Hey All!
My first post (of likely a few as I go through this process). I recently bought some Koefoed Rosewood dining chairs that I need to refinish. I think I’ll need to sand the old stain and re-stain them.
This is my first woodworking job, so I’m looking for some tips on the best type of sander to use as well as thing I should be aware of when working with rosewood.
Thank you!
Replies
Pictures of the chairs would really help.
I don’t have a pictures of the chair at this moment. But here is a link to the same chairs. Just a bit better condition.
https://prayformodern.com/product/1960s-danish-rosewood-dining-chairs-by-niels-koefoed/
I also attached a photo of a rosewood table I will be refinishing. But that will be a later project, once I’m
done the chairs.
If you must remove all of the existing finish and re-stain and re-finish, I strongly recommend that you either chemically strip them yourself or hire someone to do it. Sanding something like that will require a lot of intricate hand work and you risk not removing all of the original stain and finish that has penetrated the wood. The latter will/may prevent even absorption of new coatings.
Thanks for the response! The reason I thought I was to sand was based on the person who I bought them from.
He said, since rosewood fades overtime I need to get right down to the wood to bring back the dark grain. But maybe I’ll try chemically stripping first and seeing how it looks.
When I chemically strip - should I take the entire chair apart first and strip then refinish each piece individually before reassembling?
Thanks!
Mid-century Scandinavian furniture used a combination of teak and rosewood. The table appears to be made of teak, the chairs are teak with back slats of rosewood, could also be Pao Ferro, a substitute to rosewood, they also used afromosia in place of teak in many cases. As for sanding them, the main risk is your inexperience. There is likely no stain to remove, just a worn danish oil finish that sands away easily. You should practice with something less pricey.
Thanks for the response! The reason I thought I was to sand was based on the person who I bought them from.
He said, since rosewood fades overtime I need to get right down to the wood to bring back the dark grain. But maybe I’ll try chemically stripping first and seeing how it looks.
Also - thanks for letting me know about the wood. It’s a bit darker looking than typical teak wood (imo) and so when I was to it was rosewood, that made sense to me.
When I chemically strip - should I take the entire chair apart first and strip then refinish each piece individually before reassembling?
Only disassemble the parts that are screwed if any, otherwise it is just about impossible to take appart glued parts. It’s not been my experience that rosewood gets lighter with time, it may be because when freshly finished, the danish oil will add a amber and darker hue that disappeared with time as the finish wears away.Real teak comes in two tones, when making a piece of furniture, one used to choose between the darker pieces and the light blond teak. Both are similar in texture but do not mix well due to the difference in color. Those older chairs and table used the darker teak, my complete boat interior is also made of darker teak, when doing repairs, I used the lighter kind and it comes out as a sore thumb.
My suggestion, without seeing the chairs, would be to start cleaning them with mineral spirit. That may be good enough to skip the stripping and then a light scuffing with scotch brite and a few coats of danish oil may keep them perfectly restaured.
The lighting isn’t the best here, I’ll try and get better pictures. But you can see the top of the chair is much lighter than the rest.
The repaired area on the first picture will require chipping the excess glue and sanding to bare wood but the rest is a matter of cleaning , light sanding to blend the color and finishing with good quality danish oil.
Thanks! Will do.
I appreciate your response and insight. I was just going based on what the person I bought told me. He buys/refinished and resells so I figured he would’ve known!
But thank you. I’ll do some more reading and plan to clean and then finish with some oil.
I agree with gulfstar, clean it all up with ms then apply a couple of coats or more of danish oil and see how it looks. If you don't like it, then you can strip it.
Will do, thank you for your help!
When you get to working on the table, be very careful as the table top is book matched veneer with solid wood banding. And from your picture the center of the table looks like it has already been refinished, or at least had the existing finish removed.
That’s kind what I figured! I added a few more pictures.
So it is veneer? I wasn’t sure but thank you for your response!
I think the colour difference is because the centre is exposed to light and usage all the time whereas the leaves are tucked under the top and only exposed when needed. have kept their original colour.
Thanks everyone for your help! I had them outside today so was able to take a few better pictures!
I will plan to clean them with some ms and then just oil them.
The top of the backrest has turned gray, it will need a light sanding to regain its color before applying the finish.
Thanks! So after cleaning with mineral spirits, use a really fine grit sandpaper and an orbital sander to sand it a bit?
Yes, bare teak will turn gray with time if exposed to sunlight, a light scuffing will rapidly bring back the caramel color, hand sanding with the grain with 120-150 grit may be easier, the goal being to blend the color evenly au the top of the backrest and in wear areas.
I would handsand, staying with the grain . Any swirls you might get from an orbital sander can be difficult to remove and will show in the final finish. Sometimes fast turns out to not be.
Two things: Check to see if the finish is intact and not compromised on the veneered top. I would clean with naphtha myself. If the top finish has bare spots it will reveal those spots and because of its nature and because it evaporates quickly will tend not to discolor the raw wood. If the top finish is intact then sand, but very carefully -320 grit to scuff the finish but NOT sand through.
If there are areas where the finish is gone, sunburned / worn off completely and it's bare wood then it is likely or at least possible that when you apply the new finish the top will have a blotchy appearance. If you have barespots it might be necessary to completely remove the old finish on the top before refinishing. I tend to avoid chemical strippers on veneer ,if it works fine and if it doesnt it can cause a catastrophe! I would cardscrape and then sand to remove the old finish. Getting the sunbleached tabletop and protected leaves to end up an exact match can be difficult because of the thinness of the veneer . To get an exact match might involve chemistry, tinted shellac ,stains or dye and you have nothing to practice on but the thing itself. There is a conservator at the Smithsonian that can pull that off on a first try! Hardwood parts are much more forgiving, messing with veneers can bite you!