Expert: Greg Scholl - 5/4/2009

Question
QUESTION: I purchased a coffee table at an estate sale because it was
big, solid wood and very sturdy so my kids could not damage
it.  The seller told me after I purchased it that she had
purposely left the table outside in the sun (just top was
exposed) because she like the look of it.  Anyway, having
just taken a beginning restoration/refinishing class, I
thought I could fix it.  At this point, I have sanded,
stripped it and tried to stain it. The stain appears as
almost like a cheetah with some spots not taking the stain,
so I took the stain off the top but left it on the legs.  
There is no damage to the legs and I want to keep it but i
don't like the look as she did.  I even thought putting
stone or tiles on top.  Any help would be appreciated.  I
don't know what kind of wood it is sorry.

ANSWER: Hi Nicole, what stripper did you use? It looks to me like there is still old finish on the top. Stripping has to be done very thoroughly to make sure ALL the old finish has been stripped off. This can be quite difficult to do sometimes. Stripping should also be done before any sanding.It almost looks like there's a diagonal pattern to the staining on this top...almost like glue residue....hard to see from the pic, but it's possible there's something on this top that you may not be able to remove easily.Can you post a clear, close up pic?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I used citristrip.  I worked pretty hard on stripping it,
until my arm gave out. The stripping of the legs was easy.  
I do have a close up picture of the top.  Maybe I need
someone with more muscle.  I let the stripper sit
overnight.

Answer
It could be a glue residue or something else...I would try a semi paste Methylene chloride stripper, and some #2-#3 steel wool. Citristrip is good for most things, but sometimes you need the nasty stuff....Apply the stripper as thick as you can laying it on in one direction, NOT brushing back and forth like you're painting...you want to end up with a layer about 1/8" thick. Let it sit for about 20 min.'s, touching up any dry spots as it sits. Then scrub off with the coarse steel wool and repeat.Read and follow the directions on the product, this stuff is pretty nasty, but it excels at what it does.......post back if need be- regards- Greg