Yeah, that shellac based primer tip is the real deal. I had the same peeling on my dining room baseboards. I sanded it down, used that exact kind of primer, and then two coats of a good latex. That was five years ago and you can't even chip it with a fingernail now. It's a pain to work with but it actually works.

I used to love that super glossy look, but touching a table like that totally changed my mind. It just feels fake and cheap, not high end at all.

Yeah "wet paper and despair" really nails that feeling. I saw a story about a used bookstore in Vermont that got hit hard by a burst pipe. All their old history books just turned into soggy pulp overnight. The owner said it smelled like mildew and lost stories for weeks. Honestly it's cool when other shops step up like that Oregon fundraiser, because insurance never covers everything.