# Refinishing a Dining Table



## dave926 (Jul 10, 2012)

I have a beautiful 15 year old dining room table that the clear finish is roughing and pealing. I have no idea of the type of finish,or the wood, but the wood is a type veneer, and is a combo of several different inlayed. Do I lightly sand the clear coat, and then spray on a new, or do I apply a stripper of some sort and scrape and sand? Please, Im new at this and this will be my first project, and need to validate all the money i've spent on router, router table, router bits, clamps, dovetail jig and templates, sprayers, etc.,etc.,etc., to my wife who totally supports the interest and expences i've incurred since im attempting to make this a new career!!! Any professional input will be so very appriciated! Thanks again. DAVE


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Dave, Welcome to the Router Forums! You're in the right place for a lot of woodworking information. As you might imagine, many of us would be timid to give you exact advice on your refinishing - especially since your project is composed of veneers and inlays. Wood veneers can be almost paper-thin, so even a very light amount of sanding could be destructive. I am certainly no expert on wood-finishing, and most of my type of work doesn't even get "finished". I think you my want to "Look before you Leap", which is exactly why you chose to ask for advice. Give it a few more days and you might get some more definitive advice from the membership herein. In the interim, I am going to suggest that you check on YouTube for some finishing techniques. When one gets into refinishing, it is much better to be safe than sorry. There is a guy named Bob Flexner, who is famous for his knowledge of wood finishing and refinishing - Google him and you may find answers to your questions. A couple of things to be prepared for are your personal safety, ventilation and fire safety. Study on all of these topics beforehand and equipped with good information you should have some good success! Best of Luck!


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## dave926 (Jul 10, 2012)

Otis, thank you very much for all the info and I am going to contact Bob Flexnor immediately. Thanks again


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## pretender74 (May 27, 2011)

You can also get on You Tube/workworking and I know I have seen just what inquiring about


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## Palo Verde (Jul 12, 2012)

Hello Dave, I am no expert by any means unless you go by the definition of “expert; a dry drip under pressure”. Otis is right about veneer being thin. I might add that sand paper is dangerous, very dangerous you can sand through the veneer very easily thus destroying your work piece. The method that I prefer is to use paint remover, the liquid type not the gel. I flood the surface allow to soften the finish. If the finish is thick or stubborn I will scrape being careful not to scratch or gouge the surface. I then apply more stripper and work it with a course steel wool pulling up as much old finish as possible picking it up with a rag. Lastly I will wipe the surface down with a damp rag. Like I said I am not an expert and it sounds like you have a good link to follow, hope you get some good advice


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