Fireplace

[StuartKHall]

Hi,

I have an old wood fireplace (can anyone tell what sort of wood it is?) and I want to give it a fresher look, what's the best thing to use on it??

Thanks

[Sir Stinkalot]

Sorry no idea about the wood but I will adjust the contrast so others can see.

Stinky

[craigb]

Nice fireplace. Aussie cedar perhaps?

[StuartKHall]

Thanks, any idea how I can maybe lighten it a bit? Sand back and then oil? What should I oil it with?

Thanks

[behindblueeyes]

Sand back to bare timber then apply a non yellowing finish. solvent based finishes will tend to yellow then darken red timbers over time.

Be careful however of some water based clears which may give red timbers a real "milky" kind of finish. I have found that building up many very thin coats of water based clear may help to minimise this.

Would love to se a photo of the end result. This timber looks like it will be something special when completed.

[craigb]

Do you know what the finish is on it now?
It may be shellac based in which case you can clean and revive it wthout having to sand it back and refinish.
Here's how you can tell if it has a shellac finish:
Find a spot on it that won't show, then put some metho on a cloth and lightly rub the surface. If after a few seconds the polish begins to soften, then it's probably shellac based and you should be able to use a French polish reviver like Ubeaut sell.
If it was mine, I don't think I'd be trying to "lighten" the wood.

HTH
Craig

[q9]

It sort of looks like it might have a rosewood stain or something like that, used to be quite fashionable for timber work.

[StuartKHall]

Hi Everyone,

I finally got around to sanding it back, I then put on a french polish finish. Heres a picture of before, during and after.

[Stylesy]

Nice job, the colour's come out really well

The sanding job would have taken me the past 19 months as well

Craig

[Rocker]

What is a fireplace?

Rocker

[johnc]

It's the scientific term to describe the method used to dispose of wood offcuts and toast marshmellows at the same time. By the way Stuart the finished job has come up well the French Polish would have been my prefered method as well.

JohnC

[StuartKHall]

Thanks everyone, I was pleased with the way it came out.

Can anyone tell from the "during" photo what type of wood it is? Could it be Jarrah?

[johnc]

The few I've seen in the Eastern States seem to be Australian hardwood, similar to Tassie Oak and a couple out of red pine which is softish and brittle. Can't tell from the photo and my timber knowledge is pretty limited hopefully someone else might have a clue.

JohnC