wegner at 312 table top  

I'd suggest that there isn't a great way to match the leaves and tabletop. The lighter leaves almost look as if the finish has been worn down... Would anyone agree with this? They look like they need some oil to me.

I'd almost be inclined to say if you wanted to match to the leaves, then using a degreaser (Murphy's Oil Soap) and a scotch brite pad that would recreate the look of the leaves. However you'd then have a table that the mere grease from someone's hand would leave a mark on. Let alone water marks or spillages.

And it does look like the construction is solid teak, while they're not the best close up shots for identification - it would either be oak or teak and it's not grainy/porous enough for oak.

Lovely table though, love the joinery on those legs.

The framing does look like teak. I’m with Kyle; I think the main top looks better than the leaves. Oiling the leaves should darken them a bit, and the more they are left open, the more they will darken over time. The grain in the main top has faded over the years, and will not come back, so even if you strip and re-oil, it will not match the leaves.

thanks for your feedback @cdsilva and @kyle-barrett,

attached are a couple of additional pics of the legs in close up. hope that they are better and will make the id easier 🙂

personally, the question of mismatched colours on the leaves and top is not really an issue. my personal preference is for pieces that show their age and patina and, unless there is a real issue with any pieces i find, i normally leave them as is. i personally think that it testifies to the individual character and experience of the piece.

my issue was more that my dining room is massively skewed towards  teak and i would have liked the lighted colour for the top to distinguish the table a little from all the brown!

finally, for the issue of the light scratching on the surface, would it be possible to gently sand with 0000 wirewool to remove them ? perhaps with the wool dipped in oil ? or is that just crazy talk ?

thanks again,

jonny

p.s. i added that picture of the leg joint because i was blown away by the joinery too !

thanks for your feedback @cdsilva and @kyle-barrett,

attached are a couple of additional pics of the legs in close up. hope that they are better and will make the id easier 🙂

personally, the question of mismatched colours on the leaves and top is not really an issue. my personal preference is for pieces that show their age and patina and, unless there is a real issue with any pieces i find, i normally leave them as is. i personally think that it testifies to the individual character and experience of the piece.

my issue was more that my dining room is massively skewed towards  teak and i would have liked the lighted colour for the top to distinguish the table a little from all the brown!

finally, for the issue of the light scratching on the surface, would it be possible to gently sand with 0000 wirewool to remove them ? perhaps with the wool dipped in oil ? or is that just crazy talk ?

thanks again,

jonny

p.s. i added that picture of the leg joint because i was blown away by the joinery too !

It's not crazy talk at all, if you're going to use 0000 steel wool and oil that will make the surface very nice again - it's certainly a tried and true way for a reason.

Yes, the legs definitely look like teak.

lovely, thanks @kyle-barrett.

i have looked online and on one video the guy cleaned the teak with turps and wire wool first before then putting the oil on with a cloth. is that better in your opinion or should i just use the wire wool with oil on ?

@jonnym Congrats to your table! I have an AT310 and its top is also pretty dark. But I decided not to mess around with Oxalic Acid or anything. It took a day or two to get used to, but now I'm pretty happy with it. But to your legs: They are definitely teak. Mine are oak, the color has darkened over the years so it almost looks like teak colorwise, but the grain looks completely different. 

thanks @herringbone, yes, have definitely come around to accepting the table as it is ... not exactly hard to do !

the 310 is a really lovely piece. i love the way that it's grain goes from side to side, and how the single plank table top, and the lowered cross-beam at the ends, offers a cleaner and lighter overall aspect. 

would still quite like to clean the table top before re-oiling though and will probably just go with soap rather than a teak cleaner ... unless anyone has a better option to recommend ?

cheers,

jonny

@jonnym Yeah, you name it, the 310 is a lovely piece, as is of course the 312 which I originally wanted. But my wife wasn‘t quite happy with the idea. She also uses the table as a work table and with the 312 you have small gaps between the tabletop and the leaves because of the rounded profile. The 310 doesn‘t have that because the you insert the leaves in the middle. Interstingly it took me a while to understand that this is also the reason why the grain goes from side to side. Because if it went like on the 312, you‘d always destroy the grain pattern by opening the top and inserting the leave. 

I think its okay to use soap for cleaning. With other teak tables I use some kind of turpentine but soap or a degreaser should also do. And then reoil it with 0000 steel wool.

The top is veneered on yours, so I am sure it'd be fine to use water and soap to clean it, but I try not to use it on veneered things for posterity. If it were solid wood I'd do it that way.  These things need to last and giving that substrate any water just makes me nervous. I'd clean with alcohol if I were you - but as mentioned, I am sure it'll be fine.

thanks @kyle-barrett,

i think that, instinctively, that was what i was unsure about. so how would i go about cleaning with alcohol if you don't mind me asking ? is it like using turpentine as per this video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI5stVxF0EI ? 

the part where he uses the turpentine is at 1m45

I would like to stress, I am sure it would be fine to wet it. But I also just prefer not risk an unintended reaction!

And on that train of thought, don't use wire wool with alcohol or water/soap - as  flecks of wire wool can break off and rust on the table top causing little black spots. Again, in my earlier experiences 'restoring' I have done this and got away with it, but it's not worth risking it with a good thing like your table.

I suggest using a scouring pad (like the green plastic ones you get for washing dishes) and alcohol, and then you can scrub a little.

Might be worth seeing if others chime in though, I have been taking care of furniture for a comparatively short time when considering the experienced people here! A lot of what I know comes from here!