is applied.

To apply your first coat of finish, be sure to thoroughly stir the Wood Bowl Finish before application. Then, using a fresh disposable brush, spread one coat on your piece of furniture. As you apply the finish, be careful to follow the grain, avoid back stroking, and do not double-coat. There will be sections of your furniture that look like no finish was applied, even though you’re certain spread it on. This is a common optical illusion, resist from putting more finish in those areas, it’s on
there 🙂

Allow your piece to dry/cure for 24 hours before applying the next coat of finish.

*Note: You do not need to sand your piece before the first coat of finish is applied, but you do need to lightly sand in between every following coat.

Sanding & Next Coats of Finish

Once your piece has dried, lightly sand (following the direction of the wood grain) with a fine-ultra fine grit sand paper over first coat of finish. This creates a porous surface for the finish to soak into. With a dry rag, wipe off any dust created by sanding before applying your next coat of finish. Repeat the process above, making sure to sand in between, for applying your second and third coats of finish.

Cure & Dry Time

I recommend applying at least 3 coats of finish to your piece of furniture; this improves durability and increases the longevity of the finish (especially on a dining room table.) After you have applied your final coat, wait 2 weeks before using your piece of furniture. This resting period allows it to cure completely.

I hope these steps help you easily tackle your next project! Feel free to leave a comment below on your experience or tricks with aging and refinishing wooden furniture!