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Re: Stripping/refinishing maple lab table tops



I have done some refinishing work, although not specifically lab
tables like yours. The messy part is getting down to clean wood, so
anything you can do to make that easier is good. Several possibilities
come to mind:

1. Chemical strippers work, but they are slow, often toxic, very
messy, and won't do anything about gouges etc.

2. A heavy-duty belt sander will take off the varnish, epoxy etc. and
enough wood to smooth the tops. Dust will get into _everything_ so do
this outside if at all possible.

3. If the tops can be removed, try finding a woodworking shop with a
large planer. They can take off an eighth inch or so of the wood,
leaving a clean flat surface that will be ready to finish with minimal
sanding.

For a finish, you might want to consider a heavy-duty urethane
varnish, of the sort used on gym floors. A commercial paint supplier
would probably have other useful suggestions.

Good luck. It will be a lot of work, but the final product could be
quite attractive.

Stan



Does anyone out there have any experience in stripping and refinishing 4'x
8' laminated maple lab table tops? Ours have seen 20+ years of service and
have recently become the target of doodlers, graffiti artists, etc. We
would like
to talk to the people that made the tables but alas, no one remembers who the
company is.