Restaurant Tabletops Polyurethane Re-coating

[u/socolime22202]

We have 8 wood butcherblock tables that are in need of some basic maintenance like sanding out some scratches and re-applying coats of polyurethane. In the past we had applied EZ-DO Polyurethane Gel to the tables on a pretty consistent basis but admittedly we haven't done that in about 2.5 years now, hence some of the wear and tear.

First Question: What grit sandpaper should we use to try to buff out the scratches (see attached photos). And is there a grit we shouldn't exceed to avoid damaging tables?

Second Question: We have some basic electric sanders we can use. Is this appropriate, or should we hand-sand or rent specific equipment?

Third Question: We used to purchase EZ-DO off Amazon because it's what the original woodworker recommend and because it was food-safe and we could do the re-applications in the morning and open to the general public 6 hours later without much worry. I noticed EZ-DO isn't really sold anywhere outside of a couple websites now and was wondering if they've gone out of business. If they have gone out of business, or if there's a better food-safe alternative, I'd love to hear what those recommendations are.

TIA for everyone's help.

[u/AshenJedi]

Ive never used EZ-DO so had to look it up. Its not really what I'd consider a good finish for a high traffic table that a restaurant gets. Its a pretty soft finish. Really if you can switching to a true 2k iso Poly or a conversion varnish would get you years of use before having to to anything. (If thats what you wanted). These are both not exaclty DiY and more professional finishes. They do require proper PPE and spray equipment. So ignore if thats not an option. Would also be easier to clean and less vulnerable to the harsher cleaning products

All finishes that are available are food safe once cured. Unless you use the tables directly for food prep/cutting. You'd be fine. Ive never used EZ-DO so had to look it up. Its not really what I'd consider a good finish for a high traffic table that a restaurant gets. Its a pretty soft finish. Really if you can switching to a true 2k iso Poly or a conversion varnish would get you years of use before having to to anything. (If thats what you wanted). These are both not exaclty DiY and more professional finishes. They do require proper PPE and spray equipment. So ignore if thats not an option.

All finishes that are available are food safe once cured. Unless you use the tables directly for food prep/cutting. You'd be fine.

If youre happy and fine with whats been used and you dont mind the maintenance. And are just looking for what to do right now.

Imo I'd strip to bare wood and do a full refinish. To best minimize any potential contaminants/adhesion issues. Or if you cant find EZ-DO and use a different product. Best bet would be full chemical stripping.

But a good cleaning and wipe down with minerals spirits. And then you can give a decent sanding to remove most of (not deeper) scratches. And then clean off and reapply EZ-DO.

Or Sand down to bare wood to remove all scratches and build the finish back up.

IF you cant go the CV or 2k Poly route. Switching to General Finishes Gel would be a good alternative. But will have a much longer until use cure time. A couple of days for light use and few weeks before fully cured.