Von Posted June 13, 2023 Report Share Posted June 13, 2023 The cherry table I finished last month has developed a couple blemishes (see photos below). Cause is uncertain, but looks like something dripped on the table and the two obvious liquids are coffee and dog drool. The blemishes disappear if wetted but reappear once the surface dries. I tried applying heat with an iron in case it is trapped moisture with no change. I also tried touching up with the original finish (a water-based poly) which also didn't help. I'm not happy with how my finish looks now in general and it seems like I'm going to need a more protective finish in any case so I'm thinking I'm going to be sanding this one off and reapplying, but welcome any suggestions. TIA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 14, 2023 Report Share Posted June 14, 2023 Refresh my memory. Is that cherry ply or solid cherry? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted June 14, 2023 Report Share Posted June 14, 2023 The thing that worries me about them is the dark ridge around the outside. That makes me think the finish was dissolved and some floated away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 14, 2023 Report Share Posted June 14, 2023 Some folks are good at repairing such blemishes. My only success comes from removing the old finish and starting over. On a flat surface like that, a card scraper will get you to the wood in no time, and save a lot of sandpaper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted June 14, 2023 Report Share Posted June 14, 2023 If it is veneer, be very careful with sanding and/or scraping. You can cut through the veneer very quickly. Use a chemical stripper. Another advantage of the stripper is that it will remove any finish that penetrated the wood and that may adversely effect a new finish. Sanding and/or scraping will only remove what is on the surface unless you sand/scrape deeply into the wood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Von Posted June 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2023 On 6/13/2023 at 9:17 PM, Coop said: Refresh my memory. Is that cherry ply or solid cherry? Solid cherry. On 6/13/2023 at 9:29 PM, Tom King said: The thing that worries me about them is the dark ridge around the outside. That makes me think the finish was dissolved and some floated away. Yeah, that seems to fit the symptoms. The more I think about this, the more trust I lose in the finish. It's a Minwax Oil-Water hybrid poly we had left over from the remodel. It looked good on test pieces, but it's not holding up well so far. Leaning more towards refinishing the top. Would like to avoid having to refinish the legs. Thanks for all the suggestions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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