How should I revive this table?

[el_Pedr0]

Hi all.

Seeking your advice on bringing back some lustre and protection for this (rosewood?) table. It's a table which gets used everyday, although usually has a wax/plastic coated tablecloth to minimise the damage.

I'm hoping for a solution where I can focus on the parts that need attention without then making them stand out compared to the rest. I also don't have the appetite to strip this (and all the chairs with all their fiddly bits) back down to bare wood.

This is the item we're talking about:



The seats have had cushions on them, so their finish is like new. Here's a seat (foreground) compared to the table top (background):


Here's a comparison of the wood dry and wet in case it helps reveal the wood's true nature:


Here's a a closer look at some of the worst of the wear to the finish on the table top:



There are a couple of feint ring marks. I could live with these, but would be a bit hesitant at applying something which makes them even more permanent - sealing them in, as it were.

.
There's a lighter, duller stripe around the edge of the seats where the cushion's don't reach. Again, I could probably live with that


And the tops of the chairs need some attention too. Mainly some cleaning, but the wood there also lacks the lustre of the original finish:



Would welcome your recommendations for bringing some of the lustre back to this bearing in mind that it is a table we use daily as a family so need a finish that we don't have to be toooo precious about. Crossing my fingers that you'll recommend just a going over with wax or something.

 

[Cabinetman]

Finish wise I’m afraid I can’t help but I was taken by the timber which I agree does look like rosewood, but then I realised that they were probably Chinese and so the timber is more likely to be Huanghuali if that helps. Ian

 

[el_Pedr0]

The table was brought over from Thailand or Korea a few decades ago. But I've always thought that carving in the chair is chinese.

(Good knowledge @Cabinetman )

 

[el_Pedr0]

Please excuse the bump. Really grateful for any ideas or experience with a suitable product.

 

[Ollie78]

If its french polish you can test it to see if it's soluble in meths. Wipe a rag with a bit of meths on it somewhere inconspicuous and see if it softens the finish, it will only do it for a short time, when the meths flashes of it will go hard again.
If it is french polish you should be able to repair it without stripping it back too hard just clean it up and apply more layers of shellac.

Ollie

 

[dickm]

Judging by the wet/dry pics, it's not French polish. Have you tried the old "reviver" recipe of linseed oil plus turpentine with a dash of vinegar? This cleans off most of the grime and begins to seal the surface. I'd then be tempted to use Danish oil, which is minimal effort and if done reasonably well, seems to last. Did daughter's Ercol dining table a few years back this way and it still looks pretty good despite clumsy husband, dogs etc.

 

[el_Pedr0]

Wipe a rag with a bit of meths on it somewhere inconspicuous and see if it softens the finish, it will only do it for a short time, when the meths flashes of it will go hard again.

Doesn't appear to be shellac. Rubbed kitchen paper with meths on a shiny part and nothing seemed to happen to the finish. It seemed like I could have scrubbed with that kitchen paper and the finish would have held firm.

Will try home made reviver next

 

[el_Pedr0]

Reviver cleaned the surface, but only had the most subtle impact - perhaps making the sheen a bit more even.

The left side has been wiped with reviver, the right side hasn't:


Has had reviver :


Hasn't had reviver


I'm now starting to understand that wax is not a finish in of itself and is instead meant to go over a finish.

Given that my finish has pretty much been worn away in some small areas, should I contemplate stripping the top and refinishing? If so, what product would best match the original finish (high sheen, almost glass like, but does not melt with meths)?

 

[el_Pedr0]

I've been on a bit of a journey! Having started this thread saying I didn't want to sand to bare wood, I've now come round to thinking that's the only way to achieve a good finish without sealing any of the existing damage in.

I'd be grateful for a sanity check before I commit a crime against this piece of furniture.
1. I'm planning to sand just the top surface of the table up to 120grit to remove the existing finish and prepare for the new finish.
2. A couple of coats of osmo polyx or wood wax finish.
3. Clear paste wax - like Renaissance.

Is this a sound plan?
Is sanding the best way to remove the existing finish?
Should I use polyx glossy, or should I use wood wax finish extra thin?
Wood wax finish extra thin only comes in clear satin. If I used that, could I get a gloss by buffing the clear paste wax?

 

[el_Pedr0]

Oh dear, I'm falling down a rabbit hole. So now after a ton of research, I think I've got to add another step - filling the pores.

So I've now got another question:
* I think I'd fill the pores with pumice, meths and a tiny bit of shellac. But then can I put osmo wood wax finish extra thin on top of this, or will the shellac in the pore filling process seal the wood and create a barrier? Or does osmo even need the open pores to penetrate?

Plus I'm still puzzling over the questions of my last post.

 

[JonOuk]

I’m not being a gatekeeper or purposely belittling, sorry but tbh if your not experienced I’d recommend not trying to do more than a wax/quick revive yourself, I don’t think you’ll get the results your hoping for and more than likely make it worse…
Trust me I been in the trade over 20 years, I don’t want you messing up your table!
Osmo isn’t going to give you the right finish either, if stripped back you want something to build up the body and depth, Osmo isn’t really that sort of product

 

[JonOuk]

I get the impression you want it to be more highly glossy, you could make sure the tops free from grease dirt etc
Key it up and just overcoat it with a higher gloss lacquer, think that will get you as close to what you want.
Redoing the top will require all old polish removed, careful prep to not go through the veneer, grain filling, probably restaining, finishing, pulling over if you don’t have a spray gun set up…

 

[el_Pedr0]

sorry but tbh if your not experienced I’d recommend not trying to do more than a wax/quick revive yourself, I don’t think you’ll get the results your hoping for and more than likely make it worse…

No apology needed - it's really helpful getting experienced opinions so that I can go into this with my eyes open - weighing up the difficulty of the task against what I know about my skills and tolerance for cocking it up.

I get the impression you want it to be more highly glossy,

Yes, because the original finish was glossy, so the protected areas (legs, chair seats, etc) are still glossy and so I want the top to closer resemble the rest of the table.

overcoat it with a higher gloss lacquer

Is there a particular product you'd recommend?

Redoing the top will require all old polish removed, careful prep to not go through the veneer, grain filling, probably restaining, finishing, pulling over if you don’t have a spray gun set up…

The table is solid wood - no veneer. And I don't believe it's stained: I sanded a piece on the underside of a chair (which didn't have any lacquer on anyway) and then I put some osmo wood wax finish extra thin (just because I had some lying around) and the colour almost exactly matches the colour of the undamaged gloss finish.

So redoing the top is simplified a bit, in that I expect I'll be able to remove the old polish by sanding. Then it's grain filling (with pumice and a drop of shellac?), finishing and pulling over.

I do happen to have a Parkside PFS 400 A1 electric spray gun from Lidl (like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Parkside-Electric-Paint-System-Sprayer/dp/B08LKXMY3S). But I'm guessing spraying lacquer requires something a higher end.

If I do go down the route of stripping and redoing the top, would you recommend the same high gloss lacquer that I'd use for just overcoating, or is there another product that you'd suggest in this case?

 

[Steliz]

I would recommend Thomas Johnson on Youtube for furniture restoration. It's not something I've tried myself but his videos are very watchable and his knowledge on finishing is very good. A lot of the time his final step in reviving the finish, once he has cleaned the grime off the piece, is to go over it with wire wool and a wax product ( I forget the name he gives it).

 

[el_Pedr0]

Looking to tap the well of experience again.

Chestnut's Melamine lacquer gets mentioned on this site a lot. Would that be a suitable finish for the top of my dining table? The finish on the other parts of the table is glossy, but perhaps not like a mirror/glass. Does melamine lacquer feel plasticy?