Replies

1. 
   BruceS | Dec 10, 2006 03:10am | #1

   I really dislike stripping furniture with harsh strippers down to bare wood.  I prefer dissolving old finish, like shellac,  and removing the majority of it and leaving the patina in tact.  And give the piece a new coat of shellac.  Recently refinished my Grandmothers mahogany blanket chest that way and couldn't be more pleased.

   Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

1. 
   Gretchen | Dec 11, 2006 04:25am | #3

   I really dislike stripping furniture with harsh strippers down to bare wood.  I prefer dissolving old finish, like shellac,  and removing the majority of it and leaving the patina in tact.  And give the piece a new coat of shellac.

   Ummmm. Yes. Now what shall I do with this piece of furniture that has paint or other finish on it.  Stripping furniture with "harsh" strippers does not have to mean removing the wood patina.  If the grain of the wood is raised to high heaven by using water as the cleanup and then sanding, yes--the wood might as well be new. If mineral spirits are used there is a more minimal grain raising and the wood's patina can be preserved.  And, a coat of shellac can even be used--if it is a useful finish for the piece in question.Gretchen

1. 
   BruceS | Dec 11, 2006 05:21pm | #4

   Yes, I absolutely agree with all you said.  But paint wasn't mentioned in the original posting.   Unfortunately there are times using stripper is a must.Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

1. 
   Gretchen | Dec 11, 2006 09:26pm | #5

   Not to beat a dead horse, but shellac wasn't either. Shellac is about the only thing that will work this way. And it is so easy to strip with denatured alcohol--my very first choice.  Varnish isn't either, but a clear finish is easy to strip also.Gretchen

2. 
   ChipTam | Dec 10, 2006 05:17pm | #2

   Shucks, I thought you were talking about something else.

3. 
   forestgirl | Dec 12, 2006 02:17am | #6

   As you can tell by the discussion that immediately follows your post, we need more information in order to respond to your post.  What kind of finish does the furniture have?  If they are not painted, you can test the finish with a Q-tip and solvent.  Start with denatured alcohol, rub some onto a finished part.  If it dissolves, gets sticky/gunky, it's shellac.  If not, proceed to do the same with lacquer thinner -- obviously this will work on a lacquered finish.  Anything past that takes a paint stripper.

   I, too, prefer to "gently" refinish rather than strip.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)