Having a coffee table stripped

[Leah-Lacie]

Not as simple as it would have been to use coasters.

 

I know, i know, bloody kids

[Alcoblog]

The best way to strip the top is to remove the finish with a cabinet scraper along the grain. Then sand it (along the grain again) with 120 grit abrasive paper on a cork sanding block ... this grade of paper is fine enough for oak. Stain, then apply lacquer. If you want a really bulletproof finish, use an acid catalysed lacquer (spray) or a top quality floor varnish.

 

This is not the finish that oak deserves (blame the Victorians) ... when I used to make furniture, I fumed it in an ammonia tent (a bowl of strong ammonia in an enclosed space with the piece of furniture). This speeds up the natural darkening of the wood as it reacts with the tannin in it. It was then finished with tung oil and wax.

 

May be worth checking if the top is a veneer too, although you shouldn't go through it with a scraper. Whatever you do don't do as someone suggested and grit-blast it ... you'll end up with something that looks like driftwood!