"john hamilton" wrote in message
...
We have a dining table with a two sided top. One has a good real wood veneer
finish and the other a fairly pleasent woodgrained pattern formica.

I decided to take some scratches out of the formica with some very fine 1200
grade wet and dry carborundum paper. Since we often use that side for
everyday use.

I now have certain patches rubbed down that are very different in the table
top finish. Mainly those that have been rubbed down and those that have not.

Not desiring to rub down the 'whole' table top with the carborundum paper,
(which i suspect is not far from totally removing the thin layer of the wood
pattern) what might I use now to buff up the whole of the surface, to bring
it to a uniform finish over the whole area?

I've tried using a green scotchbrite kitchen scouring pad with lashings of
scouring cream on it; but it doesn't really seem to do anything much, as
well as being hard work.

Any suggestions as to what I might use to work up a kind of semi-sheen all
over on the formica? I don't want to use any type of rotary power tool,
since the grain in the pattern runs from one end to the other. And any
circular patterns would not look right. I have a rubber rubbing down block,
but what to put on it?

I second what Robatoy said.
You may want to consider replacing the formica. Heating the existing
sheet with a heat gun will soften the adhesive and make removing it much
easier.
Art