Q. My husband was given a turn of the century oak sideboard by a member of his family. It appears to have the original finish on it but the top has a great many scratches in it, none very deep just a lot of them. The piece is not one of the golden oak pieces that are so popular. It has more of brown tone to it and I am guessing it is darker now than when it was new. I want to use a scratch cover polish on the top to make it look better but my husband says it will turn the whole piece even darker than it is which we do not want since its already too dark in my opinion. What do you think?

 A. I think you should lose the scratch cover idea. Most scratch cover polishes are scented mineral oil with some dark oil stain added to them. The mineral oil does nothing for your finish except make it oily and greasy feeling for several days before it eventually evaporates leaving behind the dirt and dust residual it trapped while it was tacky.

As for making the whole piece darker, that depends on the condition of the finish. The stain will not penetrate through a sound finish and turn the piece darker. It just sits there with the oil. Only if the finish is crazed or has lost adhesion with the surface or otherwise deteriorated will it allow the stain to penetrate  below the surface. Rather than applying something that will do your piece no good whatsoever, why don't you try something that will help it? Use one of the lightly tinted paste waxes available from most hardware stores or antique shops. Pick a color slightly lighter than your sideboard. That gives you a little room for error if need be. You can always go back for a darker shade. A good paste waxing,  after a thorough cleaning, will greatly enhance the overall appearance of the piece, not just the top surface.

Q. We bought an old  round pine table to use in our kitchen. It was pretty beat up so we have stripped it down to bare wood and sanded most of the nicks and dings out of it. What is the hardest finish we could  use to make sure it doesn't get beat up again?

A. About the only way you be sure that pine doesn't get beat up is to not use it. Pine is a very soft wood and is prized in some applications for its ability to show a mark for every item that was ever placed on it - sort of a three dimensional history of the piece. If you don't want that effect you could apply a poured, bar top plastic finish if you like that look. Its certainly easy enough to apply, just pour it out of the can and it self-levels. Some of the better bar top finishes are two part catalytics that must be mixed in exact proportions.

If you don't like the thick bar top look, start working your down in finish hardness beginning with the polyurethane family, both oil based and water borne, on down to marine spar varnishes, then lacquer, then shellac and lastly the least protection, penetrating oil finishes. It just depends on the level of distressing you are willing to tolerate but it sounds like you just bought the wrong table for your needs.

Q. I have an old table that has a tag underneath that says "Imperial Tables" The tag  is oval shaped and has a small crown inside the oval. Can you tell me anything about this table.

A. You have a very early example from one of America's premier 20th century furniture manufacturing companies. Imperial Furniture Co was founded in 1903 in Grand Rapids, MI by Stuart Foote who worked for ten years before that at the Grand Rapids Chair Co. He was president of the company until his death in 1954, after which the company was sold to Bergsma Bros. The company produced mainly tables throughout its history and produced more elaborate examples than its main rival in the table category, Mersman Bros. of  Celina, OH. The company is even credited in some quarters with inventing the concept of the low "coffee" table during the 1920's. During World War II it produced airplane wings for the war effort.

      Fred Taylor's new book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available for $18.95 plus $2.00 S & H. Send check or money order for $20.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

      Fred and Gail Taylor's video, "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE", ($29.95 includes S & H) is also available at the same address. For more information call (800) 387-6377, fax (352) 563-2916, or e-mail fmtaylor@aol.com.