Making an older piano not look it’s age
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Through the generosity of a neighbor, I’m about to (maybe) become the proud owner of an older piano that I think is maple with what was originally a clear finish which is now yellow. It’s a nice piano, but the blond finish makes it look dated. I’m very aware that I can’t make maple into walnut or mahogany, but I’m wondering if it’s possible to shoot a coat (or two) of tinted lacquer to darken it up to make it look a little less dated. Any thoughts? Also, is the finish on a 50’s vintage Baldwin piano likely to be varnish or lacquer?
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What is the condition of the finish other than the yellowing--which is likely due to a combination of yellowing lacquer and the natural color change of maple?. Are there scratches and places where wear can be seen? How about dents and dings, even minor? Is the finish dull or shiny? Any crazing or flakeing of the finish? Is this a spinet, upright or grand style piano?
Lacquer would be the mostly likely choice--varnish isn't a finish often used industrially. Nitroceullose lacquer would be most likely since catalzyed lacquers wouldn't have been used in the 50's. (A good thing too, since if you end up needing to strip the piano NC lacquer is easy--catalyzed -- not so much.
Have you considered making it black? If you've got spray capabilities you can do any necessary repair work and then lay black lacquer over the existing finish.
Wow!, never quite though of black - that would look nice if i could pull it off. The existing finish is in pretty good shape, but black will show off every flaw, right. What's the process for shooting a piano finish? Scrupulous prep work of course, then wet sand between each coat, then polish the final coat much as you would a clear laquer fiish? Any other tips/tricks?
Any gloss finish will show off defects. But with black they are a bit easier to fix before spraying since you don't have to worry about getting the color to match.
I've not done a piano, but your description seems to be on the money. Lots of work, but if done well could be really nice.
bout that piano...
shading laquers will work, but the will possibly eventually mask the grain. OTOH, I umderstand you can purchase "steinway" decals in the aftermarket....
Pianos come apart in massive sections, so it ain't a global "do it all at once" projet
And if you get involved in the total rehab, check out pianophile in Montreal for tuning tools and replacement strings.
It gets interesting as a project, possibly leading down other slippery slopes....
Eric in Calgary
why a steinway decal?
why not use the proper decal as they are avail for just about any piano and if not; if you can copy what is there, you can get it reproduced reasonably. remember that you cannot make silk out of a sows ear.
regarding finishing; in order to do a good job I would strip it and apply new. reasons. 1. if it is maple, it will more than likely have b/eye on it somewhere. stain it and enhance the grain. spraying over old finishes always has it problems. it is like applying shingles over shingles or any other type of cheap patch job
ron
if a job is worth doing- do it properly
You can renew it using a music digital keyboard, so you can have the same sound of a piano, but your keyboard is really fashionable. http://digitalpianokeyboardsreview.com/best-digital-pianos.html
You also should keep it away from moisure air, because piano made from wood, wood and moisture don't go along very well. I don't know how you do it, maybe keep it far away from the kitchen and bathroom.
Black will show everything, so make sure you do a lot of good prep-work. Also, make sure you clearcoat the black after you get a few good coats on, that's what will give it the luster and depth you want.
If you don't mind an antique look and just want it darker you can use laquer tinted with a compatible NGR dye, japan colors, etc, or a darker shellac, or a product like minwax polystain - I think that's the name - it's like a wipe on poly with a heavy tint to it. I've used it to darken pieces before with decent success, especially when sprayed. But remember any time you coat a finish over an old finish be sure and remove any old gunk and furniture polish as thoroughly as possible and then sand the piss out of it with 220 or even 180 first. Often times aged finishes like that, even if they are laquer, won't re-wet enough to chemically bond with new laquer. Plus the chemistries tend to change from year to year in subtle ways.
Using a toner, which is what Autumn suggests can work nicely, but beyond YERY subtle darkening, this method requires spray capabilities and skill set.
I do disagree, rather strongly, about the suggestion to try Minwax Polystsin. That product is almost impossible to get applied evenly by hand, and if you have the capabilities to spray, there are much better toners that could be used. PolyStain woudl be the very last product I would recommend to use for anything. Did I make it clear I'm not fond of it?
Know what you mean...
Actually, I'm not a real big fan of anything minwax either. I was trying to think of some kind of toner that one could find in a hardware store with relative ease. But yes, I wouldn't try and brush it over anything, much something as complicated as a piano. Your brushmarks will equate to differences in pigmentation and look like faux grain at best and utter S@#$% at worst, especially with the old grain showing through. It's worked for us on a couple of occasions, though, , mostly for our install crew to use on cabinet refaces to darken the insides of face frames and stuff. If used at all, I would spray it.
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