Have you ever refinished a piece of wood veneer furniture?

[miramar]

I have a few tables and units that are scratched or the protective finish seems to be wearing away over time (one table is about 15 years old. I really like it.)

I'd like to refinish them if possible and would like to hear from anyone who has any experience of this- how much effort was it, how much skill is required, are you happy with the result? I've looked for info on the process online and would appreciate any tips on the best method to use.

Also if it all goes horribly wrong, do you know how I could salvage the furniture, e.g. paint it?

Wood veneer is tricky as it quite thin and if you are not careful you will sand right through it. Better quality veneer will withstand a light sanding. If the damage is not too bad I would try a renovating polish like Rustin's Scratch cover - Topps used to do a great one but unfortunatley it's been discontinued.
You can definitely paint veneer - prime it first with Dulux Difficult Surface Primer.

I bought a veneer bookshelf on ebay (99p ). I thought it would match the living room furniture when it was sanded and oiled, but it didn't come up very well so I painted it cream. Looks fab!

Of course for 99p you can take a chance, if it's a much-loved piece of furniture I guess you need to be more careful, and I guess tables get more wear than bookshelves, affecting the success of paint finishes.

Thanks for your responses. The 15 year old table I mentioned cost £200ish from Habitat back in the day and is a size and shape I really like. I might try the renovating polish on a hidden area and see what happens. That sounds ideal if it works.

I have similar-aged stuff from Ikea that I think may be solid wood, it's heavy enough!

I might also check gumtree for other stuff that can be painted. I hadn't thought of that......

not really. If you sand it, you will go through the veneer on corners and edges. I suppose you could wipe the flat top very lightly with a fine paper and cork block.

the legs might be solid and stained, so you can do them.

What about Annie Sloan paint? I understand it goes on anything.

Annie sloan paint will be fine, no sanding or undercoat required.