Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jul 20, 2006 05:25am | #1

   It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the table rails are veneered, which makes it quite likely that the top is veneered as well.  If veneer, you cannot sand out the burn mark.  Veneer will be substantially thinner than 1 mm--about 0.7 mm at most.   Attempting to do that would reveal the substrate underneath, which is extremely difficult to disguise.  Before you start any sanding you must be absolutely sure about whether the top is veneer or solid.  Look closely at the table edges.  If solid wood you will be able to trace each grain line on the top as it continues through the thickness of the wood.  

   If it is veneer your best option would be to inlet new veneer into the surface.  Unless very carefully matched for grain you will see the patch. 

   You won't want to stain teak, unless you need a bit of dye to blend a patch into the older surface.  Shellac is a great finish, but most people think it a bit fragile for dining tables.  The traditional finish for Danish modern teak is--Danish oil.  This is kind of a ambigous term, but most manufacturers interpret this to be an oil/varnish mix.  It shouldn't be allowed to build up on the surface since as a film it will be soft, possibly even gummy.  If the top is veneer, the Danish oil is problematic to apply because of the difficulty of evenly removing the old finish without being able to sand it heavily. Because of this I would go with a wiping varnish instead.  It will go over old finish, which needs to be thoroughly cleaned and lightly scuff sanded by hand.  Then wipe on a wiping varnish.  You can mix your own by adding thinner to a good varnish such as Behlen's Rockhard or if you want a satin finish you can apply a number of coats of a gloss finish--such as Waterlox Gloss, and then finish with 1 or 2 coats of a satin topcoat such as Waterlox Satin.  You have to be careful when wiping on a satin topcoat to keep it well stirred at all times so that the flatting agent is evenly distributed in each pad of varnish.  Otherwise it can appear streaky or uneven. 

   If the top really is solid, you can strip off the old finish, sand out the burn--being careful to sand evenly over the top to avoid a dip where the burn was, and then wipe on a oil/varnish mix such as Watco Danish Oil.

1. 
   tschus | Jul 20, 2006 05:27pm | #2

   Veneer? Good point. I will be sure to check. Thank you for the information. We don't eat at the Dining table all that often, only special occasions, so would a shellac be fine for that?

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jul 20, 2006 06:03pm | #3

   Shellac would work fine, but the biggest risk to shellac isn't while dining, its while cleaning if someone uses an alkali cleaning solution--ie something containing ammonia. 

1. 
   jmorr87 | Aug 17, 2006 05:43am | #4

   The finish for teak is OIL. Shellac is a good finish on all furniture and  if kept waxed is just fine on a dining table I can not imagine anyone using amonia on fine furniture. Both oil and shellac are very easy to touch up if a ring happens or a scuff.

   Try some oil on the surface and you may find that the finish comes right back to like new. The cigaret burn is too deep to do anything but patch.  Rout out an area like a long triangle running with the grain and put in a patch.  It will not matter whether the table is veneer or solid wood.  If this is beyond your skill level, any intermediate woodworke can do it.  Check your local trades school  You can likely find material for the patch inside the skirt or somewhere in the other pieces.

   good luck

   John

    

    

    

   restore

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Aug 17, 2006 01:55pm | #5

   I wouldn't imagine anyone using an ammonia containing cleaner either, but if you have ever hire a person to do cleaning on a regular basis, even the unimaginable can become likely.  That said, much of the furniture in my house has shellac as its top coat. 

2. 
   tschus | Aug 17, 2006 03:23pm | #6

   Danish oil? or something else. I did check and the table is solid. It is a wonderful table, so I want to make sure I do it right. Plus, the friend that parted with it told me it was in his family for a while. That motivates me even more to preserve it the best I can.Would these be the steps:1. sand (starting with coarse...moving onto fine)
   2. wipe with mineral spirits to get the residue off
   3. oil the entire piece
   4. repeat oil if necessary
   5. assemble table and admire it.thanks for the input

3. 
   SteveSchoene | Aug 18, 2006 02:22pm | #7

   As John indicated you may want to consider the patch approach to the burn mark since otherwise you have a very large amount of sanding to do to keep the surface flat.  Teak is so oily that you will clog a lot of sand paper accomplishing this.  But with solid wood sanding will work. 

   Danish oil is usually a mix of oil and varnish.  Watco is one of the more widely used brands.  Will probably take several coats.  Key is to let the wood absorb what it will and wipe off excess thoroughly.  You don't want to let it build on the surface. 

    

    

4. 
   jmorr87 | Aug 19, 2006 04:34am | #8

     I should have been specific about the oil. Danish oil, Teak oil are brands you can rely on.  I should also have mentioned the method of use, flood it on, steelwool lightly with the grain, and in ten minutes or so, WIPE IT DRY.  No shiny spots or wet looking spots.

   Thanks everyone  for completing the suggestion for me. Let us know how you are doing.

   John