# repairing heat damage to wood table?



## yellowwducky (Jan 1, 2004)

Hi all,

Something hot was left on my dining room table, leaving this beautiful mark. Any ideas as to how to try and remove/repair/minimize the damage?

Regards,

yd


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## RidgeRunner (Feb 26, 2004)

Dang, I know who would know... but I don't expect I'll be talking to him for another week or so. 

My dad was a furniture finishings chemist.


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

*Briwax might work.*

It's a paste wax for wood that comes in 8 flav-er, colors. You might be able to take some 0000 steel wool and lightly buff that mark out, using the Briwax.

We sell it at our store, but there may be a location closer to you. Briwaxusa.com

fp


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## jakey (Jan 27, 2004)

*That's a wax mark*

The wax in your furniture polish has melted and dried white. Here's what I found online.

Water Marks & Rings
Often, rings are in the wax, not the finish. Cover the stain with a clean, thick blotter, press down with a warm iron, and repeat. Or rub with salad oil, mayonnaise or white toothpaste. Wipe dry and wax or polish.

White Marks
Rub with a cloth dipped in a mixture of cigarette ashes and lemon juice or salad oil. Or rub with a cloth dipped in lighter fluid, followed by a mixture of rottenstone and salad oil. Wipe dry and wax or polish.


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## skihillguy (Mar 29, 2004)

actually your tabletop has a laquer finish and if you take a bit of clear laquer on a rag and use a figure 8 motion to just kind if dab and polish it will restore the finish


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## yellowwducky (Jan 1, 2004)

think i will start with the toothpaste trick. dont have an lacquer at house. it doesnt seem to come off with rubbing with oil. thanks for the ideas - gives me some hope it might come out. think the iron idea is a last resort.


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## Erok (Jan 2, 2003)

Heat damage is nearly impossible to repair. If the finish is lacquer or shellack, you can try padding the area with either lacquer thinner (lacquer finish) or denatured alcohol (shellack finish). You may have to do this a few times. Do not soak the area, just lightly pad it. This will disolve the finish to a tacky state without causing it to run or puddle. This may or may not work. These are the only finishes that can be somewhat repaired this way. It will never look like it did before the damage, but it can be lessened. In most cases heat damage can only be repaired by stripping and refinishing. If your table is finished with varnish, urethane or a catalyst finish, you are going to have to strip and refinish.


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## yellowwducky (Jan 1, 2004)

well i tried oil and it makes no difference whatsoever. afraid toothpaste did nothing either (maybe prevent some cavities down the road?!)

that leaves steel wool which would obviously either take it 'out' or add completely new and different damage or the warm iron idea. the later would at worst make it larger and iron shaped but i am not quite ready to try that yet. i hope you are wrong Erok but i have a feeling you are most likely correct. it will cost about half the value of the table to repair which is a real pssser!


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## skihillguy (Mar 29, 2004)

try the laquer mehod if you want to fix the table. Go and get a lil at your local paint store
using an iron with heat will only cause more damage. Heat caused the problem so how would using more heat correct it????????????


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## yellowwducky (Jan 1, 2004)

thanks for all the ideas. as an fyi - i looked at the receipt and it is a 'matt' finish which does not mean much to me. it is very 'flat' and not glossy - the picture makes it look shiny cause the flash went off. don't know if that makes things different.

if lacquer is just like clear coat - i think it would just 'cover' the white mark. the catch is that white mark does not rub out so would lacquer not just cover it more but leave it visible?

regards,

yd


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## skihillguy (Mar 29, 2004)

Laquer comes in different sheens as does varathane. The finish you have on your table is a satin finish then. 
I have done the exact same thing you have done to your table top except i did it to wooden cabinet pulls from the steam off my coffee maker.
What has happened is that the heat has affected the laquer finish and caused a reaction which in turn has left a whit spot. Not hard to fix
Ypu have to trust a couple of us and try the laquer method. It restores the finish. You create a pad with a rag and using quick strokes ...down ..touch and up...in a swinging figure 8 motion to just apply a little bit of laquer. You need to use a quick speed not some sort of slow motion....and needs to be done like a swing going back and forth


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## Erok (Jan 2, 2003)

You first need to know what the finish is. Try a little lacquer thinner under the table to see if it softens the finish. If it does, you have a lacquer finish. DO NOT use lacquer to try and reapair the damage... use lacquer THINNER. It will disolve through the finish and hopefully clear it up. As I said earlier, heat damage is nearly impossible to repair and usually requires stripping and refinishing.

The guy who said he had the same damage done to his cabinet handles from steam is mistaken... that is water vapor damage and a completely different animal... it is also repairable. I wish you luck with your project, but I think you're in for a refinish job. 

I am not trying to prove anyone else wrong here, but I have been a professional cabinet maker for 25 years and I have quite a bit of experience with damaged finishes and repair.


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## yellowwducky (Jan 1, 2004)

Thanks for opinions. I have confirmed that it was done with head damage from a hot bowl and was not water damage (I think water would have been preferable based on above).

Gotta find some lacquer thinner. What is it and does it go by a different name? I will try swining by the furniture shop I bought this table from and see if they have thinner as well as some of the stuff they used in the first place.

Regards

yd


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## Johnny M (Jan 30, 2004)

*Advice from furniture builder*

Get some steelwool, not the crap you wash pots with, but the ultra fine type used to buff out finishes. you can find it cheap at a hardware store. Get the finest grade available. That will be like 000 or 1000, maybe even 10,000. Use a little water as a lubricant and you will probably be able to buff that out. Works great on bike scratches, light oxidation, and rust too.


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## yellowwducky (Jan 1, 2004)

what would be the difference between really fine steel wool and really fine sandpaper?


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## Erok (Jan 2, 2003)

Steel wool is not as abrasive as sand paper. You can try it, but it will not work. If you rub long enough, you will only succeed in going through the finish, which will clear up the milky spot and leave you with a whole different problem. I told you before... heat damage is almost impossible to repair. Did you try the lacquer thinner? It is the only thing that MIGHT work. Heat damages the finish all the way through. You have to disolve the finish all the way through to clear it up. It will always look like a repair job. On a brighter note, if it is a lacquer finish, you can remove the finish on that spot and refinish the area. Lacquer and shellack are the only two finishes that will melt into each successive coat to form one thick coat. All other finishes are built up in layers and not as easily repaired.


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## JimC. (Dec 30, 2003)

*This worked for me...*

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1277753&cp=1305052.1303315&parentPage=family

We got one at Restoration hardware, the site above is a case of 6. but I assume Ace Hdwre has one for you.

We tried all the other things and this got the white off a hot mark on an Oak table when all else failed.

Good luck, Jim

Jasco Furniture White Ring Remover removes white water, heat and alcohol marks, and minor surface scratches from varnish, lacquer and shellac finishes, without stripping. This product comes as a reusable cloth, treated with the active ingredient -- simply rub until white rings, marks and surface scratches disappear.

You can also use this product to clean and brighten brass and copper and remove permanent ink!


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