You are here:

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/refinish on dining room chair

Advertisement

Expert: - 11/25/2009


Question
a friend of mine used stain on top of paint on dining room chairs and it turned to liquid and will not harden. her son said to use acetone to get it to harden, i believe she will have to strip it, sand it, and then put on the desired stain. which will work?

Answer
Hi Ray, it depends on a few variables, like what stains one is using, and wether the chairs are painted or lacquered.Factory finished chairs won't be painted, they would most likely be lacquered with colored lacquer...as to whether it will dry...Minwax will not.Oil stains can't (and shouldn't) be used this way. Mineral spirits will likely take off the stain, with some 000 or 0000 steel wool and plenty of clean rags.Then after drying,if the finish left is ok, they could use a Gel stain to do this type of glaze effect. The Gel stains are in a polyurethane carrier and will dry predictably. Of course the surface needs to be thoroughly cleaned and prepped before using any finish medium over an existing finish, and a clear coat to seal the glazed finish is always a good idea.The General Wipe on Urethane Gel is also superior for this..Minwax makes Gel stains,and they're available near the yellow can stains... but the General Gel Stain products are better in my opinion. They can be found online and at WoodCraft...hope that helps- Greg

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2005555/GENERAL-Gel-Top-Coat-and-Stains.aspx

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.