Teak bookcase sun bleached  

Hi. From the picture it is not possible to see where the problem is. But danish teak oil and metal wool will certainly do the trick (maybe a few layers).

cheers,

Ernest

Thanks for your comment! If you look closely, you can see that under the shelves there is a dark layer. I will take another picture in a few hours. I tried wax and colored wax with steel wool but that didnt work. So I guess I will have to take off all the wax and use oil then? And should I use danish oil or teak oil? There is no product here called both.

I would go for the Danish oil, as you find many products on the market for Teak that are meant for external wood...

Some woods darken with exposure and some fade. Intense UV can sometimes initially darken some species and, after prolonged exposure, bleach almost all color out. Overall fading can often be disguised by careful treatment, but splotchy, uneven fading of a veneered surface is nearly impossible to hide effectively and most amateur attempts result in worse appearance.

If your photo accurately illustrates the condition of your shelving unit, I'm not seeing much of a problem at all. Put some stuff on the shelves and no one will ever notice. Uneven fading is a common condition and is expected to some degree with vintage furniture as evidence of age and use.

Personally, I've never understood the point of owning old things that look like they were made yesterday. If you want things that appear as new, either buy new or prepare to pay handsomely.

Hi,

You are presuming I am keeping it for myself. I am not. I am planning to resell it. The shelves can be adjusted and when you do, the color difference is very dusturbing. Customers might not be interested in a sun faded bookcase. Besides, I compete with shops that sell these kind of bookcase in pristine condition (or don't mention the color difference) I understand your opinion, but thats not what I am asking for...

Bottom line, odile, is that uneven fading is not a "weird thing".

And it should be understood that all opinions here are offered with a full refund if not helpful.

I never said it was weird. I just want to get rid of it and have a (even more) good looking bookcase.

You'd be better off pricing this bookshelf appropriately and investing any proceeds in pieces that are up to your standards than wasting effort on refinishing experiments.

Of course, your cost/benefit analysis may differ.

Not sure where you base that opinion on, damaged furniture is much cheaper so it can be sold for more benefit. Also, I enjoy refinishing furniture, I have done it before but every project is different. So every project is pretty much an experiment. No experiment is a waste, its a great way to learn. I just want to restore furniture in their former glory. If you are familiar with 50 year old Danish furniture: its almost never in perfect condition. Maybe you havent noticed it yet but refinishing is what everyone in this forum does. Thats what nearly all vintage shops do. So, in the end refinishing will make the bookcase look better and I can ask a higher price. How will I be better off if I dont?

you make me laugh, tktoo. yup. you do.

Best,

Your Aunt Mark

Hi everyone, here are some more photos of the bookcase (without shelves) you can see the color difference really well. I asked a professional woodworker and he told me to remove the wax, sand the wood (not too harsh, you don't want to go through the veneer), use water based stain and touch up with color wax. He said that teak oil wouldn't help at all to restore a uniform color. Thoughts are welcome!

I already did some work on the bookcase, there were stains on the front of the bookcase and I sanded and reoiled with osmo top oil. Worked really well.

Seems like something went wrong with uploading the photos... I am trying again.

Looks like adding images to a comment doesn't work, the photos can be seen here: http://imgur.com/a/hKpC7

tktoo is right, on all accounts.

This picture is not enough to confirm whether it is even sun bleaching. It actually does not look that bad from 7 meters away .... we need better pictures to fully understand the issue.

Furthermore, if you have to ask how to fix sunbleaching, then you do not likely have the skills to fix it, and an explanation is wasted typing. Your best bet is a strip, sand, refinish, but be careful when sanding the veneer.

You need to shadow an experienced person, read lots of books/wood-finishing forums, and have lots of practice on throw-away pieces, if you expect to ever be able to turn a profit on sunbleaching flips. You also need to realize that the satisfaction of the refinishing process may be the bulk of your profit on pieces like this.

Finally, your curt responses and clear focus on profit, rather than appreciation of the piece, is a real turn-off, and I dont expect that you will get much help here with that attitude.