jimmyhopps Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Last summer, I completed the build of my kitchen table top, and finished it with 3 coats of gloss enduro var. Its a birdseye table lightly darkened with transtint antique maple (over Charles Neil's pre-stain). Took plenty of advise on this site in the process, and it looked great! I hadn't yet built the trestle base and i knew it was going to take me a while, so i just placed the table top right on top of the old table in the kitchen. About 5 days into its use, my 2 year old made a series of small divots with the bottom of a metal spoon - i knew this was going to happen sometime, but didn't expect it sooo soon! Roll forward to today, the trestle base is now done and i'm going to dye / finish the base, and while i'm at it, put a final coat of semi or satin on the table top itself. My question is what if anything i can do with the divots? I don't have time to strip the top down, and know it will only get a beating again, so looking for a shortcut. I was wondering if putting a drop of Enduro on each divot and letting it dry would fill it in - maybe after a handful of drop/dry cycles it would fill in?? Given that i need to do some sanding of the original top anyway before putting on the final coat (which i need to tint darker also), i was hoping that the filled in divots would be hidden somewhat. you probably would still be able to see the divots which would be ok with me, but at least the depression of the divot would be gone and it would be all flat again. the divots really catch the light and stand out (another reason to switch up to semi or satin (if the kids fingerprints weren't enough!)). any thoughts on this? again, looking for something relatively easy w/o refinishing everything. Another idea was a drop of epoxy in each divot. Again, given the sanding i need to do anyway, a little overage on the edges of the divots shouldn't be a problem. Many thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 My initial suggesting would be to sand out the entire top removing all the finish. Then use the iron/steam to see if you can pull the dents out. If you're going to tint the finish, this should also make it more consistent with the base. I really don't think I would try to build up finish in the dents.. If (and that's a big if) I were going to try something like that, I would probably do it with epoxy and then sand back which would mar the original finish anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TerryMcK Posted May 18, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Chances are you will make the repairs and it will happen again. I would just leave the divots and dings and let it develop it's own patina over the next few years. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 It's like getting that first scratch on a new car, after awhile you get over it being pristine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Yep. I have a two year old and four year old...I'll be waiting until they're in college before I start thinking about repairing/refinishing any of my pieces. If you start chasing your tail fixing everything, all you'll do is chase your tail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 If your not happy with the answers above, which I tend to agree with, kids are kids and will probably happen again . Give General Finishes an email. EnduroVar is a different animal. You may be able to drop fill, you may not. They may have a trick. Let us know what they say. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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