# How to finish a vintage teak sideboard?



## richardbell81 (5 Sep 2011)

Hi there,

I posted on here last week after I messed up the top of my vintage sideboard whilst trying to clean it! After much deliberating and a failed attempt to try and match the top colour and finish to the bottom of the sideboard, I have decided to strip the whole thing! A time consuming job it may be, but it's the only way i'm going to achieve the quality finish i'm after!

So... just wondering if anybody has any tips on how best to 'finish' the sideboard once i've got it back to the bare wood? I know teak doesn't necessarily need to be sealed in the same way as softer woods so I was considering just simply giving it a few coats of teak oil and leaving it at that. That said, there are so many teak oil's on the market i'm not sure where to begin! I was considering using Colron Teak oil which contains A blend of linseed oil in white spirit together with silicones. Although it's 3 times the price of regular teak oil, i'm guessing it will be good quality???

I suppose my other options are Danish oil or oil based varnishes but I am open to other suggestions if anybody has any preferred methods or products!

I've attached a picture of the same sideboard (although not mine) to show how I'd like it to end up looking. So if you have any tips on how best acheive this finish then i'd be really greatful!

Thanks in advance, Rich.


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## houtslager (5 Sep 2011)

Go to your nearest pro finish retailer in Sheffield ( I believe there are a couple) and get a naptha oil based stain called " Golden Oak " Use it on the under rail first at 1/2 strength - this should give you a colour simerler to the original,if too dark thin more with turps . leave on for a while, brush off with a large soft haired brush or soft rags. Coat then with shellac sealer and then rub down with fine ( 320 or 400 ) recoat , re sand and then rub on/off a good light coloured wax - 

hth,

k


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## [email protected] (5 Sep 2011)

any oil stain should be left to dry overnight also timber to be stained must be thoroughly degreased/ dewaxed or stain will sit on the surface and the sealer will not adhere and scratch off easily when dry. Its imperitive when using this sort of finishing system to strip and wash off the item the right way with the right materials (and dont go anywhere near it with abrasive paper or a scraper!) Finally if using shellac based materials make sure they are fresh and not sat on a shop shelf for years. Personally if I was diying with limited knowledge I'd oil it having stained first with the oil stain.....


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## richardbell81 (5 Sep 2011)

Thanks very much for both your responses... 

I will definitely consider the naptha oil based stain idea option. What are the advantages of this finish over using a teak oil finish and is it necessary to put a sealer on teak furniture? My only worry about using stain would be that it hides the natural colour / beauty of the wood?

Matt... what are your concerns about using a scraper to remove the stripper? Do you suggest just using wire wool instead? And, isn't a fine sand paper essential in between oil coats?

Do i take it that you both think the simple teak oil option is a bad idea? 

So confused about all this now... :-/


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## [email protected] (6 Sep 2011)

sorry, when I said scrapers and sandpaper I meant in the context of dry scraping the wood or dry sanding the wood either to remove a finish of clean up a surface after stripping. Any scraping or sanding in this context alters the absorbing qualities of the wood and will make stain or oil soak in unevenly. So remove finish with a handle type paint scraper is ok ensuring it doesnt dig into the wood and fine (400grit plus) abrasive paper is ok between coats. Stains dont obscure the grain they accentuate it and make it look richer whilst adding a depth of colour. Using no stain can make woods look washed out. If you want to see what the surface will look like with no stain then wipe it over with meths once stripped...


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## richardbell81 (6 Sep 2011)

[email protected]":zhmgztjp said:


> If you want to see what the surface will look like with no stain then wipe it over with meths once stripped...



Thanks again matt, much appreciated. The wood does look nice with a wipe over of meths which is partly the reason why I was just going to use teak oil although I might now consider a stain!

I'm actually having a slight problem at the moment as the colron 'burmese teak' dye that i put on the top just isn't a particularly nice colour so i'm currently trying to remove the remnants of any colour left behind by that. I've removed the old finish using a nitromorse type stripper then wiped down with wire wool but it's dried quite patchy in places. I think i need another go at removing this before I move onto the rest of the piece. Any tips on removing old stain or is it just a case of more stripper, white spirit and wire wool then giving it a light sand?

Again, sorry for the questions... i just like to make sure i'm doing a job properly!

Rich.


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## [email protected] (6 Sep 2011)

if you've stripped something using wire wool and nitromors and the colour is patchy its not necessarily due to the stain. If when stripping and rubbing with wire wool you don't rub evenly you'll possibly go through that micro layer of bleached wood finish down to darker wood so it'll be the darker wood showing as patches not the stain and the more you rub "to rid the dark patches" the darker it'll all go! Then - only option is to sand the top to an even colour using orbital sander starting with say 180g paper and finishing with 240g. Theres a real art in doing this type of work succesfully as you're now probably finding out  

patchy staining from using stains is usually due to uneven absorbtion of the stain that in turn is due to poor prep of the wood..


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## richardbell81 (6 Sep 2011)

Thanks matt, to be honest the stain wasn't patchy when i applied it. It just ended up drying a different colour to the base and the finish didn't quite match the rest of the sideboard which is why i've decided to strip the entire thing.

The patches that are lighter are the ones that I remember rubbing down slightly more due to sticky residue left behind by the stripper so i think i'm going to try another application of stripper to the top... then another wipe down with wire wool and white spirit then lightly sand the top. I don't really want to start using orbital strippers on it unless it's the last resort!

After all that i can then make a final decision on what i'm going to finish the whole thing in! You know when you wish hadn't started a job in the first place! :-(


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