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Learn about all the options and what we ultimately went with and love seven + years later!
I haven’t written about our Restoration Hardware table since shortly after we received it because I allowed it to paralyze me. Things didn’t go as planned, to say the least, and this table caused us a lot of frustration.
The stress, disappointment and overwhelm was just too much. Instead, our family of five sat at an antique table, intended to be my kitchen desk.
It was tight. Our legs didn’t even fit underneath it. We just “closed off” the sunroom and pretended that it, along with the table, simply didn’t exist.
When we purchased a Restoration Hardware dining table with a natural finish, we envisioned it weathering over time. We wanted a rustic farmhouse table that would only become prettier over time – if you found your way here, you might have wanted the same thing.
Restoration Hardware Dining Table
The reality was different, however. The first time we wiped the table down after dinner with a damp cloth, we removed the finish. You can imagine the horror!
We quickly realized the “natural” finish is a beautiful powder that is simply not practical for day to day living. That soft, dusty look is unachievable in a maintainable form.
Underneath the powder the reclaimed wood table merely looked like wood purchased from your local hardware store.
We poured over the options time and time again, and realized that the perfect Restoration Hardware table just doesn’t exist. Fortunately, there are several options to protect your Restoration Hardware dining table. However, whatever product you use, will alter the finish.
We have purchased several pieces of Restoration Hardware’s natural finish including a dresser, chest of drawers and two dining room tables. We’ve had a lot of experience using the furniture over the last decade and most importantly, protecting it.
We made a lot of mistakes on our first Restoration Hardware dining table, but fortunately, you don’t have to! Today I’m sharing both how to protect and repair.
Read about How to Clean Linen Furniture from Restoration Hardware (or anywhere)!
RH Natural Finish
Restoration Hardware’s website notes on the description for the reclaimed wood table care recommendations.
“For dining tables, use of tablecloths, placemats and coasters is recommended to prevent staining. Clear furniture wax can be applied to protect the finish from minor spills. Use coasters or placemats to help prevent marks or stains.” and to “Wipe the table clean with a soft, dry cloth after each use.”
Their site also says “Care: Wipe using a damp cloth with mild soap and water, followed by a dry cloth. Wipe spills up immediately with a dry cloth.” However, that conflicts with their detailed care instructions. I (along with many of you) found that a damp cloth takes the finish right off.
After our first failure, we purchased a new RH dining table. We wanted to start fresh and fortunately were able to re-coop most of the expense we had invested in our previous farmhouse table.
We purchased this table with intention. This time we knew the powder finish would wipe off, so we took steps to protect it prior to use. Here is what we learned.
Products for Protection
- Wax
- Modern Masters Dead Flat
- Pure Tung Oil
- Polyurethane
The Pros and Cons of Each Option
Wax
Pros:
- Recommended by Restoration Hardware
- Very little alteration to the table
- Minimal sheen
- Easy to apply
Cons:
- Minimal protection
- Minimally water resistant
- Removes with solvent
- Requires reapplication
- Heat leaves rings
Best Use: Limited wear pieces like the Restoration Hardware Coffee Table, Side Table or Dressers
Modern Masters Dead Flat
Pros:
- Minimal sheen
- Very little alteration to the table
- Easy to apply
Cons:
- Minimal protection (markers, etc don’t wipe off)
- Minimally water resistant
Best Use: Limited wear pieces like the Restoration Hardware Coffee Table, Side Table or Dressers
You can purchase Modern Masters Dead Flat Varnish here.
A reader, Paula, graciously sent a photo of her table sealed with this finish. We used it on our kitchen island you can learn more about it here and the protection it provides.
Polyurethane
Pros:
- Easy to apply
Cons:
- Even the matte finish has a sheen
- Not waterproof
- Doesn’t stand up to abrasion
Pure Tung Oil
This is the option we chose. See below for more details and a step by step tutorial.
Pros:
- Waterproof
- Marker, glue, etc wipe clean
- No need to reapply
Cons:
- Alters color
- Minimal alternation to sheen with proper application (use of steel wool)
- Slightly more difficult to apply
Best Use: High wear pieces like the Restoration Hardware Dining Table
You can purchase Pure Tung Oil here. Use TRUE Tung Oil. There’s a difference, as Tung Oil Finish is not 100% Tung Oil.
- It’s not supposed to alter the color of the wood. However, the first coat must be used with a combination of paint thinner, which alters the finish. It released red tones in the wood we finished. A week later I found it less noticeable.
- It has a matte finish. It can have a slightly more matte appearance with A LOT of steel wool and willpower.
- It protects the wood from stains. It fills the pores, which seals the wood & allows it to easily wipe clean.
- It’s durable. After using it for a few years it has withstood oils, crayon, etc have wiped without staining.
I wish I was writing this with the perfect solution for you today, but it’s a decision each individual has to weigh. Instead, I’m sharing what we chose to do and how we’re moving forward.
How to Protect Your Restoration Hardware Dining Table
- If you recall, we immediately panicked. My first piece of advice is DON’T PANIC! Nothing good will come of it!
- If you plan to do anything with it, determine if you need to wipe the finish off first (if you’ve damaged it) or just go over the powder finish. The powder finish easily wipes off with a damp cloth. Below are pictures depicting the wood without the finish Restoration Hardware applies. Reader Lei said she used “coffee grounds and rubbed it into the spot where it had lightened”which made the omission of powder negligible.
