Help!

[UglySteve]

Hello,

I made a shaker style dining room table out of 6/4 walnut which measures about 48x96" and is finished with lacquer. Recently my wife left out table mat on it for a few days and there was water in the mat. When she removed it, the lacquer was white in the wet area and covered a 2 square foot section. She took a hair dryer to it and the whiteness went away, but now the seams are more pronounced and the table seems to sag a bit where the wet area was. Is there any way to fix this? I can fix the seam issue with sandpaper and/or steel wool, but I'm at a loss as how to fix the low spot.

Steve

[thewoodwhisperer]

Is it just a depression in the finish itself or does it look as if the wood is actually warped?

[Dave F]

Lacquer will cloud like that if exposed to moisture for too long. The rapid drying with the hair dryer probably didn't help either.

Best case scenario.... Rub and buff out the affected area with a lint free cloth and alcohol. The alcohol will solvate the lacquer in the area and surrounding edges, while also redistibuting the finish for a smoother, more natural look.

Worst case: The water did penetrate the wood fibers and raise the grain. Remove the lacquer finish in the affected area (either with alcohol or by sanding). Either finish sand the raised grain (220 grit) or use a cabinet scraper to smooth the area (I perfer the scraper), Then reapply lacquer finish to the repaired area using progressively thinner coats to blend with the surrounding, existing finish.

If you truly have a slight depression in the wood, follow the steps outlined above for worst case BUT.. Once you remove the finish and get down to bare wood.. either soak the affected area with hot moist towels to swell the wood fibers or use something like The Shark Steamer to swell the fibers. I managed to rescue the top of a 1900 vintage roll top desk that my mother accidentialy put quite a divot in by dropping a lamp on it. The depression was about 3" square and probably 1/16" deep. I used my Steam Shark to swell it out. Once you raise the fibers, then just proceed as I outlined above.

I love the repairability of a lacquer finish...

[UglySteve]

Thanks for the responses. I believe it's the wood that's warped slightly in that area. I'll try your suggestions for sanding and steaming.

[dryhter]

Lacquer will cloud like that if exposed to moisture for too long. The rapid drying with the hair dryer probably didn't help either.

Best case scenario.... Rub and buff out the affected area with a lint free cloth and alcohol. The alcohol will solvate the lacquer in the area and surrounding edges, while also redistibuting the finish for a smoother, more natural look.

Worst case: The water did penetrate the wood fibers and raise the grain. Remove the lacquer finish in the affected area (either with alcohol or by sanding). Either finish sand the raised grain (220 grit) or use a cabinet scraper to smooth the area (I perfer the scraper), Then reapply lacquer finish to the repaired area using progressively thinner coats to blend with the surrounding, existing finish.

If you truly have a slight depression in the wood, follow the steps outlined above for worst case BUT.. Once you remove the finish and get down to bare wood.. either soak the affected area with hot moist towels to swell the wood fibers or use something like The Shark Steamer to swell the fibers. I managed to rescue the top of a 1900 vintage roll top desk that my mother accidentialy put quite a divot in by dropping a lamp on it. The depression was about 3" square and probably 1/16" deep. I used my Steam Shark to swell it out. Once you raise the fibers, then just proceed as I outlined above.

I love the repairability of a lacquer finish...

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Alcohol does not dissolve lacquer.

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[Dave F]

If we are refering to modern polymer or synthetic lacquers, true, you'll need a lacquer thinner (MEK or toluene).

If we're dealing with natural Lac resins (shellac or Lac/beeswax compsoites) then alcohol is the solvent of choice.

Thanks for bringing it up, I failed to clarify.