Help needed to restore a patchy teak dining table!

[richardbell81]

I've just bought an old McIntosh teak veneer dining table which i'm attempting to restore. I've restored and stripped plenty of pieces of furniture before so i'm fairly confident with projects such as this but i'm the first to admit that i'm by no means a professional!

I've carefully washed down, stripped and sanded the entire table taking care not to over sand the top veneer. I've just put on the first coat of rustins Danish oil using some 0000 wire wool (which i've done countless times before to good affect) but the table top does not seem to be aborbing the oil evenly causing it to look patchy with an un-even colour. I've attached some pictures so you can see what I mean.

When I got the table it was very dirty and greasy but I was confident that all my cleaning and stripping had removed any trace of dirt and grease.

If anyone has any ideas what I can do at this stage to remedy the problem then i'd be very grateful as i'm not sure what to do next. The only thing I could think to do was to try some wood dye to try and even out the colour but i'd prefer not do this if anyone has had this problem before and can think of an alternative.

Thanks in advance.

 

[richardbell81]

Update... I've just tried some Colron wax remover which doesn't seem to have done anything! It's removed the thin layer of Danish oil that I put on yesterday but it's just left the un-even surface behind!! It's as if there is an invisible layer of something on the table top which is not allowing the oil to penetrate the surface properly. Making it look patchy, and blotchy in places.

I'm starting to tear my hair out a bit with it now! Please... if anyone has any ideas whatsoever then please let me know... I would be extremely grateful!!!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Have you gone more aggressive with your cleaners? Meths or white spirit would be worth testing on a small patch (perhaps underneath as an inconspicuous trial first)

If aggressive cleaners don't even out the colour then you'll need to rub a light stain in to even it up. Of course that will take it darker but its better than blotchy

 

[richardbell81]

Have you gone more aggressive with your cleaners? Meths or white spirit would be worth testing on a small patch (perhaps underneath as an inconspicuous trial first)

If aggressive cleaners don't even out the colour then you'll need to rub a light stain in to even it up. Of course that will take it darker but its better than blotchy

I've tried white spirit with a cloth, white spirit with a scouring pad and white spirit with some wire wool but doesn't seem to do much! I haven't tried Meths yet so i could give that a go. wOuld you recommend trying that with a cloth or some fine wire wool?

 

[richardbell81]

Has anyone tried colron wood reviver... could this be worth a try?

 

[Dangermouse]

If there is the remains of varnish or even harder resin coating, as this type of furniture sometimes had, you may get it off with some varnish or paint stripper. That's the only stuff that will touch it.

 

[richardbell81]

If there is the remains of varnish or even harder resin coating, as this type of furniture sometimes had, you may get it off with some varnish or paint stripper. That's the only stuff that will touch it.

I have already stripped it using paint/varnish stripper. It was the b&q water based stuff but I have used this plenty of times before to good effect (once you get to grips with it). When I first got the table it had a very sticky top which I presumed was just a build up of grease, dirt and oil over the years. Once I had stripped it, it felt clean and dry before putting on the danish oil, but as soon as the danish oil has dried it has got this 'soft' almost tacky surface again.

As I said, I have thoroughly cleaned, stripped and sanded the surface as much as I can can bearing in mind the veneer top so i'm now at a bit of a dead end. I stripped the legs of the table using the same process and they have been fine.

Has anyone ever come across anything lie this before?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Have you gone more aggressive with your cleaners? Meths or white spirit would be worth testing on a small patch (perhaps underneath as an inconspicuous trial first)

If aggressive cleaners don't even out the colour then you'll need to rub a light stain in to even it up. Of course that will take it darker but its better than blotchy

I've tried white spirit with a cloth, white spirit with a scouring pad and white spirit with some wire wool but doesn't seem to do much! I haven't tried Meths yet so i could give that a go. wOuld you recommend trying that with a cloth or some fine wire wool?

Hi Richard

I would use fine wire wool for either meths or white spirit. I have to say that fact you've already tried WS with a scourer and got no result doesn't bode well. I would be inclined to try DM's advice in case it is a resin/varnish type residue. If that doesn't work I also see no harm in trying your colron idea. You're at the experimental cutting edge now really. Ultimately, if you cant remove those marks you will need to stain it back to an even covering. Now that's fine, it happens all the time so I wouldn't be too worried about it.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

sorry mate. these crossed in the ether. So I can see you've already tried DM's tip. If the surface remains tacky after the Danish then its clearly not penetrating the wood due to an existing barrier of some kind (likely some kind of embedded resin etc).

Last ditch...you could try petrol, just on the darker areas. Its phenomenally aggressive. Go really easy and use a white cloth to see if it lifts the dark stuff. How thick is the veneer?

 

[richardbell81]

sorry mate. these crossed in the ether. So I can see you've already tried DM's tip. If the surface remains tacky after the Danish then its clearly not penetrating the wood due to an existing barrier of some kind (likely some kind of embedded resin etc).

