Swirl Marks in high gloss furniture - repost

[Santiago927]

Hello,

I posted on here a few weeks ago about swirl marks in my high gloss dresser and nightstand (sorry, but original post might have been taken over by spam). It was advised to try a car swirl remover. I picked up a swirl and scratch remover by Turtle Wax, but that did not do the trick. Unfortunately, that did not work. So I have two questions:

Was there a specific swirl remover that is advised?

If not, what would be the next step? This gloss is hyper sensitive, it seems even microfiber clothes are a problem.

As always, thanks in advance for any advice.

[Bob Boardman]

Q: "Was there a specific swirl remover that is advised?"
A: No - there's no one brand. Any swirl mark remover could be used.

Q:"If not, what would be the next step? This gloss is hyper sensitive, it seems even microfiber clothes are a problem."
A: This comment is cause for concern. Microfiber clothes cause scratches indicates a finish that is somewhat soft, or at least not hard and durable. But when a swirl mark remover doesn't remove scratches, that indicates a very hard, durable finish.

Assuming it's a durable finish I'd recommend trying an auto polishing compound, followed by the swirl mark remover. Any brand will do, follow directions on can and use clean rags throughout the process. If this doesn't work use an auto rubbing compound followed polishing compound, followed by the swirl mark remover. Same instructions apply. Let us know how you make out

[Santiago927]

Thank you Bob. I will try that next. Yes, I can see fresh marks from me trying the swirl remover. I'm pretty careful with my stuff so I had a feeling it was in the process of cleaning that I got these marks, trying out the swirl remover and seeing the specific pattern of my motion only confirmed it.

I somewhat understand what you mean by the finish being soft enough to getting light scratches from the microfiber cloth but durable enough that the swirl remover didn't help - does that mean it was possibly not done right?

Also, I want to be clear on the microfiber cloth. It is the type you get at Walmart and feels more like a traditional cloth, although a lot softer. It is not he type of microfiber cloth that used to come with a BlackBerry - the small square you get for wiping your screen. I just want to be clear in case I am using something I shouldn't.

Thanks.

[Bob Boardman]

If the swirl mark remover is leaving light scratches you can try using it again, only this time use a damp (not wet) soft cloth. Start rubbing the entire surface with mild pressure. After you've gone over entire surface, go over the surface again, only this time use just a little pressure. Use a clean, soft, dry cloth to finish. When done apply a coat of furniture or auto wax, apply with clean damp cloth using light pressure. If this doesn't work then try the compounds referenced in last post.

As to whether finished correctly, it's possible but hard to tell. A more common mistake is applying a durable finish over a sift finish, but in that situation you don't really see 'scratches', but instead you see 'dents' - sorta like being able to leave a mark if you push a finger nail into the finish

[Santiago927]

Hi,

I still haven't got around to this, but will do so this week.

I'm going to retry the swirl remover and then wax as recommended. Given the different variations of wax, polishes, etc. just want to be sure this will suffice as a wax: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SQZQS/re ... B005SRV1PI

I picked this one because the furniture looks like glass. It says cleans, polish and protects. And this is why I want to confirm, everything I see a wax it does more than just wax and I don't want to screw up the instructions.

Thanks,


Santiago

[Bob Boardman]

Santiago
This will be just fine. It's a combo of products (cleaner, wax and glaze) that should do the trick. !*#@ a rule I prefer separate products, but this should be fine. Follow directions - If they say "let dry to a haze" be patient and let it dry to a haze. Good Luck

[Santiago927]

Thanks for confirming. Going to give this a try and hope for the best.

[Santiago927]

The second go at the swirl remover + wax helped somewhat. It's definitely shiny again, but there are still some scratches that are visible. I'm hoping the polishing compound does the trick and can fill those in. I'm going to do some shopping for that in the next few days.

Thanks again for the help so far Bob.

[Bob Boardman]

You can polishing compound at any hardware or auto supply store

[Santiago927]

Hi Bob,

Polishing compound + 2 applications of scratch/swirl remover did not work. I just want to make sure that perhaps my expectations are off. I only see these light scratches when looking at the furniture from a certain angle (I guess around 15 degrees) with usually direct sunlight. Maybe I'm expecting it to be perfect from every angle and that is wrong? I just know when I look at my car paint from any angle (of course, given the age of it is a factor) I don't see what I see in my furniture. And a part of me feels like I'm doing more harm than good. Not because I'm doing it wrong, but it seems like there are more scratches than ever and these are on sections of the nightstand I don't actively use (the portion opposite where my bed is). That could just be due to frustration and I have to admit, that is growing. A part of this is a vent, and I know it sounds silly given the other problems I could have, but I am extremely disappointed with this "investment" as I have to ask myself what will it look like in 2, 3 years? Looking straight down on it, it looks great, especially after all of the polishing and waxing I've been doing, and feels great to the touch. But even if the rubbing compound works and all or the majority of the light scratches are no longer visible from any angle - how do I maintain such a sensitive piece of furniture. I'm almost tempted to move it to the other side of the bed that is away from the window, but besides the fact the thing weights a ton, my principal kicks in. Anyway, back to my question, are my expectations too high or should a piece of furniture with a high gloss not have what I have?

