At work today I put something hot down on my desk. It left a milky residue on the wood / finish! Help!?
Question:I think that I might have burned the finish, is there some product I can use on it? I tried Pledge, it didn't work so well. Any help would be REALLY appreciated!
Answers:
The white ring is moisture that got trapped underneath the finish, which was softened or melted by the heat. You need to get under the finish and either evaporate the moisture or replace it with an oil, which is more optically transparent.
First thing to try is a little denatured alcohol and a cloth. Rub gently and see if the ring disappears. This will happen quickly if it is a shellac based finish. Don't use too much, and keep the cloth moving. After a minute or so, it should start to lighten.
too much alcohol can damage or melt the finish, depending on what it is.
You can also try some type of oil, (furniture polish, vaseline, furniture wax etc. ) but you'll need to let it sit long enough to get through the finish. (the heat did, so the oil should) Let it sit 8 hours or more. If it doesn't do anything, wipe it off and try something else.
You can also try using a dish towel and an iron. Put the iron on the 'cotton' setting and gently move it around the towel that you've placed over the ring. gradually increase the time by a few seconds till you can get a feel for how long to leave it there.
Don't overdo the iron though. If you melt the finish, you'll have another question pretty soon.
Barring that, you might have to resort to an abrasive (pumice or rottenstone and paraffin oil) to open up the finish. But you'll be back here before that happens, I'm sure.
good luck with this..
Remove anything that you put on top so that it can dry out. If drying doesn't clear it, remove it by sanding or striping and recoat.
I read somewhere that toothpaste will take care of this-very light abrasive, follow with your ordinary furniture polish or wax
You need to buy a big calendar for your deck to cover it up.lemon pledge and buffing may help if not start sanding.
God , I thought that I hated my job !
If you are scared about something like that, you need to look for a new job! Cover it up with a Calender, etc, Yeesh!!
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