I have stripped a birch veneer cedar chest. (That’s birch on the outside.) The existing finish was in very poor condition where the top only had about 50% of the finish left. When stripped the result showed light and dark areas: light under where the finish had been and dark where there was no finish. In order to get a uniform color on the top I can think of two options: bleach it by the sun (it rained every day this past week) ; use A/B bleach. Any other thoughts or remedies?
The sides are marred up a little but the trim along the bottom is also in very poor condition. It also looks like it had no finish on it besides the effects of 40 years of wear. What do you think?
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Have you sanded it? It sounds as if the unfinished part has aged from light (I didn't/don't know that birch does that). Maybe just light exposure (as you are suggesting but saying "bleaching".
wipe it all down with mineral spirits and see if it evens out any.
I have scrubbed it with Scotch Brite, twice and wiped it down with alcohol and sanded it with 100 grit. I have not wiped it down with mineral spirits, I'll try that next. Thanks for the suggestion.
Actually I will wipe it down with mineral spirits then put it in the sun.
No the wipe down with the alcohol will tell the same "tale"--when wet, it will look like it would with a clear finish. If it is still uneven, then there is work to do. Sanding to 100 isn't too fine. It probably won't change the uneven color, but you will want to sand more before finishing it.Gretchen
I think the advise to sand to even out the color differences is very, very risky. Remember, this is veneer. Even mid-century veneer was pretty thin, and it's already been sanded once when the chest was finished the first time. More than a little gentle hand sanding with 220 or 320 risks sand throughs. Sanding through dramatically complicates the refinishing job.
All of which makes the bleaching idea seem better to me though it is a PITA. You would bleach with the A/B bleach, return color with dye, possibly topped with a glaze or toner to get back to the sense of the original. Bleaching with the sun can backfire. Most wood, including birch, darkens with sun exposure. Only after extended sun does it start to fade or become sun bleached.
Edited 7/1/2008 10:23 pm ET by SteveSchoene
I agree about being careful about veneer, and just for the record, I would not have sanded with the 100 to begin with, and would have suggested more along the 220 you mention. I don't know that I ever sand with under 220 (for refinishing, in particular). But the point I was trying to make was that perhaps the darker (oxidized?) surface would be removed by gentle sanding and it would even up.
So what you have said about birch darkening with sun supports what has happened to the piece--the unpainted parts were darker. So maybe it would even out by the sun darkening the stripped parts?Gretchen
I think you are right about giving a little sun a chance to see if it might even things out a bit. Chemical bleaching is such a PITA that it ought to be worth a try. Afterall, if it doesn't work the chemical bleach can still be used.
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