Help with Wood finish repair

[bob]

One of My bathrooms has a custom vanity that was installed after room was painted and installed in such a way that I couldn't get on one side of it to paint because its so close to the wall. So I tried to remove it which required removal of the sink which was held on with some sort of silicone caulk. While cutting through the caulk I managed to hit the top surface of the unit with the body of my knife and made some nice gouges. I thought I could simply complete taking teh sink out sand it and refinish it but I have no idea what the original stain was and teh local guy that made it is no longer around I seem to remember seeing some techniques for repairing such gouges and raising teh grain to minimize the damage Looking for any advise could also use some tips on how to remove teh sink ; ) Thanks in advance Bob

[mike]

If these are small, isolated gouges, you might think about filling them in with a matching wax crayon. Am I to understand that entire countertop is wood and that is where the damage is? If so, you might consider just covering the whole top with a different (and more durable) material in wet environments, such as natural or engineered stone.

[bob]

[Kate]

Hey Bob, Chances are that you will need to completely sand the surface of the countertop down past the gouges. The sad part here is that usually this sort of thing is a veneer.

Rubbed gouges can SOMETIMES be repaired by a damp cloth and a steam iron but rarely do they look good at all. If the grain is broken at all (rough) then forget it.

Is it possible that you could post a photo of it somewhere?

Another thing, try posting your question in rec.woodworking. Lots of guys in there that really know their stuff. You can post a photo to: alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking Photos of the whole cabinet and then the countertop and then the damage. try to keep the file size under control and the photos nice and crisp.

Let us know when you get them up.

Kate