blessed grandma Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 We have a 20 year old main dining table that needs some refinishing but the old finish when it gets a water mark the mark just disappears in a short time is there anything like that available? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 Sounds like it could be shellac, which is still available. But it is generally not a good finish for table tops because it is suseptable (as you know) to water marks. It is also sensitive to heat & alcohol will dissolve it. Polyurethane is very tough, hard wearing & won't stain with water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 28, 2020 Report Share Posted February 28, 2020 As a bonus, if the existing finish really is shellac, you can coat poly right over it. Shellac is considered a "universal" binder / sealer, as most other finished adhere to it well. You can try rubbing a rag dampened with alcohol on an inconspicuous spot under the table top. If the finish rubs off, you can be pretty confident it is shellac. A light sanding is all you would need to top coat it with polyurathane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed grandma Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 On 2/27/2020 at 12:22 PM, drzaius said: Sounds like it could be shellac, which is still available. But it is generally not a good finish for table tops because it is suseptable (as you know) to water marks. It is also sensitive to heat & alcohol will dissolve it. Polyurethane is very tough, hard wearing & won't stain with water. Thank you so much for this helpful information. I visited a great aunt and cousin in Calgary in 1955 and attended the Stampede. Beautiful up there and enjoyed the pancakes given out from chuck wagons on the streets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed grandma Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 On 2/27/2020 at 7:41 PM, wtnhighlander said: As a bonus, if the existing finish really is shellac, you can coat poly right over it. Shellac is considered a "universal" binder / sealer, as most other finished adhere to it well. You can try rubbing a rag dampened with alcohol on an inconspicuous spot under the table top. If the finish rubs off, you can be pretty confident it is shellac. A light sanding is all you would need to top coat it with polyurathane. Thank you so much for this very helpful information, I will try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted March 1, 2020 Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 21 hours ago, blessed grandma said: Thank you so much for this helpful information. I visited a great aunt and cousin in Calgary in 1955 and attended the Stampede. Beautiful up there and enjoyed the pancakes given out from chuck wagons on the streets. Ya, no shortage of free food at Stampede time. It's quite a bit bigger now than it was in '55. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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