Table finishes

[John T Barker]

I've sold a lot of tables and I've sold a lot of finish for tables over the years but when a friend came to me with a problem with her table finish I was a bit confused. She said she was getting problems from heat and gave me examples like a coffee cup or corn on the cob on a paper plate. These examples are not what I would expect to cause problems. The pictures she showed me look like the finish is flaking off in spots and I'm wondering if old finishes will flake off with lesser amounts of heat like she described.
Anyone?