Hello Duane Collie From The Keeping Room, i Had the walnut veneer Lacquered finish walnut table ruined by Pledge. The description of the table says “Solid Eucalyptus wood and engineered wood with walnut veneer, covered in a water based dark walnut finish.“ West Elm who I purchased the table from advised me to contact the Furniture Medic - this is a franchised furniture repair business. Hmmm. Awaiting their call. Home Depot in California does not carry mineral spirits, but my woodworking neighbor has Klean Strip- Xylol-Xylene and V.M. &P Naphtha. wouldnt these ruin the veneer? His wife thought I need to oil the table to dissolve the pledge- she gave me jojoba oil! i am afraid I will ruin the table even more...what are your thoughts?

I am glad you are having fun, and enjoying the changes you have made. I love that your DH has become interested, and the little ones as well! In the end, decorating is really about making your house a home that you love. I am still not happy with the bookcase between the windows - I think the wall feels heavy, and walking in from the foyer, you walk into the side of the bookcase. But what is important is that YOU are happy, and often things feel different in real life from how they appear on our monitors. What I would change, tho, is the arrangement on the other wall. I would pull the console and tv over to the right, but keep them a couple of inches inside the edge of the wall. Move the chair to the corner, angled, with the lamp behind it. It will tuck nicely there, (tho don't bury it deep in the corner, leave it pulled out a little) rather than sticking out over the end of the wall as it does now. Plus, if you were to put the fun round ottoman between that chair the cute kid's chair, it would make a nice connection between the colors, and act almost like a side table. Of course, once you start moving art, adding lighting, etc. the room will feel more finished. But I think you have already created a warmer, more welcoming, more open space to enjoy!

I've done a few pieces (a buffet turned bookcase, banquette, dresser and nightstand) and I'm about to do a new table (yeah .. new but purchased at an outlet store ... don't like the color) all with high quality paint (either Fine Paints of Europe Eco Satin or Ben Moore Aura) and an awesome brush (Omega, available from FPE) and I've been thrilled with the results. Nary a brushstroke in sight. It may be a different story when I attempt the table which will require very LONG brushstrokes, but I really think it's all in the paint. As long as you use a good paint with great self-leveling characteristics you'll have a nice finish. As an alternative to spending a lot of money on tools you may not use again, have you looked into having it professional sprayed? I have no idea how much that costs, but it might be better than investing a lot into very specific tools. That table is going to be gorgeous, by the way.

I am having this same problem. I got all of my kitchen cabinets painted, inside and out, with oil-based white paint. Now whenever I am in or near the kitchen, I am nauseous and light-headed. It is a narrow kitchen and there are no windows immediately nearby; also no fan, just central A/C. It has been raining for days so I haven't been able to open the windows much anyway. What can I do?!