greg928gts Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Can someone recommend a good product to restore the wood finish on a small end table? The table has a dark stain on maple and then a clear finish. The finish is in excellent condition for the most part, but there are a few spots, scratches, and a stain on the top. I seem to remember someone here recently recommended a particular brand, but I can't seem to find the thread now. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmako Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 There are many things which you can use and each will have it's benefits and drawbacks. I like to use plain old Tung Oil. You can buy a pint for about 8 bucks or so. It is a large component of Polyurethane. I apply multiple THIN coats using a clean, lint free rag. Use plenty of light so you can see the sheen from the application. During the application I like to shine a lamp across it at an acute angle so I can see the coverage. I apply it as thin as I can and rub it with the grain to just barely cover the piece. One thin coat like this will dry in just a few minutes and you can then reapply a second coat. Depending on the piece and desired sheen, just keep adding thin coats. Take care to keep it thin and you won't see marks from the application. Today I applied two thin coats of boiled linseed oil to my Fortes, and my amp and tuner. The amp and tuner will get a few thin coats of Tung oil in a week or so. The Fortes probably won't depending on how they look. One big benefit of Tung oil is that it forms a protective coating over the wood which the Linseed oil alone will not do. It will take some time and 10-20 thin coats depending on how much gloss you want. But, once you get the hang of the app it goes very quickly. Especially as it begins to build up on the wood. Years ago I made a cherry coffee table and used this technique to finish it. It still looks great, and if it ever needs a touch up, it's an easy and consistent finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Thank you oldmako. I wasn't as clear as I should have been in my original post. I'm looking for a product that I think is an all-in-one product that strips and finishes, or partially strips the finish and re-applys it at the same time or maybe it's a kit with a couple of different products. But whatever it is, it was dicussed here on the forum in a thread, and the product sounded very interesting. I got the impression it's a fairly new product. Sorry I can't be more specific. I saw a restorer by Howards at Home depot, but there was very little information on the can. I suppose I can just chemically strip the finish that's on there and then refinish with oil or whatever. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmako Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Lots of work, but you can end up with a really nice finish if you take your time. Best of luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Thanks for the advice, I have some tung oil that my wife bought for a table and I think I'll use it on my newly acquired 3.5s and also my Fortes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 is the finish an old lacquer that is checked and cracked? Homer Formby makes a light stripping/refinishing product that strips then redeposits the material leaving the old patina of the finish. Harsh strippers get down to bare wood and then you end up sanding and having to re-start the entire refinishing process again. Formby's works well on antique finishes and is gentle on the wood. I used it on a 100 year old dining table I my great-grandmother gave me. Worked great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 http://www.formbys.com/products/refinisher.cfm I don't think this stuff will work on modern polyurethane finishes however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 The Formby's dissolves the lacquer and lets it penetrate the wood and even out the color.It won't have the shiny lacquer look, but the finish will look nice. Another product was mentioned, but I can't remember the name, either. That doesn't get out stains, though. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIGARBUM Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 If you have stains in the actual wood, there is only one way to get then out. I can be worng, but I don't believe there is any product out there that will remove the stain and keep the original finish. Is it solid wood or veneer? Boy, there are so many directions you can go. If me, solid wood sand down till stain is removed and use PURE tung oil, as many coats as you like for the desired finish. If it is veneer, hope the stain didn't go entirely through the veneer, CAREFULLY sand and use PURE tung oil. If the stain has gone entirely through, re-vendeer. A lot of times there is no simple solution to corrrecting the problem, take your time, think about what your doing, plan, if you know what you want it to look like whan your done, just keep working till you get there. Good luck CB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Thanks for the resonses. The stain is very minor, and actually I could live with it. The finish is not in bad shape really, there are just a few little issues. PLUS, I'm going to router out and inset some tiles that my mom hand painted, and I'm sure in that process I'll put some scratches in the top. Also, I want to change the handle on the drawer, which now has a backing plate, that once I take off I'm sure will leave a discoloration where it was. The reason I don't want to sand the table down to bare wood is because there are a lot of curves and molded edges that would require a lot of hand work, plus with the dark finish, sometimes it's hard to get every last bit out of the grain. Although with maple that's less of an issue because of the density. It's not lacquer and it's not cracked. Probably a polyurethane. It's factory installed. This piece is probably an Ethan Allen or something like that. My thinking was that I would install the tile in the top, mask it off, and then use this restorer product to give the fiinish a different look and to fix or cover the few little spots that are at issue. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Thanks again to oldmako for the Tung Oil suggestion. I used it tonight on my KGs and Fortes and they look great! I'll probably put another couple coats on tomorrow after today's application dries. It really gave much more depth to the wood color and it has a nice sheen to it also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I've used the Howard's Restor*A *Finish with good results. It sort of hides scratches and scuffs, and comes in different shades. It seems most antique shops around these parts use it on their furniture for sale. It does not melt or strip the existing finish. I don't believe it actually hardens, either. It's definitely worth a shot, and would not get in the way if you chose a more agressive approach later. As you know, it's difficult to stain maple a dark tone. I redid a maple vainity for use as a bath vanity, and used (as I recall) an alcohol-based pigment stain. The Minwax Ebony stain (oil dye, I think) didn't get the vanity dark enough. Let us know how it goes! http://www.howardproducts.com/restora.htm http://www.minksemporium.com/Demonstration.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 note when using these scratch-hiding products to always start with a color equal to or LIGHTER than the wood. A darker shade will highlight the scratches instead of hiding them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
440Films Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I have restored many furniture pieces. I have found that patience always pays off. I started using Tung Oil 2 years ago and new I had found the perfect substance. Polyutherane can be streaky and hard to work with. I am leary now of any product that states one application is all that's needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clermontcop Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Howards Feed and Wax one of the best products on the market. I have some before and after pictures I will post here soon to show how good the product works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clermontcop Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Okay having some problems loading my pics again, bare with me Im working on some technical issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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