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I recently purchased a vintage Haywood Wakefield dinette set. The set consists of a table and four chairs along with a china hutch. It is made of solid birch that has been stain a dark brown. The set was originally finished in the famous “blonde” color that Haywood
Wakefield called Wheat.
I would like to refinish the set and try and get back the original light color. Does anyone know the best way to refinish this. I’m assuming I will need to strip it and sand it, but I don’t know the best way to finish it. I will do it myself and I don’t have access to a sprayer. Any help would be appreciated.
Bill
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I am in the process of refinishing a heywood wakefield bedroom set. The previous owner had painted it blue! Anyway, the wood is birch and Champagne is stamped on the back of one of the pieces. Does anyone know what I should use once all pieces are stripped and sanded?
Thanks,
Kassie
*The original champagne stain on fresh birch left it a whitish-pink-yellow (well champagne color). We duplicated the original stain from the original formula from the factory. Unfortunately the recipe calls for raw materials generally not available to the consumer. I think that it was applied as a toner over a washcoat by the original factory process. The effect of wiping the stain on will be a different effect.Over time the yellowing of the birch, the yellowing of the lacquer topcoat and the yellowing of the binder in the stain makes the whole effect a deep straw color.If you want to duplicate the original stain, its a mix of white, raw sienna, burnt umber and venetian red. You can make it with concentrated Japan colors or universal colors. If you want to duplicate the color of the pieces after yellowing, a medium yellow/straw color stain like McCloskeys Danish Walnut will come very close. I'd washcoat with a spit coat of shellac before applying the stain, especially the endgrain.Jeff Jewitt
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