Removing Existing Finishes from Solid Oak Furniture
As with all solid wood furniture there are various options and finishes with oak furniture, even if your furniture has already had a finish applied you can still prepare and refinish it to achieve either a natural look, a complete new look or to match other furniture.
These guidelines cover removal of old finishes to oak dining room furniture or oak dining furniture, for example:-
Wax, Lacquer, Shellac, Paint, Varnish, Cellulose. The first step is to establish what type of
finish is on the existing item of furniture and then follow the guidelines listed below.
For furniture that is finished in Paint, Varnish, Cellulose, please follow these guidelines:-
1. Establish the particular finish your item of furniture currently has. (Further information can usually be obtained from your local timber suppliers if you are unsure of the existing finish).
2. Clear an area around the item of furniture and protect the floor [or move the item to a workshop if possible].
3. Ensure there is a good continuous draft of fresh air where ever you intend to work
4. Ensure there are no naked flames or heating appliances present in the work area or the room where the work is being undertaken and do not allow any cigarette smoking or lighters
5. Use personal protective equipment as appropriate:- Hand protection [pvc gloves], Eye protection [goggles or wrap round type safety glasses],Breathing protection if there is dust [nose and mouth dust mask],Overalls with long sleeves so that skin is not exposed, Shoes which provide cover to tops of feet - not flip flops
6. Keep all chemicals and substances out of reach of children and safely locked away when not in use.
7. Clean down the item of furniture with a lint free cloth.
8. Using a specialist furniture stripper (see colron.co.uk for details) apply the furniture stripper using a brush and leave for 15 - 30 minutes (until you can see that the stripper has penetrated the finish).
9. Using steel wool (00) remove the old finish rubbing along the wood grain.
10. If required repeat steps 8 and 9 until all of the old finish has been removed.
11. Using White spirit clean the item of furniture and leave to dry before re-finishing.
The following guidelines are for stripping solid oak furniture that has an existing finish of Wax or Shellac
1. Establish the type of finish your furniture currently has. (Further information can usually be obtained from your local timber supplier if you are unsure of the existing finish).
2. Clear an area around the item of furniture and protect the floor [or move the item to a workshop if possible].
3. Ensure there is a continuous draft of fresh air the where ever you intend to work.
4. Ensure there are no naked flames or heating appliances present in the work area or the room where the work is being undertaken and do not allow any cigarette smoking or lighters.
5. Use personal protective equipment as appropriate:- Hand protection [pvc gloves], Eye protection [goggles or wrap round type safety glasses],Breathing protection if there is dust [nose and mouth dust mask],Overalls with long sleeves so that skin is not exposed, Shoes which provide cover to tops of feet - not flip flops
6. Keep all chemicals and substances out of reach of children and safely locked away when not in use.
7. Clean down the item of vermont oak furniture with a lint free cloth.
8. Using specialist wax remover (see colorn.co.uk for details) and medium steel wool (000). Dip the steel wool into the wax remover and rub the furniture (along the grain) until the wax becomes sticky to touch.
9. Keep rubbing the item and cleaning off the old wax/shellac.
10. Using clean steel wool (000) and wax remover rub the item again until all of the old finish has been removed.
11. Leave the item of furniture to dry before rubbing down (with the grain) with steel wool without the wax remover.
12. The above process should remove all wax or shellac in preparation for refinishing.
To remove one finish, for example wax that has been applied over another existing finish please follow the guidelines below:-
1. Establish the type of finish your furniture currently has. (Further information can usually be obtained from your local timber supplier if you are unsure of the existing finish).
2. Clear an area around the item of furniture and protect the floor [ or move the item to a workshop if possible].
3. Ensure there is a continuous draft of fresh air the where ever you intend to work
4. Ensure there are no naked flames or heating appliances present in the work area or the room where the work is being undertaken and do not allow any cigarette smoking or lighters
5. Use personal protective equipment as appropriate:- Hand protection [pvc gloves], Eye protection [goggles or wrap round type safety glasses],Breathing protection if there is dust [nose and mouth dust mask],Overalls with long sleeves so that skin is not exposed, Shoes which provide cover to tops of feet - not flip flops
6. Keep all chemicals and substances out of reach of children and safely locked away when not in use
7. Using fine steel wool (00000) and specialist wax remover gently rub (with the grain) until you can see that one finish has been removed to leave the original finish underneath.
8. After wiping off any wax remover with a clean lint free cloth, the item of furniture should be back to its original finish.
Attention always read the manufactures advice when carrying out any projects of this nature, if you do not feel confident please contact a furniture specialist who will be happy to help or give advice.
For further information on removing finishes from oak furniture or oak beds please see www.southseastrading.co.uk for specialist oak furniture advice.
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