Stripping back stained Tasmanian Oak to its natural colour

[robenkel]

Hi All!

I'm hoping that all of these experienced members can help me out!

We have recently purchased a brand new Tasmanian Oak dining table which is just lacquered in its natural form. We have come across a Tasmanian Oak Hal stand which almost matches our dining table perfectly, however it has been stained quiet a dark colour.

I have just started researching and haven't had much luck as yet, however is it possible to completely strip/sand the stand back to its natural colours and lacquer?

Looking forward to hearing from you all soon

Kell

[robenkel]

Hi Everyone!

After reading through some threads on here I realise I am a complete novice not even knowing where to start - however any feedback would be greatly appreciated so I know whether to buy this hall satnd or not.

Thank you

[dr4g0nfly]

The answer probably starts with a lot of questions.

On the Hallstand you want to strip;

What is the finish over the top of the stain, do you know?
what is the Stain base or how was it applied. In the Shellac, alcohol/ethanol spirit, or other?
Has it penetrated the timber or is it 'sat' on top? The first you're stuck with, the latter can be removed.

Post as much detail as you can, photos with a few close-up might help as well.

But truthfully, it may require a strip down and or a visit to a professional.

[robenkel]

Hi dr4g0nfly,

Thank you so so much for your response.

From what I can see there is a lot more to it that I originally thought! We took a gamble and purchased the hall stand, so now to work out what to do and where to start.


I have attached a few photo's I took this morning from my phone. Does this help at all at determining the finish? I've also attached a small pic of the style of the dining table we have purchased so you can see the comparison.Hall Stand 2.jpgHall Stand 1.jpgHall Stand.jpgphoto.jpg

Im actually quiet excited to have a go at this.....but Im starting to think I may be out of my depth!

Will wait to hear from you

Kell

[robenkel]

.......ok follow up post that may help. I have been lucky enough to track down the company that built this item and apparently they use Lacquer to finish their items.

Any advise on where to go from here would be fabulous!

[dr4g0nfly]

Not sure if you want to do this yourself start to finish. It may be easier to take to a professional paint stripping company to get the lacquer off then just finish the job with abrasive and your choice of finish. It would be the quick and (quite honestly) sensible option.

But just in case...

A lacquer finish could mean many things, but it's modern so hopefully it's a coloured lacquer and is laying on the surface of the wood.

Have a look on the underside of the top, it should be coated but probably not so thickly, just enough to stabilise the wood against humidity movement.

If it has been, turn it over and try whatever solvent's you have to hand, metho, white spirit, etc, to see if any of them soften it. If it does, you can use it to strip the rest of the lacquer. This will be the best option as it will mean less work with any abrasives. Unfortunately it will also be the messiest, and please do it with plenty of ventilation.

If not, do you have a Cabinet Scraper or at a push a very slightly curved Plane Blade you can use as a scraper (do you know how to use?) to try to scrape back to the wood. Be careful, the more damage you cause, the more sanding you will need to do.

[Master Splinter]

My guess would be that it's coated in a tinted polyurethane lacquer; that's the most popular finish from a manufacturing point of view.

I'd give it a rub (somewhere hidden) with a tissue with some nail varnish remover (acetone) on it; if it doesn't soften, yup, it's polyurethane.

If it is poly, methylene chloride will be your best bet for paint stripper; expect to pay around $60 for a 4 litre tin of it. You'll also want a set of PVC rubber gloves, eye protection and I highly recommend a respirator. Do it outside, the stuff is nasty!

Paint stripping is a slow, messy business that for something for that size you should expect to take something like 20-40 hours to get it back to a surface you can recoat.

My suggestion is to call the manufacturer and see if you can have one made to your colour choice and ebay that one!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

If it's a tinted finish, it can be stripped off in a fairly straight-forward manner. A lot of time & elbow grease but you're only removing the outermost 'skin' of the timber. There are multiple methods to do this: I dislike chemical strippers myself, for all their speed, and favour the old technique of "Scraping, sanding, scraping, sanding, who's got the Denco-rub?"

If, however, it was finished with an oil- or spirits-based stain, then clear coats... I wouldn't even try!

I'd flip the stand upside-down, look for a section that's "out of sight & out of mind" and try sanding a small sample area.

Should it all come off neatly, exposing, 'clean' timber, then you're probably right to go. If not, I don't s'pose you'd consider going t'other way & staining the table to match?

[robenkel]

I can't thank everyone enough for taking the time to respond to me!!!! Each and everyone's input has had my mind boggling for a few days now...when my ear is on something i usually don't stop until its finished!

I have contacted a couple of restoration places to get get an idea of price for them to strip it down for me, and thats is coming in quiet expenisve. I'm thinking worse case scenario I will try it myself (with the help of my Dad) and if it doesnt work I may have to end up going down that route.

I will be sure to keep everyone here up to date. Could never ask for all your ideas and then not let you know how it turns out.

Apparently we need an orbital sander which my Dad is bringing over......I'm getting nervous!!! So silly though, its only a piece of (expensive) furniture!

Kell

[dr4g0nfly]

Kell,

I'm glad that you've sufficient methods to find the one you need to achieve the aim. We're already looking forward to the finished piece.

I'm getting nervous!!! So silly though, its only a piece of (expensive) furniture!l

It's only made of wood and for the price of the stuff, you wouldn't think it 'grew on trees!'

[JB]

That hallstand looks like timber veneer t0 me, though I could be wrong and apologies if I am. If it is you will need to go very easy with the orbital sander, especially near the edges.

[ubeaut]

JB looks to have nailed it with his above comment. I also think it looks like veneer rather than solid timber. Maybe ask the manufacturer.

I have to say the best bet for an amateur/novice would be to get it done by someone who knows what they're doing. Attacking it with an orbital sander will most likely do little or nothing other than clog abrasive.

I'm all for people having a go and doing it yourself but if you really have no idea what you are doing then it's not a good idea to start with something good. If your dad has done this sort of thing before and it worked out then maybe it's worth having a go.

If it is veneered (as it appears to be) then you have a whole new problem especially around edges and corners where it's easy to sand through the thin veneer of timber.

If you do go ahead with it..... Good luck and I look forward to seeing the results.

Cheers - Neil

PS Sometimes it's better to buy a matching piece (if available). Buying something else that may be similar and cheaper, then having to do it up to suit is sometimes false economy as it can end up costing more than actually getting a specific article made for you.

[robenkel]

.............ok, so after much deliberation we decided to give it a go.

We decided to use a Paint & Varnish Stripper to get the majority of the Lacquer off which did seem to do the trick.

Its still a work in motion and sanding very slowly but it seems to be coming up well. Here are a couple of photos....what are your opinions so far?Hall Stand Sanding.jpgHall Stand Sanding 1.jpg

[Master Splinter]

For the next step (refinishing) make sure you've got all the paint stripper remnants off, especially out of any porous grain areas. A toothbrush or nail brush can help with this.

To match the other piece (in a n00b friendly way) I'd suggest several coats of Minwax Wipe-on Poly (gloss or satin). Do a colour test on the underside to make sure you're happy with the colour match to the existing piece.

[robenkel]

Hi everyone!

So we have just finished our third coat of lacquer and am pretty happy with our very first try at fixing up some furniture.

Thanks so much for all your input, so glad we decided to give it a go!

Kell

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