Quality kitchen and dining sets are not an inexpensive investment for the home. As such, you want to make sure that they last a long time. However, ordinary wear and tear is inevitable with any furniture and these sets are no exception. Weather is one of the biggest enemies of furniture. It you live in a sunny climate, the sun can cause your furniture to fade or become lackluster over time. You may not even notice the toll taken on your furniture, until you pull out the table leaves that have been stored in a closet someplace. As you put them in, you realize that indeed, your kitchen and dining sets have faded, bleached or lost some of their character. Humans also cause a lot of damage to kitchen and dining sets. Cups of hot coffee can leave rings, serving pieces can dent the surface when dropped and abrasive hot pads or other implements can leave mars and scratches. Add in micro organisms that can thrive on the surface of the wood, especially in humid locales. Fortunately, keeping the table clean and polished will keep the micro organisms from taking up home on your kitchen and dining room tables. Repairs to the surface of the wood takes a bit more work. It's not something you want to do haphazardly, as it may make the problem even worse. The easiest thing to do is use a stain pen on your kitchen and dining sets. This works well when the scratch isn't deep. Resembling a marker, they come in colors to match most woods. Rub the scratch with a bit of 00-gauge steel wool to remove the current finish. Then apply the stain the pen, following the scratch. Finish off with oil or paste wax until the scratch disappears.
If the scratch is deep, you'll need to refinish the entire surface of the table. Start with a 320-grit sandpaper to remove the finish them use 400-grit to smooth the scratch out. Clean the surface with mineral spirits to remove all the sanding dust, then apply new stain to the surface. Once it is to your liking, apply a coat of poly or oil to seal and protect the finish.
If your table is marred by a cigarette or cigar burn, you can repair that, too. Cut sandpaper so that it fits around the tip of a dowel or pencil and tape it. Roll the dowel or pencil between your hands, putting pressure on the burn. Grind out the burn until it disappears, then fill in the area using a filler stick, smoothing it over with a putty knife. When it's dry, apply varnish or stain to match, then apply lemon oil when it's completely dry.
Watermarks on kitchen and dining sets are another problem. These occur when extremely cold glasses are put directly on the surface of the wood. You can remove them by mixing one teaspoon of salt with a few drops of water to create a paste. Rub this into the surface with a soft cloth or a sponge. Then use some oil or polish to restore the beauty of the wood.
You can also use toothpaste to remove the white rings. Gently rub some past (non-gel) toothpaste onto the wood with a soft cloth. Continue to rub it in until the ring disappears. Then apply oil or polish to restore the finish.
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