I will go with plan c: rubbing compound, polishing compound and swirl remover.

And lastly, thank you for your assistance. Your advice has been sound and very much appreciated.

Thanks,



Santiago

[Santiago927]

Actually, I'm going to revise my previous statement. I'm sitting next to it and with direct sunlight, I'm at a 70 - 80 angle and the scratches are extremely visible. https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgUANRK7hMIvmXhrX7g5LV8qEZM_

[Bob Boardman]

This process requires an investment of time and work - it's not just quickly rubbing on some stuff and then quickly removing it. When using the polishing compound work as follows:

1) Use a damp (not wet) clean cloth.
2) apply some compound and then use strokes in the direction of the grain. You should be using a fair amount of pressure as you go over an area.
3) The pressure applied should be the same across the entire surface. The combination of pressure and the compound should remove the scratches.
4) Remove the compound with a clean cloth. Inspect the surface. You should only see some very, very, very fine scratches across the entire surface.
5) If you don't see these fine scratches, apply a second coat. With the 2nd coat start out using moderate pressure across the whole surface and then ease up on the pressure. As you finish an area you should be removing some of the scratches the polishing compound has made.
6) repeat step 4. The swirl mark remover should be applied in the same manner as the polishing compound. In the end you should see no scratches

[Santiago927]

Thanks for the tips. I did what you outlined below except for the second pass with the polishing compound. A couple of quick questions:

There is no visible grain other than the light scratches I've made, should I just use circular?

The polishing compound's instructions were to not let it dry. Should I start removing the compound as soon as I am done with the surface or let it sit for a minute or two? It seems to dry pretty quick.

I'll try to add more pressure, last time I was applying moderate pressure.

[Bob Boardman]

There is no visible grain other than the light scratches I've made, should I just use circular?

No - go in a straight line along the length of table

The polishing compound's instructions were to not let it dry. Should I start removing the compound as soon as I am done with the surface or let it sit for a minute or two? It seems to dry pretty quick.

Do not let dry. If you do, then you'll add scratches when removing the compound. The compound will remove scratches when applied with a bit of pressure. But since the compound is an abrasive, it will leave smaller scratches. By using less pressure towards the end of the rubbbing out, you'll be removing some of those scratches. When making my final pass with compound I'm using very little pressure.

If applying with a slightly damp cloth you won't have to worry about compound drying too quickly.

[Santiago927]

Thank you, sounds good. Appreciate the help on this!

[Santiago927]

Hi Bob,

First, thanks for all of your help on this matter. We all have more important things going on so it is greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the late reply, I actually tried again about a week ago. Definitely some improvement but even better, something to report. While there are still some light scratches in a circular pattern, there are more going the length of the night stand. This leads me to believe that a big problem I am having is when I am either applying the compound or swirl remover, and/or when I am removing it. Before I was applying and removing in a circular motion, but since you advised to go length wise - it is now obvious that as I am trying to fix, I am most likely re-causing an issue. I doubt its the application because I am using a damp microfiber applicator.

So perhaps when removing? I noticed that even though I used a damp applicator and IMMEDIATELY after applying started removing, I saw little particles (like big pieces of dust) during the removal process - almost as if once the majority of the compound/swirl remover was wiped off, it immediately dried so perhaps that next pass caused those scratches? When applying, I did one or two passes throughout the nightstand and then grabbed a clean microfiber clothe and started removing. I did as instructed and used very little pressure when removing so this resulted in having to make several passes as the clothe was wet from the first passes as I started removing (I probably need a bigger clothe as well). I did polishing compound x 2 and swirl remover x 2.

Hard for me to say if its the application or removal process but doing this length wise has helped exploit something that is hopefully helpful.

All of this said, there are still some circular ones.

I am not sure if I should move onto the rubbing compound step or try to adjust the current process. I am ready to try whatever you think is best.

Thanks,



Santiago

[Bob Boardman]

Rubbing compound is much coarser than polishing compound.

Make up a mix of swirl mark remover and polishing compound. See if this works