Thank you for your response klem1. I had cleaned the table and applied paste wax not that long ago. I am hoping to take old wax off and apply a new finish - thinking polyurethane. My concern is ruining the pattern - which looks like a painted on design.

The steps required to go from wax to polyurethane is long and laborious so you need to explain your reason and convince us of your dedication before anyone undertakes the task of breaking it down for you. It must be pretty important needing to switch to a different finish after all these years. There is a growing trend of people dreaming up near impossible things then asking folks online how to execute it while they school hop away in search of another venture.

I believe my question all along was how/ if I can take off wax without harming what looks to be a painted design/pattern. I had not decided on a finish - just threw out "thinking polyurethane." The assumption that I will be asking people online how to go from wax to polyurethane and then hop away after wasting their time didn't enter my mind. Much like using pledge when the seller of the table told me to only use a damp cloth.

"I had not decided on a finish - just threw out "thinking polyurethane."

Precisely why I'm not willing to go through the necessary motions until you are sure.

If brutally honest doen't please you,I understand. If it helps I can tell you the desighn is not painted on. What you are seeing is wood grain with a light application of stain. There's a variety of mindsets on houzz,be patient and one you like will eventually be along.

The design is painted on. Are you sure it is a wax finish? If so you can reapply a wax finish. You can lightly sand your table with a fine 180/220 sanding block and then carefully tack off any dust. Don’t oversand though, you won’t eliminate all of the scratches but you don’t want sand off the hand painted design work. You can then apply the wax with a soft cloth; let it dry overnight and then buff to a shine with a clean soft cloth. The wax gives a much nicer, softer look IMO than polyurethane. Wax is solvent based btw.

Before you do anything, you should make sure first whether or not this is wax or not. It seems a bit to shiny to be a wax finish after years of use🤷🏼‍♀️! The pattern would most likely have been painted on in an acrylic paint so as not to be disturbed when the topcoat went on.

Thank you , lynartist - I very much appreciate your time and response.