Candace, first we need to find out what the finish is. Use denatured alcohol in a place where is will not be noticeable. If the finsih melts and get tacky is shellac. If it does not it is not shellac. Next try acetone and if it melts the finish is laquer. I this doe not work is varnish or poly( oilbased) Varnish and poly are hard if not impossible to repair and will need to be stripped off. So lets find out what the finish is first and then we can go from there.