I've been tagged to touch up a small stool for my wife which was her mother's ... Please Lord don't let me mess it up. I assume it's laquered. It's chipped in a few places on the rails & marred sltly on the legs. I was thinking I would have to strip the whole thing to get a good finish. But I seem to reall that I could wipe in down with alcohol & relaquer? I've never refinished anything before & kind of want to try ... but then again, I don't want to mess up an heirloom.
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Depending on how bad the chips are, you may need to level them out with some delicate sanding. Find some inconspicuous place to do some testing. Dab first with denatured alcohol to see if you get any finish off other than dirt or grime. If yes, the finish is likely shellac. On a different spot, try mineral spirits with the same test, if positive, it could be an oil base varnish/polyurethane of some sort. Testing with lacquer thinner for lacquer is on the useless side because it should dissolve all three bases, including any waterbased polyurethanes.
You could use shellac, oil based varnish, or polyurethane over most any cured finish. Topcoating with lacquer over anything other than lacquer is asking for a reaction, and it may not be immediate.
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