I have a Restaurant that I am looking to renovate. I have little to no knowledge of woodwork or finishes. We have done our last renovation approximately 12 years ago and we are looking to freshen up the look. I have hired an interior designer and much as it pains me we are looking at trying to refinish the oak. Now I know I am gonna get a lot people saying that it doesnt need to be changed but thats not what I am asking. As you can see from the picture below we have a ton of oak and its not feasible to sand, stain and re varnish. I would love to maintain the original grain, but im pretty sure I am out of luck,. Is their is any product that I could apply directly over the varnished oak like a primer that would allow me to put a lacquer over top with minimal to no prep. I know its a lot to ask for but the alternative is to rip it all out or cover it up with a painted mdf. So in short I guess I need easy installation and durable. Thanks in advance for any advice
Replies
Clean well, do a scuff sand and then spray a couple of light coats of 1.5 lb cut dewaxed shellac. You can then apply pretty much anything over top of that.
If you use a shellac retarder, you could conceivably brush it on, although that's a lot of surface area to brush.
Even though it is see-through, shellac will add some color. More or less, depending on the type of shellac you use, but even the lightest ultra blonde will add some amber. Depending on the color you want to end up with, you can probably adjust the tint on the lacquer accordingly - or you may like what the shellac adds.
Let the shellac cure well - a week - before applying the lacquer, and you won't have an issue with durability.
revitalizing
PK
Take it slow - you don't have to rip everything out - the finish appearance can be improved.
Test on one small section before committing to the entire area.
There is nothing wrong with staying with the varnish finish.
SA
I assume this is not a DIY project. You should be asking the finisher who would be hired to do the job. He will be more able to judge what is on the oak to begin with. (It may well not be varnish, for example.) He will also have a set of tools and skills that will work best for him. Refinishing this in place, along with the new upholstery, may well cost more than installing new, where things are done and completed in the shop. Every day you have to shut down for the remodel is REALLY expensive, as you know, so factor that in as well.
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