Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jan 20, 2008 05:12pm | #1

   First, if you get white rings easily the finish is most likely to be lacquer, or it could be shellac.  A quick wipe with a cloth just damp with alcohol will remove them.  Once clear, I would sand and coat with several coats of a good varnish.  Behlen's Rockhard is one, Pratt & Lambert 38 and McCloskey Heirloom (though this may be in the process of being rebadged as Cabot Varnish. 

1. 
   droki | Jan 20, 2008 05:15pm | #2

   Thank you for the reply.

1. 
   MichaelTheFinisher | Jan 20, 2008 05:33pm | #3

   STOP....do not use the alcohol,if it is shellac you will remove some of the finish.

   Please clarify something,do the rings show up consistantly?And is it when any glass is placed on the surface?Do they then go away?

   Answer these questions,and I can give you a solution.

    

1. 
   droki | Jan 20, 2008 07:30pm | #4

   The finish currently shows many scratches from normal use. When a glass is placed on the table top, the milky, cloudy reisdue is wherever moisture comes in contact with the surface. When the moisture is wiped off  with a cloth, it leaves the finsh dull and cloudy wherever the moisture was spread to.  The owner  cannot tell me the exact type of finish  on this table except it is a "bar" type of finish, something that would be associated with a wet bar.

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Jan 20, 2008 08:52pm | #5

   A light swipe of alcohol on a shellac finish won't have any ill effects.  You don't want to leave it wet with alcohol, just a quick dampness that evaporates in a few seconds. 

1. 
   MichaelTheFinisher | Jan 20, 2008 08:57pm | #6

   Ok,I work with the stuff everyday,and I know what you are saying is correct.However someone who is not in contact with this might not know how to interpet light.

   Anyways its not a shellac finish,whoever suggested that is wrong

2. 
   Gretchen | Jan 21, 2008 03:31am | #7

   If it shows a ring, it could have nothing more than wax on it. It needs to be stripped and have a real varnish finish put on it.

   If it has shellac, then it isn't impervious to water and needs to be stripped and have a real varnish finish put on it.

   lacquer finish is a possibility for the "real" finish.Gretchen