How to Sand Table Tops

Tables can be the center of a family or home. It is where you gather to eat, where you entertain guests and share your news of the day. Perhaps you found a kitchen table at a yard sale or perhaps you have a kitchen table that has seen better days. You can give that table new life by sanding the table top. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Remove the varnish from the table top with a chisel. Keep the blade vertical and press down as you drag chisel toward you across the surface of the table.

2

Clean the surface of the table with a damp rag, then let the table dry before continuing.

3

Fold a shop rag in half and slip it underneath the leather pad that runs between the metal plate and the rollers on the bottom of the sander. This will curve out the bottom of the belt sander's belt.

4

Run the belt sander over the table top, being careful to keep it moving at all times so that it does not mar the surface of the table.

5

Go over the surface of the table again with a cabinet scraper. Smooth the surface of the table until it's smooth. Clean any dust from the surface with a damp rag, then let it dry.

6

Apply a coat of varnish to the surface of the tabletop. Use a brush to spread the varnish evenly.