I have an older, probably 80 years, oak dining room table. The finish is flaking off in spots. Am I safe to sand the top to rough it up and apply a couple of coats of poly? Or will I run into issues with the already flaking finish? Do I need to remove the current finish competely? I don’t want to refinish the entire table if I don’t have to.
Thanks
Replies
If finish is flaking off it is toast--new finish over an old finish that isn't adhering well will adhere no firmly than the old finish over any length of time.
You should expect to refinish. Do not try to sand off the old finish. Refinishing is best started by chemically stripping the old finish. I'd use several coats of a non-poly oil based varnish for a good dining table finish.
As Steve mentioned, the flaking finish is indicative of an adhesion concern. The only thing I would add, is after using a chemical stripper and prepping the surface, I would apply a thin cut of dewaxxed shellac to seal the surface, ensuring that your new varnish or poly will adhere. Bullseye sealcoat is great for this type of thing
Gregory Paolini
http://www.GregoryPaolini.com
And as I admit I am the all around nutcake. Yes, I just love the fruit cakes I get at the Holidays...
I use to do work on very old doors on very old houses..
When using a chemical stripper I always followed up with a light coat and used a vacuume to suck out what I could get out of the open grain..
I 'think' it helped me, at least from wondering what may be in there and left behind..
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