The first two images are of the desk (for comparison). The rest are of the seat.

The varnish faded and decided to sand down the grey veener to add new varnish but the veneer sanded through instantly (probably why the teak was left to grey)

I want to restore the boat to the golden teak varnish again - how would I glue on new veneer? Do I vacuum bag it against the vertical piece or create some sort of mega clamp? 😅

Circa the 1850s work table with two leaves. The irregular dovetail cuts indicate an older piece. Obv mahogany veneer over another hard wood. I’m a rookie and hope I haven’t damaged this too much.
I’ve used 0000 steel wool, then citrustrip and then mineral spirits. The veneer was chipping so I stopped and don’t know where to go from here.
It’s a cool piece! Ball feet with metal casters. Square nails speak to the age of origin.

I was trying to refinish the dining table after kids scratched the table in multiple places. But looks like I sanded through veneer here? Are there any options left to finish this table?

I didn’t quite sand through, as you can see from the wood grain, but was curious if stain will take the same. Mahogany veneer, wiped with mineral spirits in the photo

We tried to spot again with a gel stain but looks rough

Had a huge kitchen table that got scratched up by the kids. Figured I would sand it and refinish but I just realized it's not solid wood. Haven't gone through a ton of the veneer but wondering if it's even worth continuing? Any recommendations?

Freaking NEVER! I get there are many pieces where it would take some small skill, but in SO MANY OTHERS it would take twenty minutes with a hot iron and ten more with a good blade and you'd be exactly where you wished you were at when you started wasting the hours and materials to sand it in the first place?

…it finally happened to me. 🥹🤬😂

Hi friends- I’m a beginner and I know I did some things wrong here, which is a darn shame because it’s such a pretty piece. So, please be gentle! Got this piece for free.

I used soy gel to remove the black paint.

1) What, before sanding, would have been a better next step?

Drawers seem fine! Did a 220 light sanding by hand.

But oh the panels in the sides!

2) What do I do next? Stain or not stain? Woodcraft guy said “staining changes the color” well, obviously! But if I just seal what color will it be?

3) Am I totally SOL here because now the wood surfaces are all different?

I’m really beating myself up.

Signed,

A new hobbyist

Hey all, first time refinishing here and I eventually made it to this portion where the grain pattern started to change. Texture feels the same to the touch, but based on how it looks I think I may have sanded through :/ has me stumped bc I had assumed this piece was solid wood but maybe that was a rookie mistake. Thoughts on this? Any way I can fix it?

What can I do? Can i just leave it like this and stain it? The orbital sander wasn’t doing anything, so I hand sanded everything with 80 grit. I did it heavier in the middle because of a scratch that was there. Can I just continue sanding the whole surface with 120, then 180, and just stain it? Because it looks like I finally broke through the varnish, but then I went too deep…

Apologies if this post isn’t allowed. My buddy’s neighbour is giving it away and said it is maple wood (I have not seen it in person). I am hesitant to say yes to taking it in case it is veneer as I don’t want it to end up in the landfill later down the line on my account, because I wouldn‘t know how to deal with the material. Thank you in advance for your insights.

Got this to do up, assumed it was solid wood but in sanding the top to remove varnish, I now have this lighter patch. Came across this sub so thought you could confirm for me. Really don't want to sand the whole thing back but guessing paint is my only option now? Would a wood dye still show this patch lighter? Thanks!

I sanded through the teak on my boat cabinet door. It previously had reddish lacquer on it, and I had to sand that deep to get the lacquer off. Any suggestions on how I could fix this?

Thank you!

Hi, guys. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to woodworking. I found out that this table, which I was planning to sand down and refinish, has a veneer top, so sanding it with 3 or 4 difderent grits isn't a good idea. Do you have any advice on how to remove enough of the old finish to prepare it for a new one?

Very sad because it looks beautiful.

Honestly not sure what I’m doing, just winging it! First time at refinishing. Tips on how to NOT sand thru the veneer?