Removing marks from soap finish

Hi all,

I've recently refinished a table top with a soap finish. I'm happy with the look and feel of the table, but almost immediately it's had something create a ring mark in the top (not just water - I think some oil). I'm not expecting this to be a hard wearing finish, but having rubbed the area down with more of the soap mix the mark seems unaffected. Is this something I need to sand or scrape back, or are there ways to pull marks out from a soap finish effectively?

I don't have photos at the moment but hopefully will later tonight.

G'day mate.
I hav to ask, "soap finish"? What is that?
Is it an oil type of finish or a type of wax?
Knowing what the finish is can help.
Lyle

Lets hear about that... YT.

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I hav to ask, "soap finish"? What is that?

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It's soap and water and it's about as durable as soap and water.

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it's had something create a ring mark in the top (not just water - I think some oil).

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Usual fix for most problems is more soap wax. Slapped on and then worked over the area that's dulled off. However for that mark it's probably best to wash the whole thing off and start again... Preferably with something a lot more durable.
However (again with the however :doh:) However it's most, likely as you have already had a go over it with more of the slippery slimy stuff and not fixed it, that the stain is in the timber not the finish and washing the finish off may be the only way to fix it if at all. If as you say it could be oil then the stain may almost be permanent if it's soaked into the surface of the timber which is highly likely.

Word of warning about soap wax. On some timbers it could react with tannin or other chemical content in the wood and could bring about drastic and/or weird colour changes like gray or green and brown. Also it isn't very durable and works better when made with older style or natural soap. Expect it to mark up pretty easily, especially on tables and bench tops.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil :U

As Neil said, soap is not at all durable and I wouldn't use it on any surface that's getting things put on it.

If it's an oil stain, you'll have to strip it back and start again

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Originally Posted by elanjacobs

As Neil said, soap is not at all durable and I wouldn't use it on any surface that's getting things put on it.

If it's an oil stain, you'll have to strip it back and start again

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A bit late coming back to this, but better late than never.

The marks ended up fading slowly over a period of about a week, and eventually completely disappeared. Since then I've been a little more careful, but overall the surface is holding up very well to general wear and tear, though there's not a lot of that on this surface.

Some white marks appeared where heavier objects were sitting, but that was just on the surface and wiped away with a dry cloth easily.

Great to hear the end of the story. Makes the thread so much more useful for the next person.