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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Stain on GPlan Teak dining table

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Expert: - 3/19/2011


Question
Hi I have a teak dining table second hand that is in excellent condition.  I was doing some house cleaning yesterday and absent mindedly sprayed the table with household kitchen cleaner (which contains some bleach) rather than polish which I intended to use.  I wiped the spray away as quickly as I could however the spray has left small blotches of lighter coloured stains where it had originally landed.  Can you suggest anything I can use that will help restore the finish and rid the table of these light coloured stains?  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Jen, unfortunately you've done serious damage to the finish...and there's no way to just 'touch up' this type of finish damage...you'll likely have to refinish the whole top, and it's most likely a Danish Oil finish. These are "long oil" finishes that penetrate the wood and harden from within like a thin varnish...you can wipe down the top with some mineral spirits, and see if the stains disappear...if they do, then you can apply a couple of coats of a danish oil finish to the top and probably repair it...but most likely, it wont make the damage blend, and therefore the top has to be stripped and refinished to match....hope that helps a little- post back if need be- regards- Greg

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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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