So, I just f&%ked up the kitchen table.....

kkelly77

..... and divorce is imminent. I've attached a photo so all can mock at will

The table is a solid wood but I don't know what type.

I'm looking for some advice on how to sort it out. All my painting experience is with emulsions and usually walls & ceilings.

I'm assuming a full sanding with 180 grit first and then 220 grit and then stain with some type of Cherry stain. Final coating of a some type of shelac product maybe?

Am I on the right track?

the_pen_turner

are they water marks.
there are products out there for removing water marks and there are old wives tales type solutions . I have never tried any nor had the need to .
lots of people claim to use the old wives methods and they worked perfectly. try googling a few methods .
you have nothing to loose by putting something harmless on it like lemon juice (one of the ones I heard)



try all those first and then sand as a last resort.
are you sure its solid timber . it could be veneer
when sanding a finish the key rules are
start with fine paper and only get more aggressive if you need to.
only use sandpaper that is cutting easily. if its blunt it will over heat the finish
keep the sander moving and don't build up heat

kkelly77

the_pen_turner wrote: »

are they water marks.
there are products out there for removing water marks and there are old wives tales type solutions . I have never tried any nor had the need to .
lots of people claim to use the old wives methods and they worked perfectly. try googling a few methods .
you have nothing to loose by putting something harmless on it like lemon juice (one of the ones I heard)

try all those first and then sand as a last resort.
are you sure its solid timber . it could be veneer
when sanding a finish the key rules are
start with fine paper and only get more aggressive if you need to.
only use sandpaper that is cutting easily. if its blunt it will over heat the finish
keep the sander moving and don't build up heat

The damage is from EGR valve cleaner. I had some car parts sitting in an empty plastic egg container. I didn't realise the cleaner had melted through the plastic container and damaged the table. Cleaning it up made it worse. It has definitely taken it down to bare word in some sections.

I don't think it's veneer. The table top appears to be a solid piece of timber.

the_pen_turner

I did the same thing with cellulose thinners before . I put it in a plastic container ( I know ) and it dissolved it

what worries me is that if the white areas are bare wood then it will be a nightmare to remove that staining. it could have almost bleached the wood

I would try sanding a small area to see it the white is a thin layer is deep into the wood,
if its deep then its going to be a major sanding job

what size is the table top

kkelly77

the_pen_turner wrote: »

I did the same thing with cellulose thinners before . I put it in a plastic container ( I know ) and it dissolved it

what worries me is that if the white areas are bare wood then it will be a nightmare to remove that staining. it could have almost bleached the wood

I would try sanding a small area to see it the white is a thin layer is deep into the wood,
if its deep then its going to be a major sanding job

what size is the table top

The square area in the photo is bare wood, as well as the small section to the right of it. Table is about 1.4m x 0.8m.

I'm probably going to sand the whole thing. I just don't reckon the damaged section is repairable.

the_pen_turner

I would use some paint stripper to remove as much of the finish as possible.
then start sanding

skipper756

If all else fails it may be easier to flip the tabletop (if it is solid timber) and finish the underside instead?

dathi

the_pen_turner wrote: »

I did the same thing with cellulose thinners before .

pretty much the same stuff erg valve cleaner contains acetone and xylene so will eat into the finish the same as thinners you will probably have to strip the finnish with paint stripper re stain and re lacquer

recipio

Don't start sanding yet. You will lose all the patina and turn the job into a nightmare.There is a product called 'ring remover' made by Rustins and might revive it back to acceptable levels.If that fails you could sand out the worst spots and refinish with the original finish - French polish or nitrocellulose lacquer - or ask a good restorer to do it.

kkelly77

Sanded the table completely and have 2 coats of Rosewood stain on so far. Another coat to go and then 2 coats of water based clear varnish should finish it off nicely. No sign of damage anymore :cool:

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

the_pen_turner

looking great.
no keep it that way

forumuser

Did you use an electric sander, I'd love to refinish my table top.

Sparks

You've made a critical error there kkelly - it looks better than it did before the spill, so now you've lined yourself up to give that treatment to every other stick of furniture in the house

brianwalshcork

kkelly77 wrote: »

Sanded the table completely and have 2 coats of Rosewood stain on so far. Another coat to go and then 2 coats of water based clear varnish should finish it off nicely. No sign of damage anymore :cool:

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

You bought a new table, didn't you!

Alun

brianwalshcork wrote: »

You bought a new table, didn't you!

Had a similar thing myself once ... we went on holiday and the neighbours were watering plants for us. To make things easier for them we put them all on what we thought was a waterproof tray thingy on the kitchen table. Tray leaked and table was a mess, the neighbours were in bits because they thought it was their fault, were offering to buy us a new table etc. etc!!

A quick sand down and 3 coats of Ronseal later, and we invited them in to see the result, and they were convinced we'd just gone and bought a new one

kkelly77

forumuser wrote: »

Did you use an electric sander, I'd love to refinish my table top.

I used a cheap Power Devil pad sander I bought years ago. TBH a belt sander would have been the suitable tool for the job.

I pretty happy how it turned out as this was my first venture into "properly" painting wood. My only criticism would be the fine detail finish. It was recommended to me by the chap where I bought the paint and varnish to use a 4" roller. I knew I would need to be mindful of potential streaking and having to blend each pass of the roller.

I can see some parts where the paint is ever so slightly more heavily applied than other parts, most likely from inconsistency in loading paint onto roller. But the OH can't see it so that's all that matters I suppose

DeVore

Very nice job!!

I have something similar to do on mine.... mostly resin drips and some scratches... the good news being that its all surface stuff... the bad news being that its not a solid table so I will have to tread carefully or I'll sand through the veneer... gonna start at 220 grit

kkelly77

DeVore wrote: »

Very nice job!!

I have something similar to do on mine.... mostly resin drips and some scratches... the good news being that its all surface stuff... the bad news being that its not a solid table so I will have to tread carefully or I'll sand through the veneer... gonna start at 220 grit

Any idea how thick the veneer is? Are you going with a brush or roller?

Don't forget the before, during & after pics.

DeVore

no idea how thick it is... was an expensive table and it has one mark I will have to leave on it but it shows that its a half decent veneer by the looks of it.

will try to get pics but it will be the summer before I get around to it!

recipio

kkelly77 wrote: »

I used a cheap Power Devil pad sander I bought years ago. TBH a belt sander would have been the suitable tool for the job.

You did well not to sand through the veneer - unless its very old and about 2mm thick. A belt sander is a crude tool and guaranteed to cut through any veneer - far better to use a random orbital sander for a job like that and finish with hand sanding.

kkelly77

recipio wrote: »

You did well not to sand through the veneer - unless its very old and about 2mm thick. A belt sander is a crude tool and guaranteed to cut through any veneer - far better to use a random orbital sander for a job like that and finish with hand sanding.

It's not a veneer table. It's hardwood.

recipio

kkelly77 wrote: »

It's not a veneer table. It's hardwood.

Ah......that explains things. It looks like rosewood to me which would make it very unusual in a straightforward plank top table. Are the legs the same wood ?

iano.p

Great recovery that turned out well.

kkelly77

recipio wrote: »

Ah......that explains things. It looks like rosewood to me which would make it very unusual in a straightforward plank top table. Are the legs the same wood ?

I don't know for certain but they are quite heavy as well.