I have a customer with 4 chairs that have a dark finish that they want much lighter. Stripping sounds like the way to go but most shops are 3-4 hours away from me(Westchester, County NY). I don’t know if someone with way more skill than me could spray on some glazing layers to achieve this. How would you handle this? I am not going to suggest to them that I do either of these options. Thanks for you suggestions.
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Replies
IMO, stripping is the only way to go. However, given that the most effective ingredients of commercial strippers has been removed by law, it may take you two or three applications to get the job done. I'm not sure any more what the best product on the market is. Others may have better information on this.
Again, IMO, sanding the old finish off is not a good idea as the work will be very tedious and you risk not getting all of the old finish that may have penetrated the wood removed. Any left may adversely effect penetration of new stain, particularly if, as you suggest, it is lighter.
Professional stripping is a good way to go. But it appears that with travel cost, that option may be rather expensive for you and your client.
Shave or drill the bottom of a seat or leg to make sure the wood is light under the finish. Tough to promise "light wood finish" if the chairs are dark wood down to the bone.
^^^ What I was about to say. ^^^
Beware the “light” finish trap. I’d imagine there are quite a few shops in the Westchester area, especially once you get down to the Bronx. My shop in Brooklyn is only about an hour and a half away. There are a number of finishing shops in Sunset Park.
What ever you do, don’t decide to try and sand it off.
Call Condon and see if they have a recommendations. There are a lot of mill houses in the Stamford area, so must be finish shops as well.
Check to see the natural color of the wood, as mj said. A clear finish won't make the wood lighter than that, even after stripping or sanding.
If there is a dark finish now, and you spray on light glazing layers, what you are doing is painting the chairs. It's an option, but it's paint, whatever the name.
Maybe approach the project in stages? Suggest getting them stripped first with no promises on the finish. They could turn out to be horrible glueups with crazy sapwood stripes under there....