My granddaughter put a glowstick on our Ethan Allen maple dresser (from the 80’s) and it leaked overnight. It did not damage the wood but removed every bit of finish where the glow stick was. I have tried denatured alcohol, lacquer thinner, and mineral spirits; nothing seems to soften the finish. Therefore I can't figure out a way to repair it. I don’t mind stripping the top and starting over again, but I don’t want to redo the whole dresser.
I was thinking about stripping just the top and putting on a several thin coats of Waterlox. Any better ideas?
Color is going to be the big deal. They used a lot of spray toners to develop that uniform color and hide some sketchy craftsmanship. That's my experience anyway. I'd try a patch repair first, you can always strip it if you have to. An air brush would be my tool of choice. Some dry pigments mixed into shellac would be the start of color. Build it slowly, starting out too light in color. Could be that by the time you add a couple color coats and just some clear shellac, you might get the look you want. Shellac will likely have too high of a gloss, so a few light strokes with 0000 steel wool will adjust that. Do you know any artists? Their color expertise would be a nice benefit! Good luck!
I was thinking about stripping just the top and putting on a several thin coats of Waterlox. Any better ideas?
Dick has good points in his reply. However, having worked on some Ethan Allen pieces before, whether you spot repair (difficult for the inexperienced) or strip and refinish, you will still need to employ tricks to match the finish. The EA process employs multiple coats of toners and colors to achieve the final results. You are not likely to find a can of something off the shelf at the big box store that will match. You may have to do some experimenting blending several colors to get somewhere close. It really depends on how picky you are with the outcome.
Often times EA furniture is some type of hardwood that they make to look like something else. Should you take this on yourself and strip just the top, you'll probably go with a couple of stains. Just know brushing Waterlox or anything for that matter will move or remove some of the top layer, thereby changing the color. Best bet is to get a can of spray shellac at the store and put it on before brushing or wiping your topcoat.
...with dyes (not knowing if there's a sunburst type of edging or anything on the furniture - never looked close at EA, but recall that it generally looks generalized to hide the type of wood.
I've had pretty good luck with shellac lately applying like french polish so that you can do a little at a time and see it developing. When it's what you want, change to clear or super blonde and top coat with something else if you want (my shellac cases seem to be fine with very infrequent touch up, and touch up is easy).
Since denatured alcohol didn't affect the factory finish, attempting a repair with toned shellac is an excellent suggestion. If the result doesn't look good, it can be wiped off with denat alcohol and another attempt made.
