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We have recently bought an antique kauri pine dining table. It has some texta marks on it and some rings (probably from heat). It also has marks from pencil indentations. We would like to restore the table and give it a durable finish so that we can put cups of tea on it and spill drinks without a worry (we have children). Any suggestions which finish to use? Thanks.
others know more about removing marks and finishing, but get a bevelled glass top for it when its done, you can put hot cups on it and spill whatever and the timber is protected
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Originally Posted by suus
Crikey womble, effective solution that's bound to be popular with glaziers!
Suus, marks of various kinds are part of the charm of old furniture, and so unless unsightly are often left as they are. Texta doesn't qualify. Either methylated spirits or turpentine should remove these marks, unless they have had finish applied over them.
It sounds like you want a blemish-free surface, The only way to achieve this is to remove the old finish (with paint stripper unless it's just shellac and wax, in which case meths will do), sand, and re-finish. The only finishes that will stand up to wet cups and children are synthetic finishes such as lacquer, estapol, polyurethane, varnish, etc. Shellac, wax, and oil finishes won't give you full protection against spills etc.
Lacquer is one of the best finishes but you need a spray gun and a fair bit of practice to apply it. Estapol and the other synthetic finishes give excellent protection but have a fairly high build so you lose something of the timber 'feel' of the table.
You might find more specific information by searching this forum for earlier discussions on finishing table tops.