Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Removing paint from Oak table

I recently received a beautiful Oak table & chairs. Overall, the finish is in good shape, but the previous owner painted the table top & apron with white paint. Is there a way that I could remove this paint without having to refinish the table? The paint appears to be an enamel, but I am not sure. Thank-you

If by 'not refinishing' you mean not using a stripper, you might have some luck with a heat tool. Several manufacturers market them in both a 'hair dryer' style and a heated putty knife style.

Since you're dealing with oak, which is an open grain wood, you may be succesful in removing the majority of the white paint this way IF the surface had a clear finish on it when it was painted. If not, the table will have to be stripped with a liquid chemical stripper.

The piece will certainly need refinishing after the paint is removed - in the sense that another finish will have to be applied. Regardless of what method you use to remove the paint, whatever finish is under the paint (if any) will be destroyed.

Thank-you, I'll let you know how it goes.