Revarnishing?

[SteveR]

I managed to leave a wet "j" cloth on a polished table top with a bit of pressure on it. It dried out, and when I removed it, it lifted the finish down almost to bare wood. It is more than just polish - there's some dark-tone varnish under the polish - and polishing it hasn't restored the finish.

I don't want to strip the finish off the entire table, as there's a "gold" coloured strip around the table near the edge, under the finish. I don't know whether it's inlayed into the wood, or if it's part of the finish, and I don't want to find out.

Can anyone recommend a good way to restore the finish? My current thought is to treat it like retouching a car's body panel around a rust spot - strip the affected area, and feather the strippage into the "good" surface, then colour-match the varnish, sand the overlap between old and new, and re-polish. Does this sound reasonable, and is there a better way.

If you want to recommend products, please bear in mind that I am in the UK.

[nospambob]

[Baron]

I'm not familiar with what a "j" cloth is but spot finishing is an art unto itself. You've got the right idea about the repair schedule but there are two very important points.

1. If you truly have varnish, you will need to repair it with something other than varnish. Varnish adheres by a mechanical hold, it does not bite or burn into previous coats. Water base may work but there is a major issue of silicone contamination from furniture polishes.

1. The color is probably in a base stain and various toned clear coats. Matching takes quite a bit of experience.

Good Luck.