Ruined table top

[Barmaid]

I have a wooden coffee table. No idea what type of wood it is but it's a dark colour. Someone (whom shall remain nameless) put his hot tray of food on it last night. Consequently, I now have a lovely pale scorch mark on the table top.

Apart from paying a fortune to have someone sort it out, is there anything I can do to repair the top? I've tried pledge which has helped on the edge bits, but the centre of the mark it hasn't touched.

[McMouse]

In my experience a re-polish is the only way forward.

[Barmaid]

It's OK, I'll pay for it with his life insurance policy.............

[ChuckFickens]

"or a tasteful doily"

Oxymoron surely?

[Barmaid]

Do you pair of numpties really think I own anything even resembling a doily?

[scotman]

If it is not varnished or sealed I have heard that rubbing with wire wool then polish can sometimes help. If it is expensive table then professional is probably best.

[TonyV]

Never tried it myself, but heard using steam from an iron, hovering over the stain will remove it - which kind of makes sense because you'll be rehydrating wood that the heat took out.
Guess it depends on value, if you want to give it a try?

[mazie]

a bit of brown boor polish on a regular basis might work BM

[Clanad]

The white mark is caused by the boorish diner's hot tray causing a separation between the wood and the finish.
As has already been alluded to, try using a white, clean cotton fabric, such as a dinner napkin or the proverbial T-shirt and a steam iron. Place the cotton fabric over the stained area and then use the iron in "non-steam" mode for about a minute or two with a moderate heat setting, as if ironing the fabric... then when the wood is thoroughly heated, use a burst or two of steam and continue ironing until mark is gone.
What you're doing is acutally removing the whitish area from between the wood and the finish. It's worked well for me on several occasions (boors here in the U.S. too), although there was one older oak table that had been finished with a homemade concotion way in the past on which it simply would not work ... wound up refinishing the piece...

[Ratty2E]

I've heard of the ironing thing to seal the layers back together too, but luckily I've never had need to do it myself.

[Old_Geezer]

Hot tray ?!? You're buying the wrong type of trays. Your poor thighs.

What about .... a selection of sandpaper in various grades, and a pot of clear varnish ?

[bednobs]

i would agree with the above - it sounds like you (HE?) ought to sand it and restain in

[jomifl]

If the original finish is varnish you will have to re varnish it. If the finish was wax polish then try a scouring pad with white spirit then wax polish it. Wax polish is a lot easier to apply than varnish and is more easily repaired. I recently refinished an oak table top (3ftx4ft)and after sanding it down the wax polish only took about half an hour to apply and finish.