When it comes to do-it-yourself projects, there’s really no such thing as a waste of time because almost everything you try your hand at enhances your knowledge and confidence for the next project.
And here’s why I’m ruminating on the matter: last week I spent what turned out to be a “wasted” hour removing paint stains from this Duncan Phyfe dining table. I say wasted because it wasn’t until I got the piece cleaned up that I fully appreciated how damaged the finish really is. The table top will have to be completely stripped after all, making all of my cleaning effort redundant.
But the process taught me a very valuable lesson; I discovered that long-set paint stains can be easily removed from wooden furniture with super-fine steel wool and Earth Friendly furniture polish with no damage to the existing finish.
I then applied my little discovery to our coffee table with superb results . . .
We’d been living with the paint blemishes that came with our Craigslist find, thinking the table would have to be refinished in order to clean it up. The stains weren’t bad enough to warrant such a major undertaking and yet they bothered me because they always drew my eye. Five minutes and a bit of gentle rubbing was all it took to lick the problem.
My friend Elena bought a walnut table on Craigslist that’s similarly riddled with careless paint spots. Now that I know what to do about it, I’ll be headed to her place with my steel wool and polish ready to spread some joy.
October 20th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Customers are always surprised when I send them home with a piece of very fine steel wool for these kinds of clean-ups. I also find that S.O.S. pads do a great job on badly encrusted chrome legs though I wouldn’t recommend using them on a wood surface. And of course, gentle is the way to go!
October 20th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Always fearless—what won’t you try?
October 20th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I’ve heard this solution works really well with teak - what kind of wood have you tried it with? I have an oak table and would love to try it but am afraid of ruining the finish…
October 21st, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Ginger,
It’s not the polish that would ruin the finish but the steel wool. Be sure and use super-fine, grade 0000 and you’ll be fine. The polish is suitable for all finished woods — it was recommended to me by Donna Kim, the expert weaver and chair restorer behind Edge of Your Seat.
October 21st, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Lovely table. I know a guy with a house in Niagara on the Lake who would love to buy it! After the top is resurfaced.