Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Refinishing Teak Buffet
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02-22-00, 03:06 PM
How should I go about refinishing a teak veneer which is scratched and gouged?
George
02-22-00, 05:15 PM
Teresa:
First I have to ask are you SURE it's veneer. Teak is one of the few exotic woods that's usually used in boards, and not veneer.
Scratches you might be able to 'finish' out - gouges call for a different approach. If the piece is finished (varnish, poly, lacquer) are the scratches and gouges in the finish, or in the wood?
If in the wood, the simplest procedure would be to strip the top (assuming that's where the damage is), fill the gouges with a wood putty, sand smooth, stain to match, and finish. The difficulty here, as with mahogany, is in matching the grain lines of the wood itself. This can be done using an Exacto knife to cut the grain in the patch - or a single edge razor (be careful). If the piece is finished, the minor scratches will disappear when you strip the finish.
If the damage is all in the finish and the piece has a factory finish, you can probably sand the top lightly and apply two coats of a brush on lacquer. This will probably fill all the damaged areas.
Sand the finish (after drying) with 600 grit wet/dry paper lubricated with water. You can then polish the sanding marks out with A polishing compound such as Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and Scratch Remover.
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George T.
First I have to ask are you SURE it's veneer. Teak is one of the few exotic woods that's usually used in boards, and not veneer.
Scratches you might be able to 'finish' out - gouges call for a different approach. If the piece is finished (varnish, poly, lacquer) are the scratches and gouges in the finish, or in the wood?
If in the wood, the simplest procedure would be to strip the top (assuming that's where the damage is), fill the gouges with a wood putty, sand smooth, stain to match, and finish. The difficulty here, as with mahogany, is in matching the grain lines of the wood itself. This can be done using an Exacto knife to cut the grain in the patch - or a single edge razor (be careful). If the piece is finished, the minor scratches will disappear when you strip the finish.
If the damage is all in the finish and the piece has a factory finish, you can probably sand the top lightly and apply two coats of a brush on lacquer. This will probably fill all the damaged areas.
Sand the finish (after drying) with 600 grit wet/dry paper lubricated with water. You can then polish the sanding marks out with A polishing compound such as Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and Scratch Remover.
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George T.