You can see the sheen from the tung oil in the picture below:
Tools and Supplies
- Pure Tung Oil
- Flour Sack Towels
- 0000 Super Fine Steel Wool
How to Use Tung Oil
- Apply Tung Oil with on with white flour sack towels.
- Have a second person follow behind to remove any excess.
- Use steel wool to dull the finish.
- Repeat.
The more muscle you put into using the steel wool the more natural your finish will be.
This method can be used with any farmhouse table or reclaimed wood table.
Update April 2019
Nearly five years later, I still receive a lot of questions about our Restoration Hardware dining table. The tung oil has held up incredibly well. To date, we have not reapplied and don’t see a need to do so.
The finish has continued to fade over time offering a softer, more natural aesthetic. All glue, marker and even candle wax have been removed effortlessly!
Update March 2024
Same story! We love our table and have never needed to change or alter the finish.
What Stain Color Best Matches Restoration Hardware’s Natural Finish?
If you have to stain your RH wood table because of a re-do, or are building your own farmhouse table to capture that look, Minwax Driftwood came the closest to the natural finish of the Restoration Hardware Dining Table.
It seeps into the pores of the wood, so the quicker you wipe it off to remove it, the less color that will be applied, however, it gets pretty dark in the grooves.
Here are some examples on various boards. I applied it and Chris followed behind wiping it off. These images are before the tung oil was applied.
In Conclusion
What did we learn?
Redefine expectations.
In the end, it’s not perfect, but it’s functional and looks nice. If you have experienced a similar situation, know that you will make peace with it, eventually!
I have learned so much from this table. One of the most important lessons is that sometimes we need to redefine our expectations.
It’s just a table.
Through all of your comments and emails, I learned that I am not alone. More importantly, I remembered that it’s just a table. Despite wasted time, money and energy, it’s still just a table.
It’s the reclaimed wood table that brought us together to help each other. If you have an experience with your table and can offer additional help to others, please leave a comment below. If this post can save someone even a few of the hours and frustration we put into our table, it’s worth it.
I hope this post has helped you make a decision you’re comfortable with to protect your farmhouse table. Please use comments below (rather than emailing) so that your questions and comments help others, too!
Hi Julie,
My husband and I are joining the legions considering the restoration hardware salvage wood table for our Forever Dining Table. Your blog post and all the comments have been really helpful. One thing I’m hoping you can confirm, and I hope this doesn’t cause any offense, is whether you received any kind of compensation (or free tables haha) from Restoration Hardware after you wrote your initial article about the table. You note in your “About” page that a post isn’t sponsored unless it’s explicitly stated in the post and I didn’t see that here, but wanted to confirm!
Thank you so much and I really appreciate all the research and effort you put in to solving this problem for the rest of us! I’m glad googling for the RH table led me to your blog. I’ll will continue checking in on other pages 🙂
No, but I wish! I spend far too much money with them. To be honest, I’m not sure RH would love this post, but after the expense and stress we endured, I felt compelled to write it. Have a beautiful Fourth, Mary!
Where are you’re rounded top chairs from?
They’re antique.
SOLVED with SOLVENT! A spin on what others mentioned – A dinner guest spilled liquid bone marrow on my RH harvest table, leaving a 4″ stain on the rough, gorgeous Russian oak wood. To not make a big deal about it I wiped and left it until the next day. It wouldn’t come out, no matter what I tried. Four weeks later I:
– scrubbed it (gently) with a towel wet with mineral spirits
– covered it with baking soda
– left the soda for an hour
– wiped off with a dry cloth
– repeated the above about six times
– final scrub with a damp towel (some colour came out on the towel at his point, read on)
– let dry, and use wet sponge to sop up the powder residue
– let dry again
And it came out! There is a slight, barely noticeable lightness to that area but this particular table’s colour variations are forgiving. The rough, unfinished texture is still present and the table looks great.
The table was a few years old so if there was any powdered finish on it, it’s been worn off over time – For me there was no risk, seeing the huge dark stain was far worse than ruining the finish.
Thank you all for giving me hope and leading me to this solution.
Do you know if the tops of these trestle tables unscrew from the base? I’m thinking of getting a round one but not sure if it will fit in my door. Thanks
They do not. They will fit through a standard front door though with the use of movers.
I came across this post after thinking I needed a different way to clean our table. We have the same table as yours (the first one I think). I was annoyed at first about stains (mostly oil) but told myself it’s a farm table that’s supposed to show the years of abuse, I mean love. That being said, a few months after we got the table we had an accidental drinking discovery. A beer was spilled which was wiped up with a wet sponge and dish soap and the next day the table looked brand new, if not better. Five years laters that’s how we clean the table. We don’t do the beer cleanse (as we call it) every day or even every week, but embrace the worn farmhouse look in between. I do vacuum the crevices that get crumbs inside. These days we intentionally take an unloved beer and dump it into a bucket with a little warm water and dish soap. Down the road I might consider the tung oil (which, after scrolling through the 300+ comments I think is the most common)…but only after a beer cleanse!!
We had planned to do the same, but ours was a powder finish and underneath it looked like wood purchased from Lowe’s that my husband had slapped together to make a $100 table. I’m all for allowing pieces to age! I hope you enjoy your table for years to come!