Oiled a Teak sideboard: what have I done wrong?

[happyindebt]

I sanded away some scratches from a teak sideboard and then treated it with clear Danish oil, but the sanded part is much darker than the rest. What have I done wrong? Can I fix it? I am a complete amateur, so be kind. Thanks.

 

[Tigercubrider]

The sanded part absorbed the finish, the part that you didn't sand did not absorb it at all/as much?
What was the original finish? Why Danish Oil? I would have thought that the design looks like a 60's/70's job and was probably sprayed with lacquer?

 

[Mr Chibs]

I've used teak oil before on mid century furniture, comes up well.

On your unit, I would have sanded the whole door.

Trying to get oils/varnishes to match up to old ones are difficult at the best of times, even more so when you are only doing a section.

UV will darken most woods over time.

 

[conny]

Have you considered that the original finish may have been french polish?
I think the best you can do is is to sand the entire doors back to bare wood but I'm not sure how the oiled section will finish up.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I agree that it's a probably a 1960s/70s piece, but if it is solid teak the finish would have been oil (it is very difficult to spray finish oily timbers with any form of lacquer consistently). Conny, which century are you in? Nobody has used French polish commercially (for factory made furniture) since before WWII, nice though it is. I'm with you on the sanding back, though

OP, you always need to strip an entire door or panel when refinishing furniture unless you are expert at blending in. I suspect the original finish is blocking absorption of the new finish. Be careful if this is a veneered piece (you should be able to make out the lippings at the edges of doors and drawer fronts) - veneers are very thin and it doesn't take much sanding to go through them

 

[conny]

I agree that it's a probably a 1960s/70s piece, but if it is solid teak the finish would have been oil (it is very difficult to spray finish oily timbers with any form of lacquer consistently). Conny, which century are you in? Nobody has used French polish commercially (for factory made furniture) since before WWII, nice though it is. I'm with you on the sanding back, though

OP, you always need to strip an entire door or panel when refinishing furniture unless you are expert at blending in. I suspect the original finish is blocking absorption of the new finish. Be careful if this is a veneered piece (you should be able to make out the lippings at the edges of doors and drawer fronts) - veneers are very thin and it doesn't take much sanding to go through them

Still in the 1960's when we were taught it in school. Must admit, I was quite good at it and loved the smell of methylated spirits.
Or was that shellac?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Still in the 1960's when we were taught it in school. Must admit, I was quite good at it and loved the smell of methylated spirits.
Or was that shellac?

It was the meths...

The furniture industry moved to spray shellac (a form of French polishing) pre-WWI. It was replaced by spray cellulose by the early to mid 20s and resins (pre-cats) came in by about WWII. "Danish" solid teak furniture was a 50s to 70s style, although some is still made (e.g. some G-Plan until relatively recently) so it is well after commercial French polishing

 

[JohnD]

It won't be solid.

Veneered chipboard was quite popular in the 1970's.

and sprayed or curtain lacquer

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Both Gomm (G-plan) and Sutcliffe (S-form) were making solid teak furniture well into the 1990s, John. Gomm were in High Wycombe and presumably got priced out of the market (by the mid-1980s quite a bit of the Wycombe industry was bussing staff in from places like Newcastle because they couldn't get staff locally) - after they went under the name was bought by Mackintosh up in Glasgow, Sutcliffe being in West Yorkshire continued a bit longer but eventually went phut a few years back (a friend of mine worked there).

So having read what you posted, @JohnD, I've looked a bit more closely at the photos, and whilst I can't see any sign of lippings or edgings on the door, the framing below it is actually not teak - it's another hardwood, which was presumably spray tinted to match the doors and upper carcass. That is not an indicator of high quality and means you and possibly on the money