Ideas?

[revena]

So I have this bookshelf that I stole from my parents forever ago. I think it was originally my grandfather's, actually. Anyhow, it had some scratches and dings on the top of it before I ever got a hold of it, but then in my foolish youth (we're talking pre-teens, here), I put a fish tank on top of it. And then it leaked. And I've never really fixed it.

So here's what the shelf looks like on top:



I'd like to have it in the living room. The details on the front are really pretty, and I like that it's a piece with some history for my family. So I want to fix up the top, but I don't really know what to do. I'm guessing that staining it would be the right course, and probably stripping the existing stain first? I'm hoping that one of you has done something like this before and can point me in the right direction for my research. Anyone?

Comments

[affreca.livejournal.com]

I'm lazy, and would just cover it with a nice cloth dustcover.

Otherwise, I believe stripping and sanding it to bare wood, and restaining would be the complete way to do it. However, I suspect the nice details will be a pain. And vague memories of antiques roadshow about destroying the value by restaining. Which I doubt matters to you.