Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Finger Polish Remover on coffee table
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08-22-01, 10:04 PM
I recently had finger nail polish remover spill on my coffe table and now a section of the table has had the top coat stripped. The surface is uneven and rough. How can I fix this problem myself? Is it possible????? Please help I have relatives coming soon and it is sort of an eye sore!!!
George
08-25-01, 08:06 PM
Savy:
It's time consuming and a little tedious, but yes, you can do it yourself.
If the color is OK, you can probably fix this yourself. You'll need a small container of brush-on lacquer. A small brush - an artists 1/2" 'flat' would be perfect. A small container of lacquer thinner - to clean the brush. A wooden block about 2 inches by 4. Several sheets of 400 grit and 600 grit wet/dry sand paper. 0000 steel wool and a can of Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and Scratch Remover. You can probably get all this for under $20.
Using the brush, apply a layer of lacquer. Go away and let it dry completely - several hours at least. Clean your brush in lacquer thinner after each application. If any of the damaged area now protrudes above the level of the surrounding finish, use the 400 grit paper wrapped around the block and lubricated with water, to sand it flat - cut the sheet of paper into 1/4's and then cut each of those pieces in half - that should get you the proper size.
Repeat this process until you have filled and leveled the hole. Final sand with 600 grit. Rubbing with the grain, use the 0000 steel wool to diminish the abrasion marks caused by the sandpaper. Then go over the entire top with the Turtle Wax, following the directions on the can.
You need to know that lacquer 'reflows' when more lacquer is
applied on top of it. Therefor, each coat you put on will take longer to dry than the preceeding one. Don't rush it.
FYI - the active ingredient in fingernail polish remover is
acetone, which is also a primary ingredient in many paint
strippers. Fingernail polish is nothing but lacquer, anyway...
It's time consuming and a little tedious, but yes, you can do it yourself.
If the color is OK, you can probably fix this yourself. You'll need a small container of brush-on lacquer. A small brush - an artists 1/2" 'flat' would be perfect. A small container of lacquer thinner - to clean the brush. A wooden block about 2 inches by 4. Several sheets of 400 grit and 600 grit wet/dry sand paper. 0000 steel wool and a can of Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and Scratch Remover. You can probably get all this for under $20.
Using the brush, apply a layer of lacquer. Go away and let it dry completely - several hours at least. Clean your brush in lacquer thinner after each application. If any of the damaged area now protrudes above the level of the surrounding finish, use the 400 grit paper wrapped around the block and lubricated with water, to sand it flat - cut the sheet of paper into 1/4's and then cut each of those pieces in half - that should get you the proper size.
Repeat this process until you have filled and leveled the hole. Final sand with 600 grit. Rubbing with the grain, use the 0000 steel wool to diminish the abrasion marks caused by the sandpaper. Then go over the entire top with the Turtle Wax, following the directions on the can.
You need to know that lacquer 'reflows' when more lacquer is
applied on top of it. Therefor, each coat you put on will take longer to dry than the preceeding one. Don't rush it.
FYI - the active ingredient in fingernail polish remover is
acetone, which is also a primary ingredient in many paint
strippers. Fingernail polish is nothing but lacquer, anyway...