How to Protect a Wood Table: How I Sealed Our Restoration Hardware & Pottery Barn Tables

Wondering how to protect a wood dining table without darkening this finish? I’m sharing what’s worked for me to protect and seal our Restoration Hardware & Pottery Barn tables.

Over the years, one question I get asked again and again is whether I did something to seal and protect our Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn wood tables, and the answer is yes! It’s actually something I spent quite a bit of time researching, testing, and figuring out the best approach to keep that beautiful wood finish intact while still making it practical for everyday life.

Today, I’m sharing exactly how I sealed both of our wood tables, including the step-by-step process and the specific products I used to get a durable, long-lasting finish that still looks like the original. (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})

The Goal: Protect Without Darkening

There are several different products you can successfully use to seal wood tables but one of the most important things to me was finding something that didn’t significantly darken the natural color of my table or make it shiny. The first table I sealed is Restoration Hardware’s Dumont dining table that we originally had in our kitchen but later moved to our home office (it’s no longer available but {this trestle table} is very similar):

Sources: Wingback armchair (similar) | Ceiling light | Rug |

To try and figure out how to best seal and protect it, I bought a wood sample from Restoration Hardware to test (1) clear polyurethane and (2) Waterlox on it and see how they affected the look of the wood. As I thought they might, both sealers significantly darkened the color of my wood sample so I kept searching for a better solution.

After more research and another wood sample experiment, I found that clear wood furniture wax was my best bet since it helps protect the wood without changing the color hardly at all. Using the exact steps and products I detail below, I sealed our table with wax and after using it for several years, there still wasn’t a single mark or stain on it!

After remodeling our kitchen, I bought a new wood table for our kitchen (Pottery Barn’s Toscana Dining Table in the Seadrift finish) and sealed it the same exact way as our Restoration Hardware table, again with results I was thrilled with:

Sources: Capiz pendant  |  Geometric gray rug  |  Large blush abstract framed art  |  Blue floral framed art  |  Pink floral framed art  |  Slipcovered dining chairs (similar)

I photographed the step by step of how to get the job done so you know exactly what to do to seal and protect your own wood table…

Step 1.  Clean Your Table

Wax will trap any dust or particles on your table so it’s important to give it a good cleaning before sealing it. To clean mine, I mix a drop of clear dishwashing liquid into a bowl of warm water, dampen a microfiber cloth with it, wring out any excess, and wipe down the entire table.

I follow up by wiping the table down with plain warm water, using a dry microfiber cloth to remove any excess water, and then allowing it to completely dry. Once dry, run a tack cloth such as one of {these} over the tabletop to make sure it’s completely dust-free.

2. Get Ready with Your Wax & Waxing Brush

There are several brands of clear wax to choose from but some don’t actually dry quite as clear as others. My favorite is Crystal Clear paste wax (available {here}) which is a soft wax that goes on easily and dries truly clear. If it is out of stock, {this wax} is a very similar carnauba based wax that should work the same.

To apply the wax to your table, you can use a lint free cloth like an old t-shirt but a waxing brush like {this brush} works best. Prep for waxing by taking a scoop of wax out of the can and putting it on a plastic/paper plate. Then dab your waxing brush on the wax to very lightly cover the end of the bristles and offload any excess by dabbing it on a clean section of the plate:

You do NOT want too much wax on your brush/cloth – applying sparingly to create a thin coat is key!

3. Apply a Very Thin Coat of Wax

Apply a thin coat of wax to your table using your waxing brush in a back and forth motion in the direction of the grain of the wood. Use mild pressure as you apply the wax to work it in and work in small sections, covering each section before you move on to the next.

It’s not uncommon to lose a few bristles from your brush while waxing so pay attention to any lost bristles and pluck them from your waxed table before it dries. Once you’ve coated the entire table (don’t forget the edges!), use a lint free cloth to wipe off any excess wax, applying pressure with your clean cloth in a back and forth motion.

4. Let Wax Dry & Apply 1-2 More Coats

Let the wax dry completely (I let it dry overnight) and then apply a second thin coat in the same way as the first coat, again wiping off the excess and allowing it to dry. Repeat the process for a third coat.

After your last coat of wax, you’re done unless you want a shiny finish (I didn’t want my table shiny so skipped this next step). In this case, once the last coat of wax is dry, buff your table with a clean cloth – the more you buff, the shinier the finish. Then simply wait 2-3 days for the wax to fully cure before putting your table to use!

Waxing our table worked beautifully for me but I do want to make the disclaimer that while we certainly have our share of spills at dinner but we’re not terribly rough on our tables. We don’t have toddlers banging utensils on them or little boys running Matchbox cars up and down them like some of you might. Polyurethane and Waterlox sealers DO offer more hardy protection than wax (you can read more about using Waterlox in {this post}) so you’ll have to decide for yourself whether that extra protection is worth the trade-off of ending up with a much darker table. In my case, it wasn’t.

Maintenance

To keep your table protected, I recommend that you reapply a layer of wax every year or so. The more use your table gets, the more often I’d reapply. All you’ll need if you keep up with it is a single coat that takes 10-15 minutes – quick and easy!

I hope this answers most of the questions that you have about sealing our table but if not, ask away in the comments!