For years we’ve had the natural oak look in our living room. Okay, maybe more like decades. With the purchase of a new wall-mounted TV came the need for a new entertainment center, which made thecoffee tables look, well… old.
So we had a choice. Give the old tables away and buy some new ones, or figure out a way to make the old tables match the new motif.
Final product sneak peak
The TV, of course is black and so is the entertainment center, so black was the obvious choice. So I began investigating ways to turn solid oak tables black.
Secret weapon
I found enough clues on the web to get me started. I soaked two course steel wool pads in a half quart of vinegar for a month. After a week I was able to test this concoction on a piece of freshly sawn oak. The results were amazing. Within minutes it had gotten very dark. Two applications resulted in an almost black finish. As near as I can tell the tannin in oak reacts with the iron. I have no idea what would happen if you tried this on pine. I doubt it would be very impressive. I know mahogany and redwood contain lots of tannins. And yes, tannin has been used in the leather tanning process for hundreds of years.
My project would be harder because my tables had been finished with tung oil and then treated with furniture polish probably dozens of times.
I started by scrubbing the tables with mineral spirits and then I went to work sanding them. They needed that no matter what color they would soon be. Then two liberal coats of my rusty vinegar solution. The results were not as impressive as they were on new wood. They did turn darker, with a kind of purple tint. Too late to turn back now.
With two coats of rusty water solution
After two coats of Minwax Ebony stain
I then put on two coats of Minwax stain in Ebony. By this time they were looking pretty good. A couple of spots just wouldn’t take the stain. I suspect I had missed those areas with the sander. I’m only slightly embarassed to say I fixed that with some sandpaper and a quick shot from a can of black spray paint. I did not do this on the table tops, only on the legs. I followed that up with four or five coats of polyurathane wiping finish.
The results are stunning. In certain lighting conditions you can see just a hint of brown, and of course the ever-present oak grain is still there, but I’m impressed with the results. They still have the class of oak, with a very different twist.
Total cost? Maybe $10.
Very nice work my friend! Going green too.. by not buying new stuff!
Nice job on the table. It looks beautiful. I’ve done a little ebonizing with India ink – but don’t use a water-based sealer over it, it’ll look cold and blue. Yours looks great.
Thanks James. I’ve never tried a water-based finish on any wood project. I really don’t know why.