Last ditch...you could try petrol, just on the darker areas. Its phenomenally aggressive. Go really easy and use a white cloth to see if it lifts the dark stuff. How thick is the veneer?

Hi Bob, thanks for getting back. I've never heard of using petrol before!?

I'd say the veneer is a few mm thick but no more... especially now i've sanded. Would there be any harm in trying a cleaning solution of white spirit, meths and white vinegar or do you think it's past that now?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

No I would try anything that wont actually damage the wood because at the end of this, unless you discover something aggressive enough to lift the bad stuff, you're going to need to give it another (very) light sand and then start the process of staining it back to a colour you feel happy with. So almost nothing matters now as long as you don't damage the wood.

 

[richardbell81]

I've tried the cleaning solution of meths/ws/vinegar but first impressions are that it's not made any difference... the wood still looks patchy. I think my last resort will have to be the wood dye to try and even out the colour. Think i'l try Rustins light teak.

Unless anybody else has any suggestions then i'l let you know how I get on.

 

[Matt@]

you need to be careful fiddling with all types of different solvents and finishing materials or it'll become too polluted and be past the point of no return. If I'd seen this thread before you started experimenting with stuff I'd have said think back to the sanding stage. This type of furniture though veneered tends to take more sanding than you think. So - what paper did you use for the sanding, what machine and how much sanding did you do?! patchy finishes tend to point to uneven absorbtion rates ie uneven sanding. If I were sanding this top, I'd use an orbital half sheet sander and start with probably 180 grit then go down to 240. I dont think I'd use rougher than 180 as you then have to sand afterwards to get the sanding marks out. You have to be careful and watch intently to see if the veneer is sanding through. Obviously if it is, you cannot do anymore. Just a cursory brush over the top with something like 300/ 400 grit is going to do nothing apart from make it smooth. If the sanding doesnt work, I'd use old style nitromores. I would be very nervous of using the new eco water based strippers on this type of surface as they stain and can be very aggressive.

 

[richardbell81]

you need to be careful fiddling with all types of different solvents and finishing materials or it'll become too polluted and be past the point of no return. If I'd seen this thread before you started experimenting with stuff I'd have said think back to the sanding stage. This type of furniture though veneered tends to take more sanding than you think. So - what paper did you use for the sanding, what machine and how much sanding did you do?! patchy finishes tend to point to uneven absorbtion rates ie uneven sanding. If I were sanding this top, I'd use an orbital half sheet sander and start with probably 180 grit then go down to 240. I dont think I'd use rougher than 180 as you then have to sand afterwards to get the sanding marks out. You have to be careful and watch intently to see if the veneer is sanding through. Obviously if it is, you cannot do anymore. Just a cursory brush over the top with something like 300/ 400 grit is going to do nothing apart from make it smooth. If the sanding doesnt work, I'd use old style nitromores. I would be very nervous of using the new eco water based strippers on this type of surface as they stain and can be very aggressive.

The process I initially used was...
1. Clean the general grease, dirt and grime off with water and washing up liquid. I made sure not to over drench the table and dried any excess water off with a clean cloth.
2. Once that dried i Stripped using b&q paint & varnish stripper,
3. Once stripped and dry, i then sanded with a sanding block using 100, 120, 150 and finally 220.
4. I then wiped down using a soft cloth and white spirit.

I know the water based stripped isn't ideal but i have used it before with decent results!

 

[Matt@]

I'd expect to have a compromised result starting with 100 grit paper and a block. Theres no way you can sand properly with a block. You need a machine sander and to start with 180 then work down....

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Richard, this blotchy surface is caused by grease and dirt penetrating a thin finish in places. It is very common with teak tables. I would try two ways of correcting it. Firstly use oxalic acid, rag on a warm solution with fine wire wool or a scouring pad, scrub it into the grain and leave overnight, rinse off and dry. If it is still uneven sand with 220 grit by hand but do it gently with just the weight of your hand and wipe off the dust frequently. If you see a slightly speckled shadow appearing stop, it will be the chipboard base showing through and it will be too late to do anything about it, but you should be fine. You need to concentrate your sanding on the lighter faded areas.
Definitely do not use any paper courser than 220 and do not use a sanding machine of any sort, you will be through the veneer before you can say "ooh, whats that speckly stuff"

 

[Matt@]

have done 100's of these tables and have sanded through probably not more than a dozen and then not to the extent that it shows unduly but granted, you have to be experienced and know what you're doing. In this particular case I suspect the damage has already been done. I dont think I'd be sanding it any further as really you only have one chance to get it right. And, of those 100s of tables, there has not been one that couldnt be completed satisfactorily. Perhaps my advice in this instance is bad in terms to carrying this job through but good if the job hadnt been started!