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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Ugly stains on old oak umbrella tree

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Expert: - 7/31/2008


Question
We purchased an old oak umbrella/coat tree with what appeared to be the original finish. Our refinisher stripped it, only to find deeply embedded, dark splotchy stains. Unfortunately, he 'finished' it with minwax and now we have a beautiful old umbrella - coat rack with ugly dark stains. Can you suggest a way to remove these stains without disassembling and sanding?

Answer
Hi Mary
Nice to hear from you.
Unfortunately these stains should have been removed prior to staining and applying a finish.
The only recourse now is to start over by stripping.
Then the piece must be bleached with wood bleach then stained and a new finish applied.
Do not sand this piece.
Hope this helps
Regards
Eileen

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Eileen Cronk

Expertise

Hi..I can answer most questions about the repairing,stripping and refinishing of all your old furniture and wood items(the things we call antiques)I can give advice about what to buy/avoid at auctions/flea markets. I do not give appraisals on antiques.

Experience

I have been refinishing antiques for the past 30yrs. While I have taken several courses over the years,I have found that "hands on" learning is the best teacher. Perhaps I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made while learning.

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