The centerpiece topic

[slkinsey]

In that kind of table the top is already veneer. So it's a matter of stripping off the old veneer, putting on new and then layering on the finish.

[Fat Guy]

I have to guess that re-veneering would be more expensive than getting a table at Housing Works that doesn't need re-veneering. Maybe there's a service provider in New York City that does it cheap but that's the sort of thing that tends to be expensive here and the table is too big to drive to North Carolina in our minivan.

[Fat Guy]

My brother in law Michael was in town today and suggested that since the damage is in the center of the table where the table splits to add leaves we could peel up the veneer a little, reinforce it with wood glue, clamp and weight it, and then go over it with Old English. The repair was more effective than I would have predicted. You don't really see the damage now unless you go looking for it. Here's the operation in progress:

[andiesenji]

I have a black, French polished table, not presently in use, that suffered serious damage to a section in the center in the '94 earthquake.

I didn't have another table at the time (that would have fit with my chairs) so I got an oval marble slab, gray and white, stuck a panel of felt on the bottom and used that for several years. Not only did it cover the marred area, it allowed the placement of decorative things that would have damaged the surface of the table. It worked fine for ten years.

Your solution looks to be brilliant.

My table still has not been repaired. I would have to have it transported to a place down in L.A. and the cost, for something I don't intend to use anytime soon, is considerable. I bought a new dining room set for less than refinishing would have cost.

[Kajikit]

Glad you could fix it! Mama always had a fruit bowl in the middle of the table... it was useful and decorative at the same time. I put a lazy susan on mine.

[Fat Guy]

It isn't completely perfect but it is much-improved. And I sort of like that the table has taken some knocks. It makes me worry less about putting stuff on it and living with it.