Want to Fix the Tabletop but Have Questions
I purchased a dining set off FBM. The young guy who sold it to me said his parents got it when he was a kid so at most it's 30 years old. The body of the table is wood, but I'm certain the top is veneer, given that there's a pattern and the grain on the side is perpendicular to the grain on the top.
Overall, the tabletop is in decent condition; it scratches fairly easily but it seems like the previous owners took care of it so there's nothing deep or egregious.
The big issue is that one corner has what I assume is heat damage. The areas in pics 1 & 2 are rough to the touch and the pattern in pic 1 shows indentations not stains. Note: The light is catching those areas and making them look far more visible than they actually are. Pic 3 shows a small area where the finish has chipped off. [Pic 4 shows half the table just to provide a general idea of what it looks like.]
My questions are these:
What kind of finish am I looking at here? It blooms when I put a coffee mug directly on it, but those blooms fade when it cools (note: I use coasters now). Based on the chipped area, it seems quite thin.
If I wanted to fix/refinish the top myself, what's the best course of action? I've read through the sub and since this is veneer, it looks like chemical stripping is the way. But I'm confused as to the specifics of that, particularly since a) I don't know what the current finish is and b) how stripping would affect the color of the veneer.
This table gets a lot of use - it's effectively my desk, we often use it for meals, it sometimes serves as a sewing table, and when we have parties, it's the buffet) - so the finish needs to be durable. What would be the best option in a finish?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.