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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/refinishing bleached wood

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Expert: Greg Scholl - 9/20/2009


Question
My son bought a 2 story house that has a lovely staircase and great woodwork through out. The problem: Probably original homeowners in the 50-60's decided that they probably didn't like the dark wood which is that reddish brown appearance so they bleached it I've been told...Is there any way you can refinish this wood and restore it back to a darker color?

Answer
Hi ReJean, it could be stripped, prepped, stained and refinished surely, but it's a huge job. It's unlikely that someone would bleach something like this, but it is possible that exposure to UV and oxidation over 40-50 years could bleach out wood like this. Mahogany is famous for this, bleaching from a deep Blood red, to a light Lemon yellow from exposure to UV. Cherry will darken with this same exposure. If you could post a picture, I could probably tell what type of wood it is, and what you could expect from it, and should you want to change it, how best to go about it.....regards- Greg

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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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