Repairing finish on dining room table

[John Pratt]

I am trying to refinish/repair a dining room table that had something spilled on it and ruined the finish (I have no idea what was spilled on it). I am trying to determine the type of finish currently on the table. The attached pictures are of the table and spill area. In an inconspicuous area of the finish I first rubbed some DNA and it really didn't do anything except maybe dull the area momentarily from my rubbing. I then started rubbing with a little lacquer thinner and the finish immediately began to dissolve and almost blister. That area became sticky and I had rub it out with the DNA and then water to get the area neutralized. Thoughts on the finish? Is this PreCat lacquer? I want to take down the finish on the whole top and refinish with a like product or finish.

Note: this is a veneered top.

[Steve Jenkins]

Sounds like lacquer. I'd strip it with lacquer thinner and a grey scotchbrite the recoat with whatever you want

[Bennett Ostroff]

It's some type of lacquer for sure. Stripping it will be a huge mess though. If it were me I would find a local shop with a wide belt sander and have the top sanded down to bare wood and start fresh. If the top sections can be separated you can put them through the sander in the direction of the grain which will help. Be sure to sand afterward to get out the belt marks.

[John Pratt]

Thanks. I am hoping to avoid striping with the lacquer thinner due to the mess it will make. Can I just lightly sand the current finish past the blemish and then refinish with a pre-cat lacquer? I'm afraid the wide belt sander is a non-starter because this is a veneered top.

[Doug Hepler]

Thanks. I am hoping to avoid striping with the lacquer thinner due to the mess it will make. Can I just lightly sand the current finish past the blemish and then refinish with a pre-cat lacquer? I'm afraid the wide belt sander is a non-starter because this is a veneered top.

I agree. You should not sand the old finish off of a veneered top. Since your test removed the finish, it is just plain lacquer. You should be able to scuff sand and recoat with lacquer, which should adhere to the previous finish. Possibly, you could restore the gloss on the damaged areas only by rubbing it out with Restor-a-shine or automobile rubbing compound. I would try the most conservative repair first.

Doug

[John TenEyck]

Chemically stripping off lacquer is fast and easy, and would be what I would do. I definitely would not sand it, except maybe with 400 grit, lightly, after the stripping is done to get it ready for the new finish. It's easy to cut through commercial veneer just thinking about it. KleanStrip Premium is my preferred stripper. It's fast and simple, and won't hurt the veneer or glue it's bonded with, at least it never has with the pieces I've done. Stripping it will give you a clean, uniform table top so the new finish will be consistent.

John

[Wayne Lomman]

Go with what John says. You can't improve on that. Cheers

[Lee Schierer]

If the finish is actually lacquer, there is no need to strip off all the old finish. Sand the surface enough to remove the blemish, clean the surface carefully to remove all dust and apply several new coats of lacquer. The solvent in the new lacquer will soften and bond to the old lacquer with no problem. I would apply several new coats.

[John TenEyck]

If the finish is actually lacquer, there is no need to strip off all the old finish. Sand the surface enough to remove the blemish, clean the surface carefully to remove all dust and apply several new coats of lacquer. The solvent in the new lacquer will soften and bond to the old lacquer with no problem. I would apply several new coats.

The problem with this is that if the old finish had dye or stain underneath, or if the prior finish had a toner in one of the coats or has aged at all, which often is the case, then the repair won't match. Worth a shot, I suppose, but I give it a low probability of being a good match.

John

[Doug Hepler]

The problem with this is that if the old finish had dye or stain underneath, or if the prior finish had a toner in one of the coats or has aged at all, which often is the case, then the repair won't match. Worth a shot, I suppose, but I give it a low probability of being a good match.

John

John makes a good point that had not occurred to me, but it had not occurred to me because the problem described by the OP did not seem to involve a loss of color. It looked like a superficial problem (no pun intended) that could be corrected by restoring the gloss, either by rubbing or re-coating. If the damage actually does include a change in color or tone, then stripping and recoating would seem to be necessary.

Doug