It’s really difficult to say what charring the finish on your table could do. With the all natural finish I’ve used on other wood burned projects, the charring actually cures the finish. So there’s a chance this could do that… I would recommend stripping it and I will tell you about a stripper I just used that was MAGIC – no scraping, layers of old finish on my kitchen cabinets just came off like butter. Here it is in action. And here is a photo of the can. I would recommend stripping, to not do so is a risk but, I am also the adventurous type and would probably try it, knowing I can sand it down or strip it after the fact, if charring the finished table doesn’t work out.

I have a kitchen table, I do not like color nor do I have a need for and I do need an outdoor, pool side, patio type table, that I would love to do this with. However, I do not want to take the time to strip it. Besides being unhealthy to breath, do you think this too could be burned off during this process? Or do you think these residues would have an impact on how it turns out?

Thank you! I can’t see a problem with using not as seasoned lumber when it comes to the wood burning, but you might run into warping and other problems down the road with your wood. Not because of the wood burning, just because of unseasoned lumber in general and the issues that pop up.

Thanks Katy! I was surprised that the charred look lightened up a bit. I think I should have charred it to the darkness I wanted – and then some – but the wood itself is in good shape. It’s clear that this has a good impact on protecting from the elements. It just lightened up visually a bit. I have not applied more sealant. I’m curious to see if it lightens up more – in which case I might try charring it a tiny bit more. I don’t think I was aggressive enough with it.

How does the wood look now, a year later? What kind of maintenance has it required? Have you needed to reapply the sealer?

I’m dying for an update. 😁

Thanks Diane! I’m so happy to hear that you found my post helpful. I love hearing feedback like this. I did a second wood burning project after this, and I scraped less and sealed with a lacquer. I ended up with even more depth and a richer color, if you’re curious it’s here: http://danslelakehouse.com/2018/07/new-kitchen-art-wood-burned-picture-frame.html

Chat with your local pros at your favorite paint store to get the best recommendation for what to use to seal it. I used Watco spray lacquer for another wood burned project and that worked really well to seal everything in, but you’ll want a specific recommendation for something that will be used as a furniture piece.