Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Teak Refinish

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Expert: - 7/23/2009


Question
Hi Greg,  Unfortunately some latex paint leaked out the bottom of an old can onto my wife's 20+ year old veneered, teak bedroom dresser.  By the time I noticed and cleaned up the paint, the wood had been drastically "brightened".  (I was surprised that the latex dissolved the teak oil.)  Anyway, I now have an unsightly blotch on the top of the dresser.  I have tried adding additional teak oil and was wondering if a few applications will blend the damaged area back to the same color, or whether I should not expect 20 years of teak oil rub downs to ever match the damaged area.  A.  Is there anything that can be done to even up the coloring?  B.  If not, what the best method to refinish?  (I'm afraid I'd have to re-do the entire piece and the front of the unit is tambour door.)  C.  Do you know if these older units would have had anything applied to them to seal them before they were oiled.  [The piece was made by Dyrlund, which I understand is no longer in business due to a fire in their facility a few years ago.]

Answer
Hi John, typically this type of damage can only be fixed by stripping and refinishing the top. If you're careful and mask off the top, you should be able to strip, stain if needed, and the use Teak oil, Watco Danish oil, or Waterlox to restore the finish. Typically they used a "Danish oil" type of Tung oil finish, sometimes colored, sometimes not, but if the natural color of the teak is much lighter than the rest of the piece, you'll have to stain to match the color, and i would use a waterbased dye stain to do it, like the General waterbased dyes, available in pints from WoodCraft. It may take some muscle and a good stripper to dissolve the original finish, but as you've seen it will come off. Hope that helps a little- post back if need be- regards- Greg

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks

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Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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