A neighbor has what looks like a white oak breakfast table. It is a commercial table with what looks like a light finish; maybe poly. As this table is the only thing in the house that is a light color, the question is: how would one darken it to better match the rest of the household furniture; other than selling it and buying something that matches? Can it be stripped or just sanded to put a stain on it?
Thunder
A dark table cloth? Darkening white oak kills its natural beauty.
I once asked a carpenter how much for installation on an entry door I had purchased. He told me that the price for installation was the same as the cost of the door. This seemed a little high for a door install so I asked him about it and he said it was so if he screwed it up he could replace the door.
This story comes to mind when I think about the project you mentioned. IMHO sanding off a cured commercial finish and the underlying stain if it is verneer without damaging it would be an accomplished feat not for the faint of heart. Personally I doubt it could be done, speaking in context of the finishes I am accustomed to applying (conversion varnishes, pre-cat lacquer, etc.).
Is it oak hardwood? What about the edge details that will have to be sanded? Maybe disassemble the table and sand off the finish/stain then cut off the edge detail and reedge with a router bit. This might save time overall. If its not oak hardwood but one of the cheap hardwoods they use in commercial furniture production I would pass it up. Better yet quote them a table you can build yourself!
I have never used strippers other than cleaning a conversion gun so I have no experience there.
Rich
I'll have another, closer look to verify. It looks like something you'd get at an oak furniture store. I'll have to verify it isn't a veneer.
Thunder
It is possible that ammonia fumes will darken it with the finish left in place. An article in FWW many years ago (Tage Frid??) described an emergency save of a contract job that was accomplished that way.
Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a
"Biologists think they are chemists, chemists think they are phycisists, physicists think they are gods, and God thinks He is a mathematician." Anon
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