Parker Extension Dining Table

[Mandapi]

Have what I think is a Parker extension Dining Table, 91 X 91 with 33cm extensions at each end.
The square top is in very poor condition but the extensions seem OK. The top appears water damaged and is very pale and that area of the table is quite rough.
Presume I should lightly sand the top?
After that, what finish is recommended and where can obtain same. Living in rural NSW products are not always easily obtainable.
Will try and post some photos. Appreciate any help. Thanks.

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Hi Mandapi,
Welcome to the forum. I do not usually work on that period furniture but grew up with Parker furniture around so have some idea (though I wouldn't rate my knowledge very highly so this advice is very general). Some of the first rules of restoration are to do as little as possible and remove as little of possible of the original. With finishes that would usually mean staying away from sandpaper if you can. If this is a veneered piece of furniture then the veneer is quite thin and it is easy to cut through it, so that is the fist thing to check. The veneered pieces of this period usually have the quality timber veneer on both sides of the manufactured board and then have a solid edge of the same timber on all sides of the top. If it is one of those you will need to be ultra careful with the surface. A gentle clean with some 0000 steel wool (Bunnings have it or you can order it online) and some cleaning mix (not anything with silicone in it like Mr Sheen) will freshen up the surface so you can get an idea of what to do next. For antique furniture I use what I was told is Bristol Museum Mix, one part vinegar, one part boiled linseed oil and one part natural turpentine (sometimes also a touch of metho but not for your surfaces I think). Shake it well together to make an emulsion, then clean carefully and wipe off well afterwards with clean rags and some more natural turps. Be careful to do this with lots of ventilations as the turps solvents can affect your memory.

If the piece of furniture is solid wood and the clean above does not work for you then you do have the option of sanding. Either hand sanding with a cork block or a random orbital sander can give a good finish. From what i can see of your surfaces i would start with a fairly fine grit like 240 and work up from there. Many people recommend only going to 320 grit but when I shellac finish I go to 1000 grit wet and dry paper to get an absolutely smooth finish.

I have no knowledge of the original finish Parker would have used. It may have been a Nitro-cellulose lacquer or it may have been oiled or shellac polished. To refinish I would recommend shellac because it is so easy to reverse/remove with metho if you get it wrong or it doesn't look right. Shellac finish can be satin or shiny - it depends on how many coats you apply. Apply the coats with the shellac well diluted with metho so you get a slow build-up. In warm weather you can re-coat within a few minutes. If you get too high a shine just wait until it dries then rub over with the 0000 steel wool before using a good furniture wax (high Carnauba wax content) to buff the whole top to a lustre.

UBeaut - the forum owner (see other recent posts in the finishing forum in regard to shellac) have ready made shellac online that you can order. They also sell a commercial finish cleaner and reviver that you might like to try instead of the Bristol mix above. Neil, the owner is a font of information and will give advice on the use of his products, he even sells his own book on it. There are also other brands of commercial products that you might find near you, such as Howards products and Liberon products. I am not familiar with the former but have used some of the latter company's products with success.

Good luck

David

[mark david]

Hi I would procede very carefully as most of this Danish style furniture made in that period is teak veneer over a chipboard/particleboard carcase and the veneer is very thin to start with I have seen pieces badly restored which has been sanded through to the carcase at the edges.

The matching grain on your table and solid edge lipping seems to indicate that it has been constructed in this way.

The safest way is to hand strip and lightly sand the surface, you can than stain it as required afterwards.
Any damp that has penetrated the veneer may have swelled up the particle board so may not be flat, this makes it even more likely that you may get sand through if not very careful.
I used wipe-on polyurethane on the last piece I restored or you could use an oil finish.
It probably won't be as durable as the original finsish so you will need to be a bit more careful when using the table.

[Mandapi]

Thank you Xanthorroeas and Mark David
Have bitten the bullet and sanded from 240 through to 600 and the finish is very smooth. Have purchased some orange tung oil from a manufacturer/distributor in the town where they are currently holding the Country Music Festival (definitely didn't travel there for the music; stay way from the noisy main street!!). Applied the first coat with a wad (like French polisher's wad) and need to wait 24 hours for next coat. Am pleased that it as come up a similar colour to the extension pieces as did not want to sand/strip them which was one of my worries. Have to do 3 or 4more coats apparently, so hope to post some finished photo after the weekend. In the meantime have plenty to be going on with as have 6 Parker dining chairs to reupholster,something with which I am more familiar! Really appreciate all the help. Thanks again.

[Mandapi]

Thanks Xanthorreas, I did think about using shellac because of the oil finish being less reversible, but was assured the tung oil would be more durable (jury's out on that one!)
And Mark David, am pretty sure it is veneer as there is nothing on the reverse side, so thanks for verifying that.
Am doing this table and chairs for my son/girlfriend....here's hoping the relationship lasts!!

[Mandapi]

Will try and post photos of finished table. Used Howard Orange Tung Wood Oil (several coats) which was soaked up like a sponge, then after a week, Howard Citrus Shield Paste Wax, and later some Bees Wax. Lots of rubbing/burnishing with soft cotton cloths. Table centre is slightly darker than the extensions, but not worrying about that. Hopefully, if they keep up the waxing it will be durable enough.
Also photos of re-upholstered 2 carvers and 4 dining chairs.
Am very appreciative of the advice I received on this forum and enjoy reading about the tasks others are attempting. It's all very informative. Many thanks.