Restoring teak veneer

superheat6k

superheat6k

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I have stripped my tired teak veneer saloon table, but where I had some deep scratches I have over done the sanding, and one area has gone much lighter, so I suspect I am hitting the laminate glue line. I have tried a wood dye, but this area won't absorb the dye.

Most of the surface is ok, apart from this approx 5 cm sq patch. I want to re-varnish with Epithanes, but this patch will stand out. Any ideas what I could try to make it blend in better ?
 
If you are indeed on the glue line, doubt you will find anything that will stain it. Just done the same on a teak faced floorboard with sloppy use of a belt sander. Fortunately not in a conspicuous place like a saloon table so will live with it. You could try the crayon type touch up sticks, but like dyes they rely on soaking into the grain.
 
It might sound like a dramatic solution and not what you want to hear but I think your only real choice is to re-veneer the table. Not as difficult as it sounds and very satisfying when you have done it.
 
is it double sided veneered ply ? if so can the panel ,presuming its a drop leaf type table, be reversed for a better effect ?
 
Trouble with that option is I expect the underside will have fixing holes in it?

Only option I can think of is, French polish type dyes which are coloured tints mixed with pale polish which are used in the French polish furniture industry to touch up before final finishes are built up. Not sure though how they will perform under varnish, they may just dissolve due to the solvents in the varnish. Try to contact a French polisher and see if they can offer any solutions.
 
Appreciate the hole issue but the few holes could be "stopped" or teak plugs . depending on how many of course maybe better than trying to cover a big patch of rub through . The obvious answer is renewal of the whole piece ...... Not a fortune from Robbin I guess .
 
tillergirl said:
It might sound like a dramatic solution and not what you want to hear but I think your only real choice is to re-veneer the table. Not as difficult as it sounds and very satisfying when you have done it.
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I have just finished veneering the saloon table on Cecilia, following the article in PBO. Quite easy to do, no very special techniques. Veneer leaves are not expensive on Ebay, adhesive used is ordinary contact adhesive. Very satisfying work. You might be able to cut out the damaged part and replace with new, a relatively easy job.
 
As a bit of a French Polisher myself I would suggest going with the coloured varnish. Ronseal teak is a bit reddish if I remember, if so, buy 2 or 3 small tins of similar colours and mix to match. Apply with a small artists brush then cover with your Epifanes. Next time remove the old varvish with chemical stripper (original varnish is generally very thin) and gently rub with 180/320 lubricated (sanding) paper ( I think even B&Q supply this). I really dont understand why people are so brutal with wood veneer and finishes in general?
 
Posible article for PBO

How about an article in PBO on repairing nicks and dents in the woodwork down below? My Beneteau 323 needs a couple of scuffs on the table, chart table and bulkhead sorting.



Seashoreman said:
As a bit of a French Polisher myself I would suggest going with the coloured varnish. Ronseal teak is a bit reddish if I remember, if so, buy 2 or 3 small tins of similar colours and mix to match. Apply with a small artists brush then cover with your Epifanes. Next time remove the old varvish with chemical stripper (original varnish is generally very thin) and gently rub with 180/320 lubricated (sanding) paper ( I think even B&Q supply this). I really dont understand why people are so brutal with wood veneer and finishes in general?
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clyst said:
Appreciate the hole issue but the few holes could be "stopped" or teak plugs . depending on how many of course maybe better than trying to cover a big patch of rub through . The obvious answer is renewal of the whole piece ...... Not a fortune from Robbin I guess .
Click to expand...

Quite agree replacement may be the only acceptable answer really.

It rather depends on how fussy you are with regards to the solution. Stained varnish tends to be a colour pigment of solid colour added to ordinary varnish. Diluting it or adding different colours to the mix will give a different colour but it’s still a pigment. With wood being a natural material it shows a lot of life in varying light conditions so paint pigment will stand out as being just fixed colour- but this is probably better than looking at the exposed glue substrate.

Only other solution may be to cut out the offending area, and just replace that bit with an inlay - or cover it with a strategically placed table mat!

Like I said it really depends on what you will accept as a solution?
 
I have ordered up some teak veneer and fresh edging strip, also from teak. £79 for a decent size table.

I will return with the result, and if it looks good a photo as well.
 
Just as a matter of interest, what thickness (I have looked at 0.3mm and 0.6mm) and what is the fixing method - your own glue, iron on or self adhesive?

Good luck with it.
 
chinita said:
Just as a matter of interest, what thickness (I have looked at 0.3mm and 0.6mm) and what is the fixing method - your own glue, iron on or self adhesive?

Good luck with it.
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0.6mm with iron on, but I might use contact adhesive. The table has two drop sides and each piece has teak fiddle rails, which will help secure the top firmly.

I am expecting to apply the edge trim first then the top, so the edge joint is to the side rather than upward. I will rout the edge to about 0.5 mm overlap then gently sand it true, but it am going to practice the trimming on a waste piece.
 
superheat6k said:
0.6mm with iron on, but I might use contact adhesive. The table has two drop sides and each piece has teak fiddle rails, which will help secure the top firmly.

I am expecting to apply the edge trim first then the top, so the edge joint is to the side rather than upward. I will rout the edge to about 0.5 mm overlap then gently sand it true, but it am going to practice the trimming on a waste piece.
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I think you have made a wise decision, especially to use the thicker veneer it gives you more to play with sanding etc.

Just one thing when trimming off waste be very careful if routering.

If there is a large amount of waste veneer to remove, the router will be cutting on both edges of the cutter which is not ideal, and the cutter may become clogged with adhesive and wood chips. It may split the veneer off the leaf at the corners as it might take the line of least resistance being the thinness of the veneer, and the short length of the remaining veneer at the corners.
I have found it safer on similar jobs to turn the leaf upside down on a flat surface and get a piece of laminate edging maybe 1.0mm thick and place that against the edge of the leaf to use as a cutting guide. Using a VERY sharp knife, cut waste off using the laminate edging as a guide while pressing down hard on the leaf and using repeated strokes with the knife.

You can then either router, or plane off the remaining with sharp tooling and sand to a finish.

Only my experiences, and hoping this may be of some help.

Philip
 
I fully agree with xeitosaphil. I used 0.6 mm cherry for my table top and found it very fragile at the edges. I trimmed with a Stanley knife, using a similar method to his, to around 1 mm proud and sanded it flush with a palm sander.
 
superheat6k said:
0.6mm with iron on...
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For other peoples info it's not always possible to buy iron on veneer of your choice.
When using standard veneer I have used iron on glue film rather than applying contact adhesive. The problem with spreading contact adhesive is that any ridges will show in the veneer.
Just search for iron on glue film in ebay.
 
Back to the OP and veneer.
I know you have already bought 0.6mm veneer but you could consider using constructional veneer. Typically 1.5mm thick it would give you some sanding leeway when varnishing.
Google construction veneer.
 
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