Expert: Eileen Cronk - 9/4/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Eileen! I recently bought a pair of Conant Ball end tables designed by Richard Wright http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture_item_detail.php?id=175841 for $65 (!) and was excited to find that they sell for up to $1650, if of course they are perfect. They are birch and came in two colors: blonde and a reddish tone. I'm not sure which color these were, and they were first stained with a dark walnutish stain, perhaps over the original finish (lots of drip and bush marks so it doesn't seem to have soaked into the wood, but I'm not sure) and THEN were painted over again. I got the first layer off with Murphy's Oil Soap undiluted and superfine steel wool. Now, I'm not sure how to proceed.

I don't have the money for a professional refinishing job at the moment, but will in the next year or two. In the meantime, I'd like them to look presentable. Is there a way to lift stain off an original finish without destroying the original finish too badly? Or should I bite the bullet and strip them and restain in a color close to the original, knowing I'll have them professionally done in the future. I'd like to not destroy their worth too much more than their previous owners did!

Also, there are some gouges on the top: If I strip, should I fill/sand those or leave them?

I attached a pic of my table (the worst one).

Thanks!


ANSWER: Hi Karen
Nice to hear from you.
How you ever got paint off the table with Murphys soap and steel wool is beyond me LOL.
Yes I believe you are correct in that someone did something to the piece.
It looks like a colored poly has been applied (thats poly with stain added).
The spots are called "fish eyes" and caused by contamination of the wood or poly.
Unfortunately there is no way to remove this without stripping.
Very easy job in this case.
I could strip this piece in less than an hour. Apply a new stain then a top coat...super easy.
I would not fill anything at this point.
Any filling must take place after stripping and I don't think its necessary even then in this case.
The tables appear to be veneer and sanding should not be considered at this point either.
Karen you can do this with a bit of guidance.
Just ask.
Kind Regards
Eileen


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Eileen,

Thanks so much for your response! Everything is much clearer now. As far as the Murphy's Oil Soap, the dealer had started it, and found decent color underneath so told me to keep on with it. I don't really know what was on the table, paint or otherwise, other than it was brown, but it did work! Who knew? :)

I would love to have your guidance on how to strip these tables so they can look lovely when my new sofa arrives. What product should I buy? And how can I tell whether it is a veneer or not? The deeper scratches didn't show up well in the picture, but I do hope they will perhaps be less noticeable? OK, enough with the 20 Questions: I'm looking forward to your instructions!

Have a great week and thanks again!

Karen

ANSWER: Hi again Karen
Not 20 questions at all LOL.
If you don't ask you will never learn and you seem keen to do so.
OK..how do you tell its veneer?
Veneer as you may know is a very thin wood (about 1/16 inch thick) applied over solid wood.
When I look at your table top I also see what appears to be only one board, and in this case it tells me the top is veneered...but..I only now was able to see the sample picture in the link you sent.
Could not open it yesterday. If your tables are like this they are solid birch (bonus).
But you can detect veneer by looking and you have the piece there so its easy.
Look at the back edges. Do you see a thin layer of wood over a thick piece.
Pull out the drawer. Look at the edges.
Look underneath at the edges. If its veneer you will know in a second.
OK..thats the veneer lesson LOL.
Here are my full stripping instructions which apply to your tables.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STRIPPING KARENS TABLES
The first thing you must do is assemble the material to do the job.
The stripper is the most important item.  
I am hoping you can get "CIRCA 1850" brand paint and varnish remover in your area.
Here is a link
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=1694&familyN

MATERIAL LIST For the stripping stage.
1 gallon stripper (I feel you need at least half this for your tables so it will be as cheap as buying two quarts, and you will have some left for your next project).
3 boxes of Bull Dog steel wool in medium grade.
One 3 inch oil based paint brush.
Rubber gloves (like you do dishes with), and a pair of cotton gloves inside the rubber ones.
People react differently to stripper. A lot of people feel heat through the rubber gloves, but I feel cold. Have no idea why.
An empty large coffee can. (for the stripper)
A couple of old tooth brushes.
Lots of old rags (I like t-shirts or cotton but for this first stage whatever you have)
Lots of newspaper to protect the garage floor
LOTS OF VENTILATION..A MUST
That's all you need to get started.
HERES WHAT YOU DO...
Work in sections. Perhaps start on the top and work down.
Brush on the stripper with the brush. Stripper will quit working if it dries, so keep it wet till the finish softens.
Then take a rag and wipe this mess off.
Then another coat of stripper, rag off again, then while the wood is still wet, take the steel wool and rub with the grain till the wood is nice and clean. In some cases another coat of stripper is needed but it depends on the finish you are removing.
Use the toothbrush in crevices.
Thats all there is to it ...move to another section and continue.
No other prep is necessary...and DO NOT SAND
We will discuss the scratches after the stripping.
You are going to see they do not look as bad after stripping, but we will decide then and also about stain and finish.
Don't want to boggle you with a whole lot now.

Please let me know if anything is not 100% clear.
Kind Regards
Eileen




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Eileen:

Thanks to your directions, the tables are now stripped, although it took forever because of the horrible finish. I used Bix Tuff Job Remover. Some of the old finish refused to come off, so I ended up having to sand somewhat to get the rest off, using a 150-grit medium sanding sponge. (I tried fine to begin with, and the steel wool, but it wasn't working!) It was pretty difficult! I did get the cigarette burns to lighten with the medium steel wool. Even so, they are still blotchy. What to do now? I've been looking at stains and oils, so many options! I'd like to stick close to the original look, so it would have to be something that could come off in the future. I've attached a picture of the worse one, which looks a thousand times better ... Thanks for all your help so far: This has been hard, but kind of fun! I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Karen


Answer
Hi again Karen
Great picture of the table top with the damage.
This damage must be sanded out. Nothing else will fix this.
You had your veneer lesson and are 100% sure this is solid birch..correct?
So start sanding.
When we sand out such damage, we often have a tendency to concentrate only on the damage. The result of this will be indents in the top that look horrible after the finish is applied.
So you must sand the entire top the same amount.
Karen the only way you will accomplish this is with a random orbit sander. You will kill yourself trying this by hand.
Borrow one or purchase a cheap one. I see the cheapies for $29.99 often.
Start with 80 grit paper. Then go to 120 grit paper (this 120 will be the one you use the most.) Then when you think you have the damage removed, go to 220 grit paper and finally I like to give a good rub with fine steel wool.
After the sanding you will apply a stain.
Once again I could not access the sample picture of the table but if memory serves, its a warm blond color.
But go to the stain section of the paint store. Look for Minwax oil stains. Choose a similar color from the color charts...I have in my head Golden oak is the color you will choose but have a look.
Then test in a hidden spot before you apply to make sure its the color you want.
You want a finish thats easily removed down the road, but will still offer good protection.
Only one choice here. Use tung oil.
I like the Circa 1850 brand.
Both the stain and the oil are applied with a rag.
One coat of stain and 3 to 4 coats of the tung oil.
Keep me posted.
Eileen