Table Restoration- Day 1

A few weeks ago, Ryan and I had a fondue on our dining room table. Before placing the flaming pot of fire on the table, I thought "Ooh, I'd better put something down to protect the finish". So I walked past the trivet, threw a slightly damp tea towel down, and proceeded to have a lovely meal of deep fried stuff on sticks.

When it came time to clean up, this is what remained after the tea towel was peeled off:


Purty, ain't it? It matches all the drink rings already on the table and everything! No question now...the table would have to be refinished. Having gone through a furniture refinishing kick about 8 years ago, I figured I could do it myself. I just didn't want to strip it, considering all the hours of holding a vibrating orbital sander that would be required. So I called a woodworker and he quoted me at $900 just to strip it for me. Apparently, I'm in the wrong business!

So, it's going to be a total DIY project. Good news is, the table is finished in shellac. How do I know, you ask? The book guide recommends dabbing alcohol in a small inconspicuous area to see if it softens up. Well, last summer I was drying coloured pasta for my kindergarten class, which was soaked in rubbing alcohol. It soaked through the paper onto the table and left an oh-so-lovely mottled smear across the finish. So I know it's shellac.

That being said, I don't need to refinish the table top- only restore it, which is much easier apparently. So I gathered up all the materials the book said I needed.



Here's a before shot of the beat up table:



I sealed off my dining room with a drop sheet and lots of painter's tape, and covered up the heat register with a board. I don't want any dust coming in to wreck the finish.

Step 1 was to wash and dry the table well. Then I sanded it with 120 grit aluminum oxide paper. And man-oh-man did a lot of finish come up!




I tried to breathe in as little ancient shellac dust I could, then washed the table again and swept up every speck of dust on the floor. I even mopped...a rarity around here. Shows my devotion to restoration perfection.

Next came the scary part. I had to brush on methyl hydrate (denatured alcohol) to soak through the finish and lift up any moisture. It's supposed to smooth out the existing finish and make it lovely. So here goes:



It looked a lot better already. And the alcohol didn't stink at all. Once it went on, I watched it dry. Yes, I officially watched paint (well, shellac) dry. Good times around here! But I'm a little worried now, cause this is what it looks like:



Not good. And there's a big patch of this:




I have a feeling that's not going to just smooth out like the book said. I'm trying not to pick at it and just let it dry over night. We'll see how it looks in the morning. Hopefully I won't have any nightmares about alligator skin.