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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/oak desk worn in one small section

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Expert: - 3/9/2009


Question
I have a oak desk in beautiful condition except for a small area where the previous owner sat their cup of coffee.
That area the finish is worn .  How can I fix it?  It looks like it would need stain and polyurethane.Can I use steel wool on the area and then re-stain and polyurethane it?

Answer
Hi Gregory
Nice to hear from you.
Yes you can use steel wool on the area. In fact its a good idea rather than risk scratches from sandpaper. Use fine steel wool.
The only concern I have is wether you can duplicate the stain color.
I assume the desk currently has a poly finish and its perfectly fine to add more.
Just make sure that any area you are adding finish to has been deglazed with the steel wool.
Good Luck
Regards
Eileen

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Eileen Cronk

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Hi..I can answer most questions about the repairing,stripping and refinishing of all your old furniture and wood items(the things we call antiques)I can give advice about what to buy/avoid at auctions/flea markets. I do not give appraisals on antiques.

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I have been refinishing antiques for the past 30yrs. While I have taken several courses over the years,I have found that "hands on" learning is the best teacher. Perhaps I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made while learning.

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