How to Put a New Finish on a Table Top

[Mike Congiusti]

Hi all,

I’m hoping to get some advice on how to re-finish my table. I’m by no means an expert on finishing. I purchased this table at an Amish store 5 years ago. It’s made of soft maple. They must have used a water-based poly on it as every time water or even a slight amount of heat gets to it the area becomes white and hazy for hours. Its also scratched and dull as I hope you can see it in my pic.

My go to finish is General Arm-R-Seal. I need to know how to remove the finish without damaging the wood stain since I do not have any to re-finish it. Is this possible? I just need to do the top.

I have several books on finishing, but none cover this.

Thanks

Mike

[Robert Engel]

I would sand it and reapply a waterborne finish. No power sanders - do it by hand 320 grit & very careful around edges.

There are several that will do a good job for a table. I've used the conversion varnish and high build lacquer from Target Coatings with cross linker.

Others will chime in more knowledgeable, Steve Weiss at TC is a good source.

[Jim Becker]

It doesn't matter if the existing finish was waterborne or oil based or solvent based...whatever they used clearly isn't up to snuff.

The only way to completely remove a finish without damaging the wood is to use a stripper but it will also strip the coloration. You cannot take off the clear coat without damaging the stain, for the most part. The alternative is to thoroughly clean and then very lightly abrade the existing finish and add coats of a more durable finish on top of what's there.

[Jeff Roltgen]

First point of order is to get rid of the blushing, if any remains. Since you say it comes and goes, this is an indication that it may be a nitrocellulose product, vs a WB. Try some Mohawk no-blush to see if this proves true. It's job is to soften the finish, allowing moisture to escape. Otherwise, you may simply be sealing in the problems.
If no luck, you'll need to at least sand off the current clear coat just enough to remove the offending discoloration, and use some wax-wash (mohawk, again)to help remove contaminants.
Worst case: strip to bare wood, introducing a color-matching project to the mix, as you indicated, but hey, you'd be avoiding the next two challenges:

If you are able to rid the table top of the offending issues without completely stripping to bare wood, I'd be reaching for the universal barrier/bonding coat: de-waxed shellac.
This will do two things: encourage a better bond between two materials, since one is unknown. It will also block any residue the table may be harboring from cleaning products and oils, particularly silicone, if any furniture polishes have been applied to it. Even after you wax-wash it. While the closed-pore characteristics of the soft maple are of help, you still never know what's lurking and may react to the new finish, though your arm-r-seal is not terribly fussy, like a sprayed topcoat (especially WB) can be.

Also, if the topcoat of choice is water-based, research their stance on shellac compatibility, as that's an issue that must be paid attention to now days. Yet another chemistry test to pass.

If this is giving you pause, you may find the whole affair best left in the hands of a local refinisher. No fun paying for something you probably could do yourself, but even more frustrating to have to pay them a larger sum, attempting to fix a re-work that went wrong on top of the original issues. As it was Amish-made, it was likely a significant investment, and should be treated accordingly.

Either way, good luck!

Jeff

[Mike Congiusti]

Jeff,

Great advise. I'm up for the challenge. Worse case scenario I can sand/strip it down to bare wood. Below the oil base Arm-R Seal I use. I will check with them to see if I can use a coat of de-waxed shellac first. I hope to get it started this week.

Thanks,

Mike