Help with wood table dull in spots..

[moremoremore]

Short of getting it refinished, i'd love to know if anyone has any ideas. I have a coffee table that has been abused. But I love it. I'm having friends over next week...

It's dull in spots and shiny in others. Not particular rings, but just dull and cloudy...Probably from heat of the lap top, etc. You can see it when the sun hits the table.

Is there a way to polish up the dull spots...

Toothpaste doesn't work.
Orange oil doesn't work.
Running a hot iron over the spot over a towel doesn't work.
Taking a polish pen and then buffing doesn't work.

Am I toast/

 

[moremoremore]

Anyone heard of Howard''s Restore-A-Shine and Restore-A-Finish?

 

[sunkist]

Nope, sorry haven''t heard of it. But I''d give it a try!

 

[Lorelei]

I have had success with an abused antique cabinet which had been badly varnished. It is walnut and I used varying thickness of sandpaper carefully, finishing off with very fine until the surface was even and smooth. Don't press too hard though, go slowly and gradually or you could go down to very bare pale wood. When the top was smooth I cleaned it off with white spirit then the next day polished with Johnson's Wax in the tin, using two or three coats. It now looks beautiful, or you could stain and varnish if you prefer. Test a small area and see with the sandpaper or emery paper. Hope this helps, you should have a chance of restoring it. Good luck Moresie!

 

[moremoremore]

Thanks guys! And Lorelei, that sounds like I have a good chance of messing it up LOL... I think I may try the Howards first. It says you pour it on and wipe off. It''s a very very mild stripper and stainer and polisher. After that, will have to invest in...a table runner LOL...I''m way too spastic to sand!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Oh, let me know how the Howards works if you decide to try it. I have a couple of tables with the same thing - my dining room table has dull spots from hot dishes - even though I use table pads, a cloth AND sit the hot dishes on trivets. My coffee table has places on it too - I have been told it is from using Pledge repeatedly over the years. Used to make it shine but now the shine is gone in many places

. I too would love to have a ''quick'' fix. I talked to a refinisher years ago that talked about sanding with steel wool and then using something else but I figured I would mess that up too.

Anyone else have any other suggestions?

 

[Lorelei]

Never mind Moresie if you don''t feel confident to do it, I HAVE confidence in you though!

 

[strmrdr]

murphy oil soap original

 

[moremoremore]

Lorelei- I"m such a spaz! Although I did install 4 sets of wood blinds myself (well, with a little help from hubby) yesterday!

Strm- isn't the murphy just like a polish or cleaner? Like orange oil? The problem isn't just on the surface and is the varnish/finish itself...think it may take some stripping...

MsGot- I'm going at lunchtime to pick the stuff up...It is supposed to basically strip a little and stain but all you need to do is pour over! I think it's def from the heat...pizza boxes, hot tap top, etc...I'll let you know how it works. I'm not really into taking it to be prof. done b/c it isn't an expensive piece but I do love it so...

 

[eks6426]

moremoremore---quick, run to the nearest florist and get a great low floral arrangement in a cool dish...set it on top of your table and no one will notice the dull spot!

Seriously, the sandpaper thing will work if done VERY carefully!

 

[moremoremore]

I *wish* island!! It''s hard to explain...it''s kind of all over... Most likely from the lap top, pizza boxes, etc...it''s not like a particular ring or one spot...Geez, sandpaper! LOL.... I''m going to try the Howard''s this week. Wipe on. Sit. Wipe off. My kind of project!

 

[eks6426]

good luck. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[butterfly 17]

Well, I can''t help you here, but I would love to know as well.

One day I was cleaning the house and I left Windex out and my daughter, who was 3 at the time, grabbed it and started spraying my maple coffee table and I didn''t realize until it had eaten away some of the finishing, so it has lovely dull spots in certain areas.
I tried the Orange oil, but it works temporarily and once it sits for a while, the dull spots reappear.
Oh well!!! I know better now!

 

[moremoremore]

Thanks guys!
I''m stalling. I''ll do it this week...

Here is what the site says:

Our Restor-A-Finish is at its best when it comes to restoring the beginning and middle of a wood finish, as it rejuvenates the color beneath the lacquer, shellac, or varnish and it eliminates white marks and other blemishes in the finish. &nbspHowever, it sometimes cannot complete the restoration job when it comes to the surface of an originally high shine wood finish.

This is where Restor-A-Shine comes in. &nbspIt solves these subtle, yet difficult problems by polishing or burnishing the surface of the wood finish itself. &nbspRestor-A-Shine is available in two grades: Fine (Polishing Compound) and Super Fine (Burnishing Cream). &nbspBoth utilize extremely fine polishing powders blended with orange oil to restore the brilliance to the look and the smoothness to the feel of a high shine wood finish.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I can''t wait to hear about your results!

 

[moremoremore]

OK! It worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love Howard's.
The real test will be in sunlight but I am MORE more more LOL than pleased...

The restore-a-finish was easy to use. Wipe on with cheese cloth. Wipe off. I used a cheap mask and gloves to be safe. Didn't smell THAT bad. I did it in a small room with a fan and window open.

That made it look pretty ok!

THEN I used Restore-a-Shine Burnishing Cream (I should have maybe used the polish which is a little stronger).... Spread it on. Let dry. Buff off.

HELLO! Except for one area that was REALLY bad, the dull/cloudy areas are TOTALLY shiny...like when you put orange oil and before it dries because orange oil is useless! But I have to say even that bad area is very nice!

I may buy the Restore-a-Shine Polish and do that too...But I really don't need it.

I LOVE cracks and scratches on furniture. The table still looks like itself but all areas are uniformly shiny! I actually finished up with some orange oil for fun.

Took about an hour...I used a tarp on the floor but you don't need it.

I HIGHLY recommend it!!! The mask, cream, finish and tarp cost only $23 at aboffs...

 

[eks6426]

Cool...glad to hear it worked!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Certainly sounds promising - do you think the new shine is there to stay or will it fade away in a week or so?

If it works that well, I probably need to get some. My dining room table is very dull in places and yet it had some sort of protective finish on it. Wonder if it would penetrate that?

 

[moremoremore]

It''s definitely here to stay...it''s not just an oil...but you buff the table...it''s a compound with some little powders in it....I did notice that in the sun I still see some dull spots that seem "underneath: the shine...but it is really 100% better than it was...

I may do the restore-a-finish again...we shall see...But the polisher (I got burnish .... may get the "polish" next time really helped and it was SOOOO easy and virtually mistake free..and it''s so cheap that it''s worth a shot! Let me know how it turns out...

 

[MissGotRocks]

MMM - did you get the Howard''s at a place like Home Depot or Bed, Bath, and Beyond? Or did you have to order it online?

 

[moremoremore]

Aboffs! But you can go to howardproducts.com ...they have a locate dealer where you can punch in your area code or zip code! Let me know how it works.

I read that you can actually let the RestoreaFinish sit for a FEW minutes...I''m going to try again and let it sit...but in all VERY PLEASED!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Don''t have an Aboff''s in my area but will check out the website - thanks! I''ll let you know when I do it. . .