Help with damaged tabletop

[just trish]

Hi, I am new to this so we'll see how I go. I bought a dining set about a year ago which is made of reclaimed timber,stained & according to the manufacturer, ' the overall finish was created by hand rubbing high performance polishing oils to create a genuine aged patina'. I made the mistake of leaving a plastic cover on it which has damaged the top. It's looks sort of like it's wet in the areas the plastic touched,but seems o.k where fabric placemats were. Does anyone know if this can be fixed, or if I need to refinish it,how to do it without affecting the colour or wood which is still fine?

[Master Splinter]

Is there any marking or damage on the plastic? (on the offchance that the plastic has been attacked by the oil and you now have plastic residue on the top). This might come off (or at least thin out and disappear) with paint thinner/acetone.

But I think you will find it easier overall to simply bite the bullet, sand back to bare timber and re-oil.

You can use something like Organoil's Hard Burnishing Oil (follow their instructions or see what takes your fancy from the links below).

You'll need a semi-decent random orbit sander, various grades of sandpaper and the ability not to use the table for a week or so.

See here:
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f9/bur...-doing-156334/
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f9/wet...-table-123304/
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f9/kit...finish-152221/

[just trish]

Thanks for your reply. I didn't notice any damage to the plastic, but I was annoyed and didn't take a lot of notice.Just threw it out.It was slightly sticky when I lifted it,which I thought was moisture/condensation.It could have been the plastic as the 'shiny,wet looking' areas appear to be on top of the surface and have a bit of resistance when I run my hand over the table.I'll have a go at the cleaning first and see what happens. Would I need to apply oil or anything after the cleaning? My biggest concern is not changing the colour too much as I have other pieces the same.Thanks again for the help.

[Master Splinter]

I would bet that yes, there has been some sort of oil-plastic reaction between the two.

A litre or so of acetone from Bunnies will cost you about $12 (get some nitrile rubber gloves so your hands don't end up all white and dry, too) and have at it with an old cloth. (remember that you are trying to get the stuff off, not spread it around, so lots of clean rags, changed frequently, is what you need)

Work on the darkened areas first to get any residue off; if the area lightens up considerably you may be in luck and able to get away just with rubbing the top back with solvent and reoiling; if it's still darker in those patches even after a good solvent cleaning then you'll need to dig through the toolshed to find a ROS and sandpaper.

As far as the colour goes....that is a whole new world of difficulty. If the top has a stain applied under the oil, it may or may not be affected by the plastic, but it sure will be affected when sanded, so if the solution hits the 'sand to bare wood' part, you will then need to stain with a matching stain before re-oiling. Depending on your experience, the 'matching stain' part can be a real headache.

Note that acetone (or other paint thinners) can remove some wood stains, too. So if the timber is stained, I'd start with a more gentle solvent like turpentine as it is (a bit) less likely to do nasty things to a stained finish.

Pictures might help!

[just trish]

Hi, Iv'e tried taking some photos but they aren't very good.The problem is difficult to see because it's a 'clear/shiny' issue rather than a colour one. The pics with the light reflection show the pattern of the problem (around the light itself),but it looks like white markings in the photos.It's not white to the naked eye just not shiny like the other areas.The white looking parts look and feel the same as the undamaged areas that were under placemats rather than plastic,which is why I think somethings gone on rather than come off.I just don't know.The underneath of the table has stain but no finish so I think if I can gently take off the oil used on top and replace it the colour won't change much (maybe?).

[Master Splinter]

The other option to try would be some of our benevolent dictators polish reviver - POLISH REVIVER

[just trish]

Thanks Master Splinter.I've purchased the burnishing oil but before I get into the fun of sanding I think I'll try the polish reviver,which would be easier.Thanks again for your help.