We fell in LOVE with it! It might be one of the very few pieces of furniture that we agreed on.
I've always been a big fan of Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma, and Pottery Barn. So when we saw THIS table in a Pottery Barn magazine . . . we knew we wanted it. It met his criteria for STORAGE, and mine for a clean, simple design.
~ RHYS Table by Pottery Barn ~
We enjoyed its beauty for a year, before our first daughter was born . . . and then we decided that we needed to sell the table, or safety-proof it. It's sharp angles and corners invited bumps and bruises.
I did NOT want to sell it, so my husband found SAFETY FIRST FOAM PROTECTOR TABLE BUMPER GUARDS at Babies R Us. Since we found a color foam to match our couch, the foam bumper kind of disappeared.
Three children were born in 5 years in our home, and the foam bumper served its purpose.
We lived with them on the table for almost 6 years. The bumpers worked so well, that we even replaced them once, at about the 2 1/2 year mark.
When we replaced them, my husband noticed that the GUMMY adhesive wasn't coming off the table.
NOT GOOD! Not good.
It was an EXPENSIVE table; and refinishing is EXPENSIVE.
Refinishing can often cost as much as , if not more than, the actual price of the table. Sigh.
Well, I recently decided that I had had enough of the foam bumpers, so I removed them . . . only to reveal gummy adhesive stuck to the wood surface (no big surprise) . . . under EVERY piece of the foam. Argh!!
My sweet husband covered EVERY single angle and corner of the table in foam bumpers. Looking back, it might have been over-kill.
Because of the sheer cost . . . refinishing the table was not an option.
So I researched methods of removing adhesive from wood . . . and found several. YAY! But that didn't mean that they were going to work.
One method involves using a CITRUS based furniture oil to remove adhesive . . . and that's the one I chose to try on our table.
I cautiously proceeded with this method, but wished with my whole heart that I personally knew someone who had tried this method before with success.
My biggest concern was damaging the table further. Sigh.
So it is with confidence that I share THIS safe & successful method with you!
After hours and hours and hours of soaking, massaging, and scraping . . . the adhesive gently came off the wood. Happiness reigns.
Here are the tools I used . . .
~ Citrus based oil and plenty of old, clean rags! ~
~ a PLASTIC razor blade! ~
You can buy them at Home Depot.
They're an amazing tool and safe to use on wood!
CITRUS oil method . . .
1. Gently pull foam bumper away from the wood surface, and using the side of the PLASTIC blade, slowly scrape the adhesive away from the wood. Discard.
Don't fret if you have lingering adhesive.
2. Soak a section of a clean rag with the CITRUS oil, and moisten the remaining adhesive. Wait several minutes, and let it soak in.
3. After several minutes, use the side of the razor blade to remove more of the adhesive. Discard.
4. Repeat.
5. For the stubborn adhesive, generously soak another piece of a clean rag . . . and gently rub the adhesive in a circular motion. This may take several minutes, so turn on a tv show to watch, or listen to some good music (smile!). Use the side of the PLASTIC blade to remove more adhesive, if needed. Discard.
With a lot of elbow grease and CITRUS oil . . . the stubborn adhesive on your table will come off! Woohoo!
I have to tell you . . . it feels so nice to have a grown up coffee table again!!
Hindsight is 20/20.
I don't know if I would recommend applying adhesive foam bumpers to an expensive wood table!
There are so many safety bumpers on the market now, that won't damage your furniture and still keep your children safe.
My advice . . . Look around and do your research (remember to read the REVIEWS!!) before applying adhesive foam bumpers to your expensive furniture.
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