Refinish antique

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paulf615

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So I'm looking into refinishing this antique table. Ive done many simple refinishes by using paint stripper and then using matching stain and poly but on this table there is a painted on ring that goes around the table. I was wondering after the table is all stripped down and restained how do i repaint this ring?
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1442077928.941372.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1442077942.509485.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1442077951.191201.jpg
 
I doubt that ring is painted on.It is a wood veneer inlay.The whole table top is a wood veneer and is starting to lift at the edge of the wings.You can strip and sand as usual but sand carefully.Veneer varies a lot in thickness and you don't want to sand thru it.Pay close attention while sanding where it is lifted.
 
mako1 said:
I doubt that ring is painted on.It is a wood veneer inlay.The whole table top is a wood veneer and is starting to lift at the edge of the wings.You can strip and sand as usual but sand carefully.Veneer varies a lot in thickness and you don't want to sand thru it.Pay close attention while sanding where it is lifted.
Click to expand...

Im pretty sure its a solid wood table and that it is painted on but ill check again.
 
Some better pictures may help but from the pics you posted I believe I am correct.
 
Given that it appears to be pretty uneven, and you can see some of the wood grain through it, I don't think it's an inlay. I would suspect that someone stripped the original finish and used tape to create the circle, then stained over it. Much like painting a pinstripe on a car. The lighter color is just the unstained wood.
 
I did not scroll over and see the third pic.It does look like paint.I've refinished a lot of those old tables and they are usually inlay.Still looks like a veneered top.
 
The table doesn’t look like a real valuable antique but it looks like a nice piece worthy of fixing up. If it was very valuable I would advise you to do nothing but clean and polish it as doing more would just take away value. Stripping it and staining and finishing it is the most extreme method of refinishing and if it is a veneer chances are the veneer will lift and you will be left with a lot of work. They sell a product that used to be called Formby’s furniture refinisher now you can get that or others have copied the idea.
https://www.formbys.com/products/refinisher/
I would use that as it keeps the closest to the original finish. Then I would go over it with tung oil.

You will most likely lose the circle as it was masked and stained on the surface I believe.
 
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1442152646.614876.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1442152661.583712.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1442152670.951338.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1442152680.891923.jpg
K so heres some better quality pics of the table. First let me tell you the back story of how i got this table. So my brother was helping an older women move into a new place. They came across this table and my brother offered her for me to redo the surface. She went on telling him how it was passed down from her grandmother and its been through some wear. So she told my brother she would pay what it takes to get it redone. Ive stripped down a couple tables before but i don't know how to go about the stripe and i want to return it to her looking as if its the first day she bought it so id like to keep the ring or make a new one when i strip the table top (as long as its not veneer)
 
bud16415 said:
The table doesn’t look like a real valuable antique but it looks like a nice piece worthy of fixing up. If it was very valuable I would advise you to do nothing but clean and polish it as doing more would just take away value. Stripping it and staining and finishing it is the most extreme method of refinishing and if it is a veneer chances are the veneer will lift and you will be left with a lot of work. They sell a product that used to be called Formby’s furniture refinisher now you can get that or others have copied the idea.
https://www.formbys.com/products/refinisher/
I would use that as it keeps the closest to the original finish. Then I would go over it with tung oil.

You will most likely lose the circle as it was masked and stained on the surface I believe.
Click to expand...

I looked it up and lowes actually carries that exact product. i have two concerns with using this product. ; one i do want the ring back if its possible; two will this stuff be strong enough to remove the big white blotch in the middle of the table.
 
If you're going to strip it down to bare wood, the only thing I can suggest is to use autobody pinstripe tape, unless you can get painters tape that thin. I would also make a jig with a couple of scraps of wood to use as a guide along the edge of the table to lay out the circle.
Once you start to restain, don't load up, just use a light touch and a damp stain cloth when you go over the tape.
I'd also practice on some scrap wood to check for any stain bleed under any tape you try.
Of course....you could also ask her if she still wants the stripe.
 
beachguy005 said:
If you're going to strip it down to bare wood, the only thing I can suggest is to use autobody pinstripe tape, unless you can get painters tape that thin. I would also make a jig with a couple of scraps of wood to use as a guide along the edge of the table to lay out the circle.
Once you start to restain, don't load up, just use a light touch and a damp stain cloth when you go over the tape.
I'd also practice on some scrap wood to check for any stain bleed under any tape you try.
Of course....you could also ask her if she still wants the stripe.
Click to expand...

That seems like a pretty good plan but I'm just wondering if i can use normal stripper
 
given its presumed age, I wouldn't sand or strip the table. I would get a good wood cleaner ( I believe that Formby's makes one ) and clean all the crud that built up over the years, then touch up any bare spots , then wax the table with a hard wax like "Johnson's paste wax"
If is still not acceptable then all bets are off and you can do whatever you think best
 
elbo said:
given its presumed age, I wouldn't sand or strip the table. I would get a good wood cleaner ( I believe that Formby's makes one ) and clean all the crud that built up over the years, then touch up any bare spots , then wax the table with a hard wax like "Johnson's paste wax"
If is still not acceptable then all bets are off and you can do whatever you think best
Click to expand...

Im on a bit of a budget so i don't want to be trying things that might not work to get what i want. Now im thinking of using the formbys furniture refinisher but my biggest concern is removing that big old white spot in the middle of the table and I'm not sure if it will remove it.
 
What is the white spot? Is it on the finish or in the wood? Everything is going to revolve around that spot. The refinisher you want to use may not even be the right one....again, depending on the existing finish.

Per Formby's website:
The Cotton Ball Test


Not sure what type of finish you have?

There's an easy way to tell whether an old finish is going to need Formby's® Furniture Refinisher or Formby's® Paint & Poly Remover.

1) Dampen a cotton ball with acetone-based nail polish remover.
2) Choose an inconspicuous test spot and dab it with the cotton.

If the cotton sticks or the finish softens, it's varnish, lacquer or shellac. Use Formby's® Furniture Refinisher.

If there is no effect, it's a polyurethane finish. Use Formby's® Paint & Poly Remover.
--------

If the white spot needs to be sanded off, you're probably going to need to take it down to bare wood and refinish it completely.
 
Ya i actually already did that test and it is a lacquer. I think the white spot just effects the surface, hopefully
 
When you use the refinisher it melts the old finish and lays it back down. So what you will get is a perfect match over the area that’s bleached out and white. The stuff in your coffee can you ring the steel wool out in will become the new stain. You will however loose the circle.
 
bud16415 said:
When you use the refinisher it melts the old finish and lays it back down. So what you will get is a perfect match over the area that’s bleached out and white. The stuff in your coffee can you ring the steel wool out in will become the new stain. You will however loose the circle.
Click to expand...

Could i paint on a new circle after i use the refinisher. And then use tung oil to finish it
 
paulf615 said:
Could i paint on a new circle after i use the refinisher. And then use tung oil to finish it
Click to expand...

I don't see why you couldn't. mask off the top and then rig a razor cutter to score the tape and spray the circle.
 
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