Aboutmaura macaluso Expertise I can answer any and all questions, regarding, wood sculpture, wood carving, carving tools and accessories and different types of woods.I am not an appraiser of carvings nor an antique dealer.
Experience I do full design work, custom carving, restoration, fabrication, repair and refinishing. I can take a piece of raw wood and turn it into a work of art and I can help you do the same. I am "the" carving instructor for the new york city parks dept. I am heavily involved in carving on the internet and belong to many, many mail lists which are quite active. I am also an international promoter of woodcarving and am affiliated with many master carvers, notably nora hall, originally from holland, now in the U.S. and kalina pavlova, a bulgarian master carver. I routinely communicate with the top names in professional woodcarving nationally and internationally.
Organizations the national association of woodcarvers. the woodcarvers of queens NY, the staten island woodcarvers. the northeast woodcarving association. the world wide carving internet list
Publications chip chats-the national magazine of woodcarving. also at www.carvinginnyc.com
Education/Credentials Self taught artist and sculptor, 40 years of drawing and painting as a hobby, 5 years of serious woodsculpting. I have my own website and have written a 300 pg book on carving. I have published online tutorials and pictorial projects
Question I recently repainted a room and wanted to re-do my table and chairs to match the new color. My table was a very light color that looked like birch or pine. It had a clear coat on the top. I used stripper on the table and the legs and stripped off the clear coat. I then sanded it. I sanded the chairs which was kind of difficult because of the rungs, etc. After sanding, I applied Minwax and the color was jacobean. After applying the stain and wiping it off, the table top had a rustic look no area of the table too the stain the same way. The chairs looked awful after applying the stain and wiping it off. My sister then applied the stain and did not wipe it off. So right now the chairs and table have a thicker layer of stain that is not drying and is sticky. So I need the table finished. I would like to paint it black rather than mess around with the stain not spreading evenly. What do I do? Sand everything again, apply a primer, and then paint it black? what will prevent it from being sticky after painting it black? I'd like the table top to be smooth and not tacky so we can actualy use it for dinner, etc. Please help! Thank you!
Answer Hi Sarah,
"What do I do? Sand everything again, apply a primer,
and then paint it black? what will prevent it from being sticky after painting
it black?"
You, hopefully should not have to sand it again. You will need to strip it again, to remove the built up stain. Stain should be left on for only a short time and then the excess wiped off. As I have never dealt with a thick layer of semi-dried stain, I am hoping the stripper will deal with it but it is always possibly that if the stripper doesn't do the job, unfortunately you may have to resort to sanding. The table top needs to be smooth. But try the stripper first, I have a feeling it will work fine. You are planning to cover it with black paint so there is no need to worry about removing the stain(coloring) which has soaked into the wood. Then as you say, you should prime and paint. May I suggest that for a table top or seat top you use spray cans of primer and of enamel black spray -paint in a satin finish. By using the spray cans, you will lessen the risk that hand painting will leave brush strokes in your table top. Thanks for the question and good luck with your project.
