Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - defeating Pledge (Water marks on furniture finish)
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waltgphd
08-30-06, 06:28 PM
Hi,
I have a couch and chair with Koa wood arms. They have developed white, light patches from water. I have tried to remove them with various oils or cleaners but they seem resistant. I think they have been cleaned with pledge and I wonder if they now have absorbed silicone Oil.
Any ideas on what I can do to fix the problem?
Thanks for any help.
I have a couch and chair with Koa wood arms. They have developed white, light patches from water. I have tried to remove them with various oils or cleaners but they seem resistant. I think they have been cleaned with pledge and I wonder if they now have absorbed silicone Oil.
Any ideas on what I can do to fix the problem?
Thanks for any help.
XSleeper
08-30-06, 06:34 PM
You might try using denatured alcohol to see if that will remove the white spots. It's available in quarts, usually next to the paint thinner in stores.
twelvepole
08-30-06, 06:41 PM
If wood has lacquer finish, avoid alcohol as it will damage lacquer. Mineral spirits on lacquer finish will not harm lacquer. Often, wax will turn white from water. Pledge contains silicone and will build up and dull and soften finishes over time.
XSleeper
08-30-06, 07:15 PM
Twelvepole's caution is well taken. Let me rephrase my previous answer and be a little more clear.
There are 3 common types of finishes. Shellac, Lacquer, Varnish. All three can get white water spots. In order to remove the spots, you need to determine which finish you have. But to determine what type of finish you have, you need to test a small area first.
Most commonly, white spots appear in waxy surfaces, which is why my only suggestion was to try alcohol. Shellac is, by nature, a waxy finish. Furniture waxes can also cause a waxy buildup on wood, which can then be subject to water marks. Denatured alcohol is usually used to remove these white spots from waxy finishes. Using too much alcohol could completely remove a shellac finish. So you just want to wet it, which will dissolve the surface, and let it evaporate, at which time the surface will harden again. If you wet a cloth with alcohol, wet the surface once, and do so lightly. Repeated light applications would be best. Alcohol should cause a white spot to quickly vanish from a shellac finish.
Denatured alcohol will not quickly harm a lacquered surface if applied sparingly. If the finish is lacquer, the alcohol would have little to no effect on the white spot, which would help you realize that the finish is not shellac... it is likely either lacquer or varnish. Further use of alcohol on a laquered finish would eventually soften the surface, and could eventually damage the finish. Testing the finish with a small amount of alcohol would be prudent. Using a large quantity of alcohol or leaving it soak on the lacquer would not be prudent.
Instead of using alcohol on a lacquered finish, lacquer thinner would be used and it should dissolve white spots on a lacquer finish. You may try to lightly wipe on some lacquer thinner with a clean rag. Again, let it dry on it's own. Lacquer thinner will quickly soften a lacquer finish, and will require several minutes for the surface to reharden. Until it does, you should not attempt to touch the surface again! If lacquer thinner is continued to be applied with a rag, it will quickly turn the finish into a gummy mess. To remove deeper white spots from a lacquer finish, you would want to spray a fine mist of lacquer thinner onto the item so that when the finish is melted, it will blend in with the rest. Dabbing a pool of lacquer thinner onto the finish and leaving it to evaporate would likely leave a clear-cut outline of the affected area.
Varnish is a much different finish than the other two, and the area would likely need to be scuffed with #0000 steel wool, or perhaps it may need to be lightly sanded and recoated with finish.
There are 3 common types of finishes. Shellac, Lacquer, Varnish. All three can get white water spots. In order to remove the spots, you need to determine which finish you have. But to determine what type of finish you have, you need to test a small area first.
Most commonly, white spots appear in waxy surfaces, which is why my only suggestion was to try alcohol. Shellac is, by nature, a waxy finish. Furniture waxes can also cause a waxy buildup on wood, which can then be subject to water marks. Denatured alcohol is usually used to remove these white spots from waxy finishes. Using too much alcohol could completely remove a shellac finish. So you just want to wet it, which will dissolve the surface, and let it evaporate, at which time the surface will harden again. If you wet a cloth with alcohol, wet the surface once, and do so lightly. Repeated light applications would be best. Alcohol should cause a white spot to quickly vanish from a shellac finish.
Denatured alcohol will not quickly harm a lacquered surface if applied sparingly. If the finish is lacquer, the alcohol would have little to no effect on the white spot, which would help you realize that the finish is not shellac... it is likely either lacquer or varnish. Further use of alcohol on a laquered finish would eventually soften the surface, and could eventually damage the finish. Testing the finish with a small amount of alcohol would be prudent. Using a large quantity of alcohol or leaving it soak on the lacquer would not be prudent.
Instead of using alcohol on a lacquered finish, lacquer thinner would be used and it should dissolve white spots on a lacquer finish. You may try to lightly wipe on some lacquer thinner with a clean rag. Again, let it dry on it's own. Lacquer thinner will quickly soften a lacquer finish, and will require several minutes for the surface to reharden. Until it does, you should not attempt to touch the surface again! If lacquer thinner is continued to be applied with a rag, it will quickly turn the finish into a gummy mess. To remove deeper white spots from a lacquer finish, you would want to spray a fine mist of lacquer thinner onto the item so that when the finish is melted, it will blend in with the rest. Dabbing a pool of lacquer thinner onto the finish and leaving it to evaporate would likely leave a clear-cut outline of the affected area.
Varnish is a much different finish than the other two, and the area would likely need to be scuffed with #0000 steel wool, or perhaps it may need to be lightly sanded and recoated with finish.
Hans47
09-21-06, 03:33 PM
I have question related to this thread. I lifted up the leather blotter from my wood desk today and discovered slight bumps (like alligator skin) in the desk finish. I can only see them at an angle with the desk lamp turned on. I lifted the blotter because the cleaning lady uses Pledge every two weeks and I noticed residue of it on the desk.
Has silicone from the Pledge absorbed into the finish? Are any of the above suggestions a solution?
Many thanks.
Has silicone from the Pledge absorbed into the finish? Are any of the above suggestions a solution?
Many thanks.
XSleeper
09-23-06, 12:03 PM
Hard telling. Are you seeing a pattern that is being left by the back of the leather? Maybe the leather is absorbing/holding some of the cleaners/waxes/oils in the polish and is slowly haveing some effect. Can't say what the solution to the problem is, but you could test a spot in some inconspicuous area to try to determine what the finish is, and start from there.