Expert: Eileen Cronk - 11/28/2009

Question
Hello, Eileen.  I have an 80+ yr old wooden, swivel desk chair (the kind you see the 1940's newspaper editor seated in when he's yelling at someone about not getting the "big story", in old movies)that I've begun to strip using a brush on paste/dull scraper.  Now that our Ohio weather has gone cold, I won't have the warm outside air the stripper calls for and plan to use sandpaper to finish it off.  Is it possible to damage the natural grain in a wood by using a too course grade sandpaper.  I have no idea what type wood I'm dealing with, that's why I tried to describe what the chair looks like earlier in this post.  Thanks for your time and expertise.  

Answer
Hi Chuck
Nice to hear from you.
It certainly is possible to totally ruin this lovely old oak (well likely oak LOL),chair with sandpaper.
Chuck please do not use sandpaper of any kind on this chair.
A properly stripped piece of furniture never needs sanding. I always say it was sanded to perfection when it was made.
Even if you have to put the chair away till a nice day, don't sand at all.
I have seen many many lovely old pieces of furniture destroyed by sandpaper.
I also want to send you the correct stripping procedure.
You will notice that steel wool is used during the stripping process.
This acts as an abrasive. You actually kick up sanding dust during the stripping process.
Thats all the abrasion necessary. You cannot ruin the woods patina this way. You can with sandpaper.
Chuck remember. We remove a finish from old furniture only because the old one has broken down and no longer protects the wood.
It should never be the intent to make lovely old wood look new. Thats what a lot of folks try to do with sandpaper.
So wait for a nice day and remove the rest of the finish correctly (with the correct stripper).
Here is the stripping info

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STRIPPING FURNITURE
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
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.
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.
Depending on the material you are removing, another coat of stripper is often needed but you will know this as you progress into the job.
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
Please let me know if anything is not 100% clear.
Good luck and great question
Eileen