Grandmas dining table

[Random Orbital Bob]

I could use some advice on helping my MIL please.

She's doing a charity dinner party in a couple of weeks at which she wants her dining table to be really well polished as it's looking a bit tired apparently.

Is there a way of bringing back the lustre of a polished wooden table (teak) without actually stripping back and re French polishing?

I was thinking of a light washing with mild soapy/warm water followed by a stroking along the grain with 0000 wire wool followed by paste wax with MC wax and then hand buffing. Will I ruin it if I do that?

 

[MrTeroo]

I have used Howard's Restor a Finish on numerous items. From tables to speakers.

It works extremely well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Howard-RF1016-Restor-Finish-Polish/dp/B000BZX6RI?th=1

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A tablecloth.

 

[Matt@]

I could use some advice on helping my MIL please.

She's doing a charity dinner party in a couple of weeks at which she wants her dining table to be really well polished as it's looking a bit tired apparently.

Is there a way of bringing back the lustre of a polished wooden table (teak) without actually stripping back and re French polishing?

I was thinking of a light washing with mild soapy/warm water followed by a stroking along the grain with 0000 wire wool followed by paste wax with MC wax and then hand buffing. Will I ruin it if I do that?

think you're on the right track with this. These type of tables tend to build up a sticky grime as a result of sometimes people oiling them etc . Warm soapy water and a one of those fine grade scotchbrite things working with the grain will clear off the grime then do as you say. Be careful using any oil based product (I'm guessing like the amazon link) as it will highlight all the dings and dents as darker. MC wax (microcrystalline?) I'm not a fan off but it should be ok for this as it drys out....

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You'll be surprised what turpentine and 0000 steel wool will lift off.

 

[bugbear]

You'll be surprised what turpentine and 0000 steel wool will lift off.

I would wipe with a cloth, dampened with lightly soapy, to get dust and surface dirt off.

Then I'd try hessian or window cleaner scrim before I tried wire wool - start gentle and work up. But, yeah, get the dirt (and dirty
old polish) off, white spirit or turps, perhaps a little vinegar in the mix.

Go gentle - you're trying to remove dirt but leave age/patina which is always tricky.

Now leave to dry.

Then apply wax in the normal way (normal for parlour maids, not woodworkers, that is). Since you've stripped
it a bit, you'll probably need 2-5 goes of waxing before it looks really good.

BugBear

 

[ED65]

Is there a way of bringing back the lustre of a polished wooden table (teak) without actually stripping back and re French polishing?

Because it will stick to most things so well you wouldn't need to do a full French polish to get the thing looking shiny again using shellac.

Come to that you can use varnish to do much the same job, with less worry at your end as far as application process goes. You just clean and prep the surface (however you like, just so it's good and matt) and then start wiping on dilute coats. On larger surfaces I find this much less nerve-wracking than padding on shellac! Obviously the drying time is quite a bit longer with varnish, but if I wipe away most of the excess even in cold weather I will usually have a surface dry enough to recoat after about 12 hours. In a warmer house that time would probably be cut in half.

I was thinking of a light washing with mild soapy/warm water followed by a stroking along the grain with 0000 wire wool followed by paste wax with MC wax and then hand buffing. Will I ruin it if I do that?

That could well do enough. It might take two or three applications of wax polish to get it looking suitably shiny, but just wax and elbow grease can do wonders.

 

[lurker]

Has she been using silicon polish on this table ?
If yes get the thing cleaned as its the work of the devil.

There is a reviver receipe on the finishing section as a sticky IIRC