We recently received old school desks as a new owner present from the previous owners of our house. They are the old “rail” style desks that were from a school in <!—-><!—-> <!—->Pennsylvania<!—-> <!—-> from 1938. As a gesture to the previous owner, who sat in one as a child, as well as a gift to my daughters, I want to re-finish them to an heirloom quality. I am new to this and since the hardware is in pretty bad shape, I will try and do it without disassembly. <!—-> <!—-><!—->
I am unsure of the wood species, and the present finish, but think stripping it completely is my best bet. Any info on stripping techniques or products, and appropriate finishes would be greatly appreciated. <!—-> <!—->
Replies
The wood for these desks is probably a maple or something similar.
The finish that is left is probably just dirt by now. You may find that scrubbing the top with a maroon scotch pad and some type of cleaner like fantastic might be all you need.
Wet it well, scrub it with the pad and dry it as you go with paper towels. Do this a few times and you may be down to raw wood.
If the finish is intact, consider using a chemical stripper like Zip Strip. Read and follow the directions. It is a harsh chemical so rubber gloves and glasses are needed.
Once down to raw wood, start by sanding it with with 120 grit paper. Follow that with 150 grit and finish up with 180 grit. Don't worry too much about removing every flaw or nick. That is just the character of many young hands.
The finish I would choose for this would be a good varnish like Behlens RockHard. It flows out nicely under the brush and will give you a tough durable finish.
You said you are new to this. Do yourself a big favor and check out Hand Applied Finishes by Jeff Jewitt. Also, Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexnor. Take the time to read about the hows and whats of wood finishing. It will make the job a lot easier for you.
Peter
Thanks a ton. My main concern was if a chemical stripper would affect the wood. I am new at this and will take your advice and read up. I want to do it right and time is no issue.
Edited 12/4/2008 9:27 pm ET by agewon
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