TIANLICHUJU — PERSONAL VERIFICATION WORKSHEET
A dining table that may show use without becoming difficult
https://tianlichuju.com/journal/a-dining-table-that-may-show-use-without-becoming-difficult/

PROPOSED CHECKS — NO MEASURED RESULTS SUPPLIED
Date: __________________  Units: __________________
Room / product reference: __________________

1. Meal-care mismatch
Where: At the table with normal breakfast cups, shared serving dishes, and the protection the household is willing to use.
Record: List routine hot, wet, and work activities alongside the exact finish instructions; note where guests would otherwise need repeated warnings.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: The comparison identifies care friction, not a tested resistance to heat, liquid, or abrasion.
Alternative: Choose a finish better suited to the meal rather than using an aesthetic idea to excuse unwanted daily anxiety.

2. Protection within reach
Where: At each serving position and the nearby drawer or cupboard holding mats, coasters, and pads.
Record: Set a full familiar meal and note retrieval steps, lost tabletop area, and which practical items have no convenient return home.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: Convenient protection can support the routine but does not extend a product's limitations or authorize an unsuitable hot-dish placement.
Alternative: Reassign storage or simplify the table display when the care plan only works by interrupting dinner.

3. Finish and renewal identity
Where: At the top edge, underside, joints, and any vintage repair or uncertain coated area.
Record: Ask which parts are solid timber or veneer, identify the coating where possible, and record the proposed maintenance or restoration scope.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: A timber species name and a worn appearance do not establish sanding allowance, safe coating treatment, or structural soundness.
Alternative: Obtain a condition-based assessment before refinishing, or choose another table if its required use exceeds the understood construction.

PRACTICAL TRIAL
1. Review an appropriate sample with the actual dining light and tableware.
2. Inspect smooth hand and forearm edges separately from decorative grain.
3. Ask how a damaged top or extension component can be renewed independently.

COMPARE THE SAME SCOPE
- Exact top construction and existing finish condition
- Protection, routine cleaning, and realistic accepted wear
- Restoration, delivery, extension parts, and later renewal
Cost drivers: Uncertain old coatings or veneer repairs; Specialized refinishing across a whole top; Transport and replacement extension components
Choose another route when: A patina-led table is unsuitable when normal meals continually conflict with the finish or when the owner does not actually welcome its expected visible changes.

EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
This is a proposed hospitality and care comparison, not a performed stain or heat test. It cannot prove that all timber tops can be refinished.

PHOTO REFERENCE
A carved fireplace and mirror occupy a panelled wall, with seating and glass-fronted storage nearby.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simmons-Bond_House,_dining_room_fire_place.jpg

DECISION CONDITIONS
choose: Choose the table when its exact construction, finish limits, and possible renewal suit the usual meals and the owner knowingly welcomes the kind of change it may show.
alternative: Use a more resistant specified finish or a smaller expressive object when the desired timber appearance would otherwise require constant warnings and vigilance at dinner.
stop: Stop refinishing or daily use when the coating is uncertain, structural condition is unresolved, or the proposed treatment assumes sanding allowance that has not been established.

PUBLISHED REFERENCES
CCI: Basic care for furniture and objects made of wood
https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/care-objects/furniture-wooden-objects-basketry/basic-care-furniture-objects-wood.html
CCI notes that original furniture finishes can contribute historical value and that removing them is irreversible. This supports identifying an older table's construction and coating before choosing a new appearance, rather than assuming that all worn timber should be stripped and refinished for relaxed dining.
Scope: Conservation priorities do not prohibit every modern refinishing project or establish an individual table's value, condition, or available sanding depth.
Photographer: FloNight and Russell Poore
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Notes: ________________________________________________________