Part of my oak dining room table has lost its color, mostly where I read the newspaper every day..?

Question

The table is about 12 years old...A Thomasville table..The surface where I sit has developed a rather large "colorless" area from the newspaper.

Can anyone suggest what I should do to get the surface all one color again...and what I can do to prevent this in the future?

Answer 1

It is unlikely that your table has lost it's color from your reading the newspaper there. It is more likely that area gets more sun and the sunlight is bleaching the table when you are not looking. You most likely sit there because the light is good.  One way or the other you can purchase a product called Restor-a-Finish at Lowe's. Choose the color that matches the original color of your finish.

Using a small piece of terry cloth no larger then 2" square, wipe with the wood grain across the entire table top. This should restore the finish to the area that has lightened and clean any grime from the other side, equalizing them out and making them match again. If you can still see the lighter areas after it drys you can repeat using #0000 steel wool as your rag and wipe the surface with the terry cloth after.

After the finish is dry wax with a true wax, preferably a mixture of beeswax and either lemon or orange oil.

This should repair the finish for many years. Be sure to protect wood furniture from the direct rays of the sun.

Answer 2

Sand it and stain it.

In the future, you may want to read the newspaper online, or if you must read it on paper, put a placemat under it.