Table Restoration- Day 2

Day 2 started off great. Just like the book said, the alcohol lifted the finish and sort of melted it together. It smoothed out beautifully in lots of places- but not all. That funny spot that was all blumply the night before didn't get any better. It was flaky and pretty gross, so I decided to sand it off.

Well, the best laid plans, as they say. I started off with the 220 fine grit they recommended in the book, but got impatient and switched back to the 120 to make things go faster. Then I answered the phone and kept sanding while I chatted. I swear, my attention only wandered for 2 seconds! This is what happened:




I sanded straight through the dang finish to the wood. Crap crap crap.

After I finished swearing, I regrouped and went out to the Home Depot (only the second of many such trips I think). I bought a bunch of their little stain testing packages along with more 220 sandpaper- I won't be making that mistake again.



I used the back of the table leaf to test the stains, then settled on a 2:1 mix of Dark Walnut and Cabernet. It's nowhere near an exact match, but it's marginally better than bare wood. I wish they'd had some Ebony to darken it a bit more, but thems the breaks.

So I painted it on, let it sit for a while, and wiped it off. I repeated that about 6 times over the course of the day, then left it overnight to dry completely.



It doesn't look totally horrible, just sort of horrible. I'm hoping when the shellac goes on it blends in a bit more. Hope springs eternal.