Staining

[Charles Middleton]

Hi all,

Two questions on staining wood if anyone can help...

1. I like a coffee table at Ikea but they dont do it in the colour I want for my revised lounge decor! So I was thinking about buying it and attempting to stain it in dark brown! The material is:

Solid birch, Clear nitrocellulose lacquer

Whats the procedure for re-finishing this product in a dark brown stain and can anyone suggest a product that can do it?

1. After the success of fitting two yale type locks to my back door I now want to do the same to my front door. However, this door is stained in (you've guessed it!) dark brown. Removal of the existing fittings will mean Ive got some holes to fill in the door so its going to need re-finishing. How can I refinish currently stained wood? Is it a case of just sanding it down and staining it? Do I need to take it (hopefully not) back to bare wood?

Any advice on the above gratefully received.

CM.

[Stuart Noble]

Forget it would be my advice, unless you're prepared to strip the lacquer. Even then, the chances of a satisfactory result are slim

[Andy Dingley]

Forget it. You'll never get the lacquer off evenly enough to give a good result.

You might be able to do it with a glaze (effectively a coloured varnish), but this never looks quite as good.

[Weatherlawyer]

Nitromorse and fine syteel wool.

Then a stain of your choice. If you use a water based stain, wet the wood first to raise the grain. Then very fine sand with the grain do NOT use emery.

Let it dry for a day or so then more laquer/ varnish.

What is the finish? Preservative stain or just varnish? And what fittingas are you talking about?

You want to put a couple of Yale lock on the door? I hope you still have real lock on them. You press on a door that has only got a Yale lock on it, hard and fast enough, you will bend the tiny brass gizmo that is the only thing between you and total strangers.

Yale locks are handy but they are not very secure.

Nitromorse again to strip the door. It's no big deal. Use plenty of stuff. You may need two coats for it if is weather stained. Then finish as for the table but you will need some sort of preservative.

Just use brass plates and escutcheons to cover any holes that you patch. Obviously if you are happy with the finish except for the holes that are going to be, you won't need to bother with the rest of it.

[david lang]

Only two options - remove the laquer -sod of a job. Or, overcoat with a coloured varnish - never looks good IMO.

Dave