Refinishing stands

[ck1999]

I am thinking about refinishing two plant stands from church. I am not sure how old they are but the finish is coming off is some areas. I think they are white oak maybe red. Also the top has a bad stain not sure if from water or planter. See below pictures:

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

I was thinking about wiping the stand down with OMS and then sanding only the top to try and remove the stains. Can I put a clear coat back on top without having to sand the entire stand down? Should I apply a polyurethane or some other finish?

Thanks for the help.

Chris

 

[DaveO]

I would guess by the way the finish is flaking off that it is a film finish like Polyurethane. Poly doesn't like to stick to itself, so I would recommend scuff sanding the whole piece before apply more Poly. I would check to see if the top is plywood before sanding it down. If it is plywood you risk going through the thin veneer by sanding. Oxalic acid wood bleach might help with the water stains on the top if you can't sand them out.

MTCW,
Dave

 

[ck1999]

Thanks for the reply Dave. The tops are 2 pieces of wood (1 on top of the other) not plywood. I had not thought of using wood bleach.

Thanks again

Chris