Protective Coating or Other Option to Protect New Kids' Table

Dear J.,
If the table isn't already varnished, I would suggest doing that. A small can of it goes a long way and can be found anywhere paint is sold.
I found an old glass-top coffee table at a yard sale that was pretty scratched up and the wood was really dried out from being stored in a garage. I bought a varnish that had stain mixed in and you wouldn't believe what just one coat did for that table. No one could believe I only paid $5 for it.
The varnish just brushes on and once it's dry it won't be toxic. You might want to do a couple of coats on the table top so it can be wiped clean if there are any spills, etc. When you daughter is old enough to want to use her table for art projects or things like that, I would put a vinyl tablecloth on it to further protect it. That way you don't have to worry about crayon marks or scratches. You can just wipe the table cloth off and tuck it away for next time.

Kids just love having their own little tables and chairs. Put some varnish on it and it will stay beautiful for years.

Have fun!

Take it over to Tap plastics. They will cut an exact fit piece of clear plastic (whatever depth you want) to place over the top of it. If the table is too cumbersome to move, make a template by taping together large peices of paper with wide packing tape and cutting it to exact size of the top. Then take them the template.
There is a Tap Plastic in Dublin CA but a search on the internet could come up with one close to where you live.

For the chairs, the art and frame stores carry rolls of canvas sheeting. You can again make a paper template of the chair top, and cut the canvas to exact size. if there are slats on the chair back, make sure you fit canvas in between these slats of the chair seat so that it will fit so snug it will "keep" it in place.(Or you could punch holes on either side and tie them on with fabric ribbon). Once it is perfectly sized you can take it off and spray paint the cavas top in a matching color.

I really don't know how you would protect the entire chair, legs and all, without making full length fabric chair covers. Spraying the table legs and chairs with two or three coats of clear varathane (non yellowing) will help somewhat with crayons and such but not if she gets paint on it. Once paint has dried on it seems to be there for life.

Gail

Hello J.,
My son does woodworking for a living. I know that he has used several layers of varithane (sp.) to protect some wood furniture and no matter what the children do it never looks bad. You can check with anyone that does burl wood, or furniture refinishing.
Good Luck, Nana Glenda

You can find many non toxic clear coatings that you can use to paint the table. You can look for no VOC or Zero VOC or even low VOC. Just google it or you can ask at Lowe's or Home Depot.

Not sure how big your table is but we got very large desks from Pottery Barn for our kids & I got some 2 pieces of glass to cover them. The kids can't move the glass really (plus they're old enough) so it's safe. We've had it on for almost 3 yrs now & it's been perfect.

Your table would really need to be big tho so it would not be able to be slid off by accident.

You could put a thick coat of clear shelak painted on top and it will totlly protect the surface for the life of the table. Or depending on the shape, they sell clear vinyl fabric at the fabric stores,you could put that on top and staple the edges to the underside of the table to prevent slippage.
Just my 2 cents of advice. :)

Just a note of caution- TAP plastic can be scratched up and look "misty". If you use shellac (shelak) it won't resist water, and will get white stains on it - water marks etc. Varnish is your best bet, but I don't know if it is toxic - I am sure if you read the label you would find one that works. When you apply the varnish, teh table surface will feel 'rough'. Layer down one coat, and then with size 0000 steel wool, lightly rub the surface. Then apply the second coat, use the steel wool etc. That will ensure there are no rough patches than can hurt. As for glass, I bought glass that was bevelled around the edge for a small coffee table, and I can't rememeber what happened but within a week it was cracked. If kids bash things onto the glass surface (play kettles or steel baking trays etc) it may crack, or worse, chip at the edge and cut their arms.

Maybe you could get the seller to coat it for you before it is delievered?

Regards, P.