11. To revive a shellac finish roughen the surface lightly with No . 000 steel wool. 12. Sand the finish thoroughly with medium sandpaper, to roughen the enamel and reduce gloss. 13. The old finish should also be sanded, enough to roughen it and reduce gloss. 14. So, sand the old finish to roughen it and reduce gloss, if any. 15. Sandblasting won't work because it would roughen the finish, reflecting less light. 16. Sand the doors and drawer fronts by hand to reduce gloss and roughen the finish. 17. To make the new stain stick, sand the old finish heavily to roughen it. 18. It will not hurt to roughen the finish and add one more coat of varnish. 19. Then you can run some filters on it to roughen it up a little bit. 20. The process scrapes and roughens enamel, leaving crevices where bacteria can hide and cause infections.
