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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Refinishing Whitewashed Entertainment Center

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Expert: - 4/3/2009


Question
Hello - My husband and I are moving into a new house that has a whitewashed wood entertainment center that is attached to the living room wall. We want to refinish it so that it's a dark wood color, but we have no clue where to even begin. Can you tell me what this project entails, and what products/tools we need to buy?
Thanks so much for your help!

Answer
Hi Angelina, the only way to accomplish that would be to strip it and refinish it, and that's a huge job. If you really have no clue how to do this type of work, I wouldn't recommend you try it as your first foray into this kind of project. In order to get a really professional looking result, you'll need to have a bit of experience with stripping, sanding, staining, and finishing wood, with all it's idiosyncrasies. It would take me several pages of writing to talk you through the whole job, especially if I had to explain everything from start to finish...basically, you have to either remove the piece from the wall,(which I would recommend so you can move it somewhere to work on it), or protect the whole area with masking, drop cloths etc.,because this is messy, smelly, work... then strip the finish off with chemical stripper, sand the surface and do any needed filling, or repairs, stain, and clear finish the piece. Any idea what type of wood it is?

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks

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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.

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