Urethane.

Probably not the style for an older piece since it is so thick.

Deft Clear Wood Finish is brushing lacquer. If you use the gloss it can be rubbed out to any sheen you want from high gloss down Semi gloss finishes cannot be made more glossy since silica (powdered quartz) is added to the finish to make it duller.
Once it is there you cannot get rid of it without at least a new coat.

I wouldn't use a urethane finish on a piece that old.

There are a couple of ways to repair deep gouges. You could epoxy pieces of wood that match the species/grain to the gouged out areas and then sand those down to blend with the rest of the table top before applying the stain and finish.

There are also tinted epoxy wood putties for areas that aren't quite as prominent as a table top (legs, for example) that work very nicely. Again, apply after stripping, then sand and stain to blend before you apply the finish.

You should not be using the finish to correct any problems. The finish is just what it sounds like, the icing on a well-restored cake. If you've never done furniture restoration before, you might look for a furniture restorer/refinisher in your area who offers classes so that you can do it right and you can get help on the parts such as matching wood pieces to repair deep gouges or splits in the wood.

That table is about 70 to 80 years old...not a "fine antique" but rather "vintage"
I gather you are not interested in restoring it but rather in making it functional and hard wearing....if so urethane is the way to go. Deft lacquer finishes don'ts tand up well to daily wiping, but poly urethane does....apply several coats...letting dry between each coat and rubbing with 4 OOO steel wool. The solvent based stuff stands up better than does the water based.
I wouldn't worry about the gouges and dings....just varnish over and call them "character marks".
Linda C

Hi there,

I believe Bona Kemi is often used on gym floors. Check out bonakemi.com as well as bona.com. Either their Mega product or Traffic for super-duper protection:)

You'd have to call them to make sure it is okay for your particular situation, but I'm using it on my (Bona Mega) surfaces so that it can level itself, so you might have to use something different for legs, etc.
HTH,
sg

"You could epoxy pieces of wood that match the species/grain to the gouged out areas and then sand those down to blend with the rest of the table top before applying the stain and finish."

There is no reason to use epoxy to repair furniture used in a house.
Liquid hide glue or a PVA glue are more than adequate.

Not true, as you can rub a finish to a higher gloss level. I just finished taking a dead flat finish to a gloss finish with the use of rubbing compounds and a lamb's wool buffer.
> If you use the gloss it can be rubbed out to any sheen you want from high gloss down Semi gloss finishes cannot be made more glossy since silica (powdered quartz) is added to the finish to make it duller.

I would avoid using steel wool between layers of finish as you will leave behind shards of steel that can either react with the wood or rust. While this is less important in a dark finish like this, it is critical is a light, natural finish. It's also called 0000 or 4/0 steel wool. Instead use a light gray or maroon Scotch-Brite or Norton non-woven abrasive pad.
>rubbing with 4 OOO steel wool.

As far as the cracks and gouges, you can certainly fill them but I, too, vote for cleaning them up and leaving them as character marks (distressing).