In case you have a peeling coating on almost any dining table, odds are it’s veneer. Strong wood will not peel. It cracks or splits. Immediate water vulnerability or perhaps condensed moisture may cause veneered timber on any table to peel or twist if the surface coating has been compromised or simply worn off. When a table gets to this point you can bring it back to a suitable condition by using resin adhesive. This sort of adhesive dries hard and can be colored to look like wood. Use maple-colored adhesive for a natural look, or walnut paste if you want to blot the table.
Sand the surface of the table by hand using a hand block with 100-grit sandpaper. Sand parallel to the grain just. Sand off all the loose fibers which are curled up or separated from the surface of the table.
Spray air across the table with a air compressor equipped with a air nozzle to remove any chips, debris or loose fibers that may have worked themselves below the veneer. In case a number of them are stubborn and wont come out, use the suggestion of a putty knife to gently scrape them out.
Mix the powdered resin paste with water per manufacturer’s instructions. Dip the tip of a putty knife to the adhesive. Add the moist putty knife under any loose pieces of the veneer and allow the paste to scratch off under it. Stretch a piece of masking tape tight across the loose area and press down hard to secure the loose slice. It’s OK if the adhesive oozes out.
Dip the knife to the paste and use it like a small trowel to fill larger areas where splinters are missing or there are cracks or splits. When you’ve filled and taped down all the loose spots, allow the adhesive to dry for 24 hours.
Eliminate all the tape. Sand the surface of the table by hand with a hand block and 100-grit sandpaper until smooth, sanding parallel to the grain just. Blow air across the table with the air nozzle to remove any debris or chips.
Dip the putty knife into a open can of timber coin. Fill all the fine cracks, small holes or any other small pits or defects which you might have missed with all the resin adhesive. Sand the table lightly with the hands cube and 100-grit sandpaper. Sand it parallel with the grain with 180-grit sandpaper on the hand cube.
Spray air across the table with an air nozzle till free and clean of any dust. Fill a one-quart pressurized spray gun with lacquer. Hold the gun 8 inches from the surface of the table at a 30-degree angle. Spray overlapping bands of lacquer till the table is wet. Permit the lacquer to dry for 30 minutes.
Sand the table gently, parallel to the grain, by hand with a hand block using 180-grit sandpaper. The sanding will produce a fine, white powder. Do not wipe off the powder. This can be lacquer dust which will aid in curing the next coat.
Spray the table just as you did before until it’s completely moist with lacquer. Wait 48 hours before using the table.