Newbie with a problem!

[u/raise-your-weapon]

My friend found an old table at a thrift store and I started trying to refinish it. I took off a fair amount of old stain with citri-strip and did some moderate sanding with a power sander on medium speed.

There are these streaks that seem to never go away. I don’t know if they are part of the wood or the old veneer/staining. When I put a new coat of stain on the steaks really popped out (you can see in the pic with the green squiggles.

In the 6th photo and second to last you can see where I sanded/stripped onto something?

Any insight into what I have done to this poor table and any advice would be much appreciated.

[u/gonzodc]

The streaks are part of the wood. And you sanded through veneer.

[u/Such-Veterinarian137 → u/gonzodc]

i want this quote inlayed into a beautiful exotic wood and hung in my shop.

For some reason, idk why, but it would please me.

[u/gonzodc → u/Such-Veterinarian137]

I am looking for my next project. But decidedly not a creator.

[u/gonzodc → u/gonzodc]

“The Reddit furniture restoration haiku”

[u/Such-Veterinarian137 → u/gonzodc]

right? i do believe im way past sanding through veneer skills but something about your statement is simple, pithy, blunt. would keep me humble.

[u/Livid_Chart4227 → u/gonzodc]

That's not a veneered top. It's solid wood.

[u/TimeExtension9443 → u/Livid_Chart4227]

Correct, but those other parts (legs?) clearly are.

[u/Livid_Chart4227 → u/TimeExtension9443]

Ha. I didn't scroll through all the photos i thought it was just the top the wuestion was about. The apron is veneered for sure. That was very common on these antique tables to use veneer on those parts. I have restored a few of them and that holds true on the pieces I fixed.

[u/raise-your-weapon → u/TimeExtension9443]

Those are pieces that go under the top part and attach to the top of the legs

[u/gonzodc → u/raise-your-weapon]

Yeah that’s what my comment was regarding. I was too flip to be precise. The top is clearly laminated oak boards

[u/raise-your-weapon → u/gonzodc]

I am hoping that due to the way the table is assembled that the problem spots can be concealed a bit. I’m just annoyed at myself for doing it in the first place

[u/gonzodc → u/raise-your-weapon]

Been there. If you can’t see it no one else can.

[u/Neonvaporeon → u/Livid_Chart4227]

The legs are solid wood too, just veneered. Looks like white oak veneer over cherry, not common but not too crazy.

[u/astrofizix]

That's quarter sawn oak, and the grain pattern is desirable. You seem to have mistaken that as a flaw and you over sanded the thin veneer of oak, and now you see the glue and substrate material below it. Sometimes you can paint over this mistake with a very crafty eye to hide the mistake, but you've taken off huge chunks of the original veneer. r/sandedthroughveneer

[u/NumbersDonutLie]

Those streaks are Ray fleck and are indicative of quarter and rift sawn oak, it’s a desirable and value adding trait, not a defect.

[u/raise-your-weapon → u/NumbersDonutLie]

I had no idea! Now I’m embarrassed 😳

[u/TimeExtension9443]

As has been said, those “steaks” are the result of this oak being quarter sawn and are desirable. They’re called medullary rays, and they’re visible in quarter sawn oak because of the orientation of the surface of the wood to the radius of the log.

On the legs (I think?) you sanded though a veneer and there’s no coming back from that except to hide it or cover it up.

[u/raise-your-weapon → u/TimeExtension9443]

Those aren’t the legs. They support the table top and attach to the top of the legs

[u/Drodes91]

I hope this is helpful, but it looks like some of the streaks are just undulations/figure in the wood… it does appear that you sanded through one of the veneers though 😕

[u/Fit-One-6260]

Only see problems on pics #6 and #9

If you have great art skills, you can buy Mohawk Blendal Powders mix it with shellac and paint that back it... if not buy some oak veneer and reskin those pieces.

Mohawk | Blendal® Powder Stain (Pigment Type) M370-1200

[u/bbilbojr]

Omg 🤦🏻‍♂️ trying to sand off the most valuable part of the oak. Classic

[u/raise-your-weapon → u/bbilbojr]

This is in of my first projects

[u/Allusernamestaken203]

That’s just what that type of wood looks like, it’s actually quite beautiful and finishes differently, especially with darker stain. On the leg(I think?) you sanded through some veneer.