Just purchased a used coffee table that needs help. The stain on the wood was done poorly. Do I need to strip it to re-stain or can I stain over the old stain.
Rose,
Usually you will want to strip it before you stain. In many cases, it will be hard to find an exact-match to the existing stain and even if you do get lucky enough to get a close match, there is no guarantee that the stain will absorb in the same way.
Depending on the damage / wear and tear, you might try putting a coating of Old English furniture polish on it before you go to the trouble of stripping and re-staining. I have found that you can often times get light surface scratches, etc, out with it.
Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
I put a piece of tape on a table on accident and the varnish or coating came off. I was wondering how I can repair it?
It needs to be sanded down and refinished. I think the entire table top must be done for an undetectable repair. I would hire a pro for this if the table is expensive or means a lot to you.
The feet of a lazy Susan melted into the finish of the table. Also a mug over heated in the microwave and melted the finish through a mat.
How do I repair? I was going to give it a light sanding then apply a coat of satin Varathane.You can sand it with very fine steel wool. They have matching wood crayons. There is also spray lacquer to finish the job.
I tried the hot iron method for removing a water stain and I believe that I may have taken off some of the finish on my antique mahogany table. Some of the stain is still there and I am in process of the mayo suggestion now, as the iron thing did not work so well. Any way to resurrect the finish?
By Steph from Gainesville, FL
Go to-ronhazelton.com-lot of info there, good luck.
This method truly does work, I have used it several times on different colored antique surfaces. Take cigarette ashes & cooking oil, make a paste, & rub it onto the water stain. The way I usually do it is put the end of a rag over my finger, dip it in cooking oil I have put in a saucer, then dip it into the ashes until they are pretty thick on the end of my finger & rub.
If you mix ash and vegetable oil to a paste, then rub it on the white marks, it should go.
While trying to clean sticky film from a wooden table, I rubbed the finish off down to the natural wood. It now is exposed and a different color than rest of table. What can I do?
I have a Hooker desk that I put a desk mat on. When I went to lift the mat, there was a sticky residue on the desk surface where the mat had been. I have been unable to remove it with wood cleaner and now paper sticks to the desk surface where the mat once was.
Is there anything I can do to repair this? Thank you for your recommendations.I use cooking or mineral oil to remove labels from jars (the ones I want to re-use). The oil works great when removing those tacky / gummy residues.
My table has spots from what looks like some sort of spray. I tried Guardsman Deep Clean, but it didn't do a thing. How can I get the spots off?
It may sound weird, Kristin, but mayonnaise might help. My experience? I left a houseplant sitting on my piano bench and put a crocheted doily under the pot. Turns out the doily hid the fact I overwatered and man, what a nasty stain that left! It may even have been someone on this site who recommended using mayonnaise. I did. And be darned if it didn't take away the worst of the stain. I would, however, recommend testing a patch in an unobtrusive area, just to be sure it'll help your situation and not leave you cursing at me.
Good luck!
It is hard to know what to recommend when you don't know what has caused the spots. Another thing that might help, if it looks like the finish is damaged, is rubbing with a walnut. I don't think that would hurt anyway. Like the mayonnaise, it would return some oil to the finish.
I live in the desert 6 months at a time. I left plastic place mats on the table when I left and I now have 4 square marks on the table, not white or anything maybe more like shadows. Can any body help me?
By E. Buckshaw
Leave the table uncovered, and perhaps, over time, the sun will fade the table to all one shade. I suspect that is what has happened. However, it may be that the plastic has discoloured the table top as well.
I have a question about repairing wood tables. I placed a hot pan on a piece of newspaper that was laying on the dining table. When I realized what I'd done I jerked it up and took the paper up, leaving a circular ridge on the table. It's almost as if the paper fibers stuck to the table. I've tried to get it off with baking soda and toothpaste and it's not worked. The mixture has left a very shiny spot on my otherwise soft matte finish table. So now I have this raised burned mark that is highlighted by a glassy shine. What should I do?
Being in the woodworking arena for quite some time I've restored everything from antique pianos to end tables. Short of taking it back down to the natural wood and refinishing it you have to find the base product that the stain is made from in this case I would say it's the newspaper ink.
Thanks! I'll phone the newspaper and inquire about their ink. Now, what can I do to minimize the high gloss that must be a result of either the baking soda or toothpaste? My table has a satin finish, so this REALLY shiny spot is very noticable.
I spilled cherry Crystal Light on my light wood kitchen table. Without thinking, I used a magic sponge to get the red stain off. The sponge took off the stain and the finish as well. So far I am touching it up with Old English (for light wood).
This only works temporarily because when you wipe the table clean some of the wax comes off until there is once again a bare spot. Is there any way I can fix this without refinishing an entire table top (which isn't an option right now)?SusannL from St. Cloud, FLI have refinished a couple of old things I found at yard sales with Homer Formby's refinishing and very fine steel wool. Just pour a good bit of the Homer Formby formula on the steel wool and move in circular motions until the entire surface is covered. Then, use another piece of steel wool and some clean formula in light, long strokes across the entire surface of the table. After the table has dried, cover with two coats of polyurathane acording to the directions. You can refinish just about anything for a total of $30 or so. Follow the directions and you can't go wrong. All of the items can be purchased at Walmart.
Minwax makes these stain markers you can use to cover small scratches and they have a pretty wide range of colors. You can find them at WalMart or Lowes.
3 years ago I placed a heavy rubber mat on the top of a stored wooden table. Now after removing the mat, the finish has small bubbles and small raised spots.
Is there a fix without refinishing?My nail polish remover with acetone made a stain on my black nightstand that came off when I moved the nail polish remover top. What do I do?
My table has a round spot down to bare wood from a guest placing a hot coffee pot on it. It isn't the white mark that many people talk about, this is a round spot where all of the finish is gone down to bare wood the size of the bottom of a coffee pot.
Why not invite your "guest" over for a "sanding the table" party? Sandpaper, stain, lacquer and elbow grease are the ingredients necessary to repair the damage.
