Refinishing Help Needed

[Bruce Cohen]

Well,

I finally got my first commission and of course, its something I know very little about.

I've been asked to repair and refinish an oak dining room set. Six chairs and a table.

The set seems to be about 30 years old and wasn't finished all that great when it was made. Lots of drips and other stuff I'd nover let other people see.

Anyway, I have absolutely no knowledge of refinishing (removing the original top coat) which appears to be poly or shellac. If the oak was stained, it was very light as it appears to be almost natural looking,

I know I'm looking at a lot of sanding, but I'm totally at a lose as to what to use to remove the top coat.

Haven't gotten a chance to read up on technique, hope you guys could point me in the right direction, with reading material and your own favored techniques.

Many thanks in advance,

Bruce

[Daryl]

If it is shellac, which I doubt, you could just give it a wiping with denatured alcohol to give it a like new finish. I am betting it is poly, use one of the strippers with methyl chloride in it.
Nasty stuff but it should work.

[cabinetman]

Your best bet would be to remove the old finish with a stripper. One of the best I've used is called "Aircraft Remover". It's highly toxic and is an MC based chemical (methylene chloride). You have to wear gloves and eye/face protection, and work in a very ventilated area. The stuff works great. Very fast. I get it at auto paint and body shop suppliers.

If you want something more friendly, use "Citristrip". It's a water based stripper that can be used inside, smells like oranges. It may take a few applications to remove all the finish. The box stores carry it.

Once you have the finish off, start your finish...stain if any, and the topcoats.
.

[cgallery]

I'm no expert, either. But with the little refinishing I've done, I found I preferred the stripper with the paste consistency that doesn't run or drip. The thin stuff evaporates too fast, and runs and drips everywhere and makes a mess. The paste stuff I think was intended for vertical surfaces, but I like it for horizontal ones, too.

[newood2]

Bix Stripper from HD will do the job, and it's easy to get.

[poolhound]

From personal experience I would go with the "health" friendly options first before you decide to try the "nuclear waste" variety of strippers. heavy duty strippers are REALLY nasty so do get some good thick gloves and wear breathing protection.

I also second the thicker paste on types ,some of these set lick a rubber coating and you then peel them off taking the finish with it.

Another point is to think of it like the reverse of putting the finish on you will have to use multiple coats to get it all clean, dont be tempted to slap on enough stripper to get it all to come off at once.

[Bruce Cohen]

Hey guys,

Many thanks for the help. I think I'll try the Citrix first, sounds less dangerous than the other stuff. Besides, the top coat doesn't seem to be that thick.

Bruce