Sherry, glad you have decided to go for it. Lori and Robin, just wondered if you have decided to participate or not? I want to add you to the list. Just a reminder - if you are new to the forums and especially if this is your first Swap, make sure that you activitely post over the next few weeks so that your partner will be able to find some current information on you. Most of us like to search the various threads for hints of things that you might like rather than look at a list of likes and dislikes. Also, if you are looking for information on your partner and can't find what you are looking for, then get sneaky and start a thread on the cooking forum that hopefully your partner will post to. Example - Want to know if your partner likes spicy foods? Start a thread asking about favourite Curry or Mexican foods. Or maybe you are thinking of including something BBQ or Grill related. Start a related thread. Ann

What you have is "plasticizer migration." The chemicals in the placemat that keep it soft and flexible has migrated into the finish and done the same there. The damage is in the finish, not on the finish. If the damage is not too bad, you might be able to buff it out with some 0000 steel wool. If there is a dark toner (finish with color in it), it might lighten the spot some. You can get more lacquer finish in aerosol cans and if you can get a good match on the color, also toner in aerosol. There is also a chance the damage is all the way through the finish, in which case it's more difficult. A good touch-up technician may be able to recover for you. It would be worth trying in an attempt to avoid stripping and refinishing the whole top. Steam cleaner is not good -- stop that now. You may have damaged your table's veneer or finish using that.

At our "regular" house we have a kitchen table with a cherry top with poly on it, and with regular, somewhat careful use (no placemats or coasters, and kids do their homework there...and eat there...but I'm always telling them to put a book or something under their paper if they're writing), it looks pretty good but after a year, there are some scratches and a ding or two. In our beach cottage, we have a pine farmhouse type table from LL Bean that we bought about 10 years ago. It's our only spot for eating, art projects, etc., so it gets a lot of abuse. Any patina from the abuse just looks natural on this table, and in fact hardly noticeable. I don't think LL Bean sells our table any more, but something similar might work for you.

I really like it! I would pair it with a bent-plywood dining chair to get warm wood tones, or with something like a Ghost chair if you wanted a really modern sleek look. But ultimately, color balance is very personal. There are great wood dining tables that would pair well with the clean modern look you're creating.