Please help with advice for restoration

I found this pretty nice table on the side of the road, it bucketing w/ rain so I grabbed it as my first restore project, I need help! It had lots of water bubbles that stupid me next morning though sanding it all back with 60 grit to make sure no water would cause wood rot. I had no idea what veneer was and now I do, I think I’ve ed something that would have been a perfect finish if I’d just gone with the right grits and slow as ever sanded it back, possibly the water wouldn’t have even matter? Did it? Or is this all my fault. Some areas where there was bubbling came up fine. Others left hairy wet feelings which you can see in the photo of discolouration. I’ve also left loads of scratch marks like zzzzz shapes all over it from the sander. Can anyone please suggest how I can get these out without going through the veneer any more?! and any fixes to bring the dips to the veneer back up? Sorry for the essay length, I’m a perfectionist by nature that never worked with wood before. I’m a bit downhearted because I rushed this.

P.s just realised I can’t show photos or attach images here... I hope I made some sense.

Hi and welcome to the forum,
I think you can send pics after you have done 3 posts. It is pretty hard to say without seeing the damage. I am not well versed on veneer but there are some on here that are pretty good and may be able to help.
Regards
John

Welcome to the forum.

Thank your for the warm welcome! it sure is nice to have a community to make connections with in these times! I sure hope your doing okay and your families. thank you for the advice ill see after this message if I can find an ol' photo attachment method that might help my plight.


Attachment 471045Attachment 471047Attachment 471046Attachment 471048


I think this worked, and I hope your back to be able to view them for me. You can sort of see my precess of sanding here. The first picture shows the bubbles from water damage but hardly well. Second was sanding it down at what I've learnt now to be much to corse of a grit. Third photo shows what looks like wet fibres from the water, funny enough it was from a least affected area. Finally where I have left it until further advice, the table with worn marks, almost like chipboard. I'm worried to even sand down damages from the sander that left scratch imperfections over it by using a 240 up sandpaper in case I just take the whole top off and looking like what you can see. Any advice? If all turned pear shaped I was consider using a jigsaw if the ply would allow it to do some resin art in there instead. but I have no idea about wood and whats underneath if I do that! I'd love to get her back to some nice point of restoration. It looks like a great table left out in pouring rain, the legs are sturdy, it used to be a pull out table with but missing its centre attachment, so im just gonna get under there and replace all the dowels that allow it to slide out and replace all the wood they used for that. just gotta find out how to re pretty and restore this nice table!

thanks for any advice, and or on going advice for this site, im really new to it all and these small funny buttons and working my way around this site is strangely unfamiliar for a 29 year old! haha.

thank you sir! I have found out how to upload images now, waiting for mod approval. sure nervous to bring this table back to life!

(I'm in no way an expert) It sure looks like you sanded all the way through the veneer and onto the chipboard. If that's the case, there's nothing for it except to re-veneer it.

Yep, looks like chipboard to me.

" I had no idea what veneer was and now I do,"

You learnt that one the hard way :).


At least it was a found cheap style table and not some veneered antique.

If that were a mistake I made with a clients piece the whole piece would need re veneering .

I have seen this same mistake made twice by lack of instruction and experience in a pro workshop situation by letting the wrong person have a go at something they shouldn't have been left alone on . We had the equipment and knowledge to make it right . Oh it cost though !

This is also a problem seen on damaged Veneered Antique furniture that has been re finished with sanding happening to many times .

Here are some methods to fix going from the best to the what ever you want to call it . Expedient ?

You could prepare the surface and re veneer the whole table with new veneer, re sand and polish .
It could be done with nice, even better veneer than what is on the table atm .

You could find the best matching replacement veneer. If you skillfully patch those holes and blend then repolish you may get an average / poor but obvious repair job .

You could re polish as it is and touch out the holes to match with a colour job and detailed grain matching like skillful polishers can do . Very skilled guys can do that so well it can be hard to pick in some pieces of work . Pieces given patina and an aged look are easier to disguise.

You could take up Faux Wood Graining . By giving the whole piece a coat of the right base coat and then a grain job over the top you can create a rich grained look . Hide the damage and re create the piece into something special . The veneer on that top is pretty average stuff any way .
Look at this .

YouTube

Youtube and google more on the same subject . There is a big range of incredible effects possible.


Or just paint the whole piece White . Or what ever colour ?

Rob

Sand back the entire top, lay on a sheet of high pressure laminate in a suitable colour, glued with contact adhesive, trim edge with a suitable router bit with a ball bearing guide in a trim router, re polish the table edge, then stand back and admire your handy work.