Hot cake on towel, on rack, on table..oh no


  #1  
Old 08-26-05, 11:23 AM
momof5
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Hot cake on towel, on rack, on table..oh no

I am hoping I can get some advice, I placed a hot cake on a rack on a towel on my dining room table and now I have a round white mark. I did the was and toothpaste tricks and nothing. I finally called a local refinisher and he said it is a polyurethane finish and can not be fixed. Wants 1K to refinish the top.

Is there anything I can try. Is it rediculous to try and sand it out and add more polyurethane to the table with out refinishing the entire table top?

Any advice is welcome. I am just so sad about this.
 
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Old 08-26-05, 04:08 PM
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I'm 100% sure that it's not polyurethane, because polyurethane would not have done that.

My guess it that it's shellac or possibly some sort of lacquer. The first thing I would try is rubbing the spot with a clean cloth and some denatured alcohol. Denatured alcohol will soften shellac and restore most of the original finish.
 
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Old 08-27-05, 02:17 PM
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Another remedy is to put some mayonnaise on the area, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe off. Buff the area with the residue.
 
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Old 08-27-05, 06:37 PM
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If it happens to be a lacquer, which would not be unlikely, then you're likely in luck b/c lacquer is usually very easy (relatively speaking) to fix, so long as you haven't damaged the stain underneath------ which I highly doubt you did.

There is a solvent called lacquer thinner, but DO NOT try to clean the spot with it, b/c it'll strip it right off. Just use a dab in a hidden (but finished) spot on the table and see if it gums the finish. If so, likely a lacquer finish.

If you're handy, you can buy a spray can of Deft cellulose lacquer from a home improvement center, and in a ***inconspicuous spot***, scuff sand a test spot with 400 grit sandpaper and spray with Deft lacquer (only until it looks wet, don't pile it up). Lacquer usually "burns in" and partly remelts the previous layer, so it should look just fine.

If the test is successful, you can try the same thing in the white spot. Scuff sand a small part and shoot a tad of Deft and let it cure (10 mins or so) and see if the white is gone, then do the whole thing.



On second thought, if you keep looking around, you should find someone with a better quote. $1 grand is way steep. Did you even pay that much for it, lol? My table is a nice hand-me-down.
 
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Old 08-29-05, 07:08 AM
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If the table had the original factory finish it's lacquer.

Here's another method I use with success.

You'll need 0000 steel wool and Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and Scratch Remover.

Using any cooking oil (Canola, Wesson, etc.) dampen a pad of the steel wool withthe oil and rub the white area with moderate pressure, going with the grain of the wood. Wipe dry with a clean paper towel to check your progress. This will gradually remove the top layer of finish and the white marks with it. When all the marks are gone, use the Turtle Wax product to restore an even sheen to the table - you'll have to do the entire top.
 
 

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