Expert: Greg Scholl - 12/31/2008

Question
I have an oak table and chairs from around 1920.The top has a brand new oak veneer.The sides of the table and the chairs were sanded but not to the bare wood.I'd like to strip everything to bare wood and put a clear coat on everything.The legs are bear claw type with hard to get to spots.I've never done this before,what kind of stripper and clear coating can you recommend?

Answer
Hi Joe, stripping it all would be the best, and it's fairly straight forward to do. You can use a Methylene Chloride stripper which are fast and thorough, or Citristrip, which is safer, and takes just a little longer to work. Apply it liberally, an 1/8" or more, in one direction, laying it on in one direction instead of back and forth like you're painting, allow it to work for at least 15-20 mins., recoat any dry areas during this time, then scrub it off with some #2-#3 steel wool. On the flat surfaces, you can use a plastic stripping knife or a wide taping knife to take off the slurry. Re-apply a second time and let it sit again for 10-20 minutes, then scrub it all off again, and then wipe the table as dry as you can with rags, ( I like old towels torn into approx. 12" squares), and then scrub the table completely dry with #1 steel wool. You should be left with a clean bare surface....let that dry overnight, and then sand lightly with something like 120-150 grit. Sanding increases the adhesion of the new finish as well as smoothing the surface and removing any traces of wax and residue from the stripper.Strippers contain waxes and additives to keep the active solvents from evaporating too quickly, and a film of these is left behind after drying. Then it's time to decide if you want to stain, and I would suggest using one. It increases the depth of the final finish and will give the Oak a richer tone. I would steer you towards Gel stains and a Gel Urethane topcoat, for the ease of application, durability, and "goof proof-ness", of these finishes. The General Gels are the best in my opinion, but Bartley and Minwax make a Gel stain that's good too. These stains are also polyurethane based which makes them seal and color in one operation. The Gel Urethane topcoat is an excellent product, easy to apply, and resists lap marks, and many of the other pitfalls of typical varnishes. Just read and follow all the directions on the products and you should be able to get good, pro results on your table. If you need me during the process, just post back- best of luck- Greg

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