They charged $150 for the night stand...only??
sigh....it looks lovely...but there was no paint to strip...and not a lot of stainmatching....and if the top wasn't cured enough to resist a little scratch...
I amazed!
Linda C

If the finish is shellac some denatured alcohol will melt the finish and allow the scratch to fill in.
It may still show depending on the gloss of the surface.

Varnish is a 'one way' reaction, and the only cure is often another layer.

So I guess Linda thinks I paid too much? This is about what the first guy ask for too although he might have done a different job.

$150 is not much for refinishing that.

I would estimate 4 manhours X $50 per manhour, plus materials and required EPA disposal fees.

Michael

Thanks Michael.

Mary,
$150 is not alot for that, but that being said it doesn't look like professional job. You mentioned to me in the e-mail that your choices were extremely limited as far as shops in your area.
That would run $395 in my shop to refinish.
He brushed on Shellac , that's really not a modern day professional finish.
He even noted that you can see the brush marks. It should be a Satin lacquer that is sprayed on.
It also looks like there is very little finish, meaning no build of finish.
It also looks like the horizontal piece of wood just under the drawer does not match everything else. Again, this is not the proper way to finish. All the non Mahogany pieces should be finished to match the Mahogany pieces, so to the untrained eye ,the whole piece appears to be Mahogany.

For $150 dollars , you did ok.