Refinish Furniture Newsletter
2001-01

White rings, spots, stains. Clean candles. Sand. Stuck drawers, windows.

Finish Repair Oils

White Spots The easiest and probably the most reliable way to remove white spots, white rings and white stains is with a commercial white ring remover. Liberon Ring Remover is a very good product for removing white rings.

White spots are generally caused by excessive moisture in the finish and is called blush. If you're applying a finish and the whole area is a cloudy whiteish appearance, it's because the humidity in the air is too high. This happens mostly to lacquer, because it dries so quickly and traps the moist air in. It will probably disappear over time as the lacquer cures, but if you want to hurry it up there are some cures.

If you're spraying, spray a coat of straight lacquer thinner over the surface. It will dissolve the cloudy finish and cause it to dry more slowly, releasing the moisture. If you're using brushing lacquer, don't try using lacquer thinner on. It can be done, but may leave a messy finish, which will have to be removed and started all over again. The best way to handle a blushed brushing lacquer finish is to let it dry thoroughly, at least 24 hours. If the blush hasn't disappeared, then sand the finish with a 400 grit sandpaper and apply another coat. Be sure that the humidity is lower where you are working or it will blush again.

A hair dryer set on low and blown slowly over the area with constant movement may do the trick too. Don't use too much heat, it will bubble the finish.

There are many ways that white spots are caused, heat and moisture is the worst culprit, then there is moisture alone and alcohol in the many things it's used in from medicine to beverages.

If you make a white spot or ring on a table by setting a hot bowl or plate on it the best thing to do is let it sit for a day or two and it will generally disappear.

The white part is generally in the very top layer of the finish. You might try the hair dryer trick on it, but don't let the surface get too hot or it will bubble, then the work really begins.

If you have a very high gloss finish, you may have to work over the whole surface of the piece of furniture to make it all appear the same after removing a small whitish spot. Don't use sandpaper or steel wool on high gloss surfaces, because it will dull the finish. On a normal gloss or satin finish you may get away with just working on the spot, but you will probably have to give the same treatment to the whole surface.

If the spot is caused by alcohol it might come out by using a few drops of ammonia on a moistened cloth and rub very gently.

The white is generally in the very outer layer of the finish so it might rub out if it doesn't respond to the gentler methods. Don't rub too much with anything, you don't want to go clear through the finish. A sprinkle of rottenstone with linseed oil may do the trick. Rub gently. You will probably have to treat the whole surface the same to not have the repaired spot stand out shinier. If you can't find rottenstone, try some car polish. Read the ingredients, they will probably include rottenstone and carnauba wax among other things. Those are both good ingredients to work with. The oil or wax is just a lubricant for the rottenstone, which does the actual work (you're just the vehicle).

Another solution is equal parts of turpentine, vinegar, and boiled linseed oil. Rub gently with a cloth. If it doesn't work with a cloth, then use 0000 steel wool (except on high gloss finishes). For more information on any subject try the Site Search Engine toward the top of each page.

Clean Your Candles

Decorative candles become soiled over time too. To clean them use a small amount of denatured alcohol on a cotton ball. Rub gently.

Sanding Between Coats

When sanding between coats always use a very fine sandpaper (400 or 600 grit). If the sandpaper clogs or the surface looks scratched, use wet/dry sandpaper and a generous amount of water. Be sure to always sand with the grain. Wipe the water up frequently to see how your sanding is doing. Sand small areas at a time, then when the surface is completely sanded, sand a final time with full wide sweeps keeping the area wet to join the small areas into one large area with no evidence of overlapping sanding.

See our page about sanding for more information about sanding.

Building a Deck or Wood Fence

Special care should be taken when working with preservative treated wood. You should try to buy the lengths that you will need, without cutting. If you do need to cut, be sure to wear a dust mask and goggles to keep the preservative treated saw dust out of your system and cut outside, not in a garage or other building. Remember to preservative treat the cut ends. You should wear rubber or vinyl gloves when handling preservative treated wood.

Large Job Daunting?

Be dominant over your projects. Don't let a large job cause you to put it off indefinitely, because it seems like so much work.

Someone asked where to start restoring an older house. Save the floor for last so you don't have to be concerned with damaging a new floor finish.

Cover your eyes and point. The nearest wood surface to where you are pointing is your starting point. If it is a doorway, then pick one side and that is your project. Don't let the work on other portions clutter your mind, just work on the one side of the doorway and do a good job on it, then move on to the next project.

The same system works on chairs or tables or any other refinishing job. Do a chair one leg at a time if the whole chair job is scary. It's your stuff and nobody else can tell you when it needs to be done. Take your time and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Lubricate Sliding Things

Whether it's an extension table slide or a drawer, it will move easier if it's lubricated. Wood to wood sliding surfaces will last a lot longer with less wear too. One of the best lubricants is paraffin, the same stuff you buy at the supermarket to melt over the top of jams and jellies to seal them. Rub paraffin on both surfaces every few months to keep things sliding properly. If you can't find paraffin, try some bar soap or paste wax. If you use paste wax, the item may stick for the first time when the wax hardens, so it may take a little extra effort getting the first movement.

Another easy method is with a commercial lubricating product. SlipIt Sliding Compound is a sure fire product that will keep all wood things sliding that are supposed to slide, such as drawers, table tops, windows and anything else wood..

Less mess dust collector

No Vegetable Oil On Chairs We have seen some chairs with labels underneath that suggest using vegetable oil on the surface. The vegetable oil will never harden and in warm humid conditions may become rancid. Over time a build up of vegetable oil will become pretty sticky. Boiled linseed oil, clear danish oil or clear tung oil are all good oils to use on chairs. Test a small area to be sure the oil is compatible with whatever is already on there.

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