| Subject | Date Asked |
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| staining an office chair | 11/20/2009 |
Q: Ok, my boss asked me to do a "project" the other day and gave me a wooden desk to sand and stain to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What your boss wants you to do is not possible without removing all the ...
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| waterproofing vanity top | 11/20/2009 |
Q: I would like to change an antique dresser into a bathroom vanity. What is the best way to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You will need to coat the top with 3 coats of the best quality poly. Make ...
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| Stripping "new" finish | 11/19/2009 |
Q: I purchased a reproduction clock, in oak. When I received the piece I find that it has this hideous ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You will need what is called an MC stripper. Here is an example ...
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| Finish coat for kitchen table | 11/19/2009 |
Q: I am ready to stain and coat my maple kitchen table. I am looking for a satin finish that is tough, ...
A: You are so right LOL. Poly always drips off the edge. So heres what you do. Get a clean rag in one ...
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| Finish coat for kitchen table | 11/18/2009 |
Q: I am ready to stain and coat my maple kitchen table. I am looking for a satin finish that is tough, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I will tell you exactly what I have on my maple top kitchen table. Its tough, ...
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| stripping an outside pine door | 11/17/2009 |
Q: I just read your instructions for stripping cabinets with Circa 1850. I followed them but have more ...
A: Oh what a dilemma you have. Is this door off the hinges and lying flat? You just cannot do this type ...
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| schlack finish | 11/16/2009 |
Q: i just schlacked a wall of new pine paneling (2 coats) what is the wearability of todays schlack?
A: Nice to hear from you. Its one of the best and most durable finishes out there in my opinion. Its ...
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| sanding and varnishing dinning table and buffet table | 11/16/2009 |
Q: me and my wife are looking to save money on a new dinning room set with buffet table but after ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Usually to do what you want to do, we strip and refinish the pieces. You ...
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| greasy fingerprints on cupboard doors | 11/15/2009 |
Q: OUr house was built 6 years ago, and already I have oily fingerprints on my kitchen cupboard doors ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This area is always a problem for greasy finger marks. I am surprised the ...
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| re-finishing a dining set | 11/12/2009 |
Q: I recently bought an entire discontinued Ethan Allen dining set on the cheap (85 dollars!), but ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Really great buy. Good eye. Unfortunately to remove this type of lacquer ...
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| refinishing ash veneer cabinets | 11/12/2009 |
Q: we just put in ash hardwood floors...look great...but our attempt to match the stain to existing ash ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The answer to your first question is yes. You can refinish veneer. Stripped ...
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| Warped Table Leg | 11/12/2009 |
Q: I hope you can help me. I have a Three-Legged table made of Oak or Chestnut. One of the legs is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes, something can be done but not to the existing leg. You must have a new ...
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| Painting over spray paint | 11/9/2009 |
Q: We just made a shelf and used gray primer spray paint and then black satin spray paint to finish it. ...
A: The best way to fix this is to sand the piece and pay particular attention to the rough areas. ...
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| Old Cupboard | 11/8/2009 |
Q: I have an antique cupboard I purchased five years ago for $950. It stands about 7 feet tall, is a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Very interesting question. I actually read it several times so I am giving ...
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| refinishing | 11/7/2009 |
Q: I have a light pine finish on my chair,can i make it a dark cherry color without stripping it. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately we must strip wood to stain a different color. Sounds great in ...
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| stripping an outside pine door | 11/6/2009 |
Q: I just read your instructions for stripping cabinets with Circa 1850. I followed them but have more ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Are you keeping the stripper wet? Are you giving the stripper time to work? ...
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| Cleaning old maple chairs | 11/4/2009 |
Q: I just bought a drop leaf maple table and chairs. The chairs are grimmy. I mean the kind you can ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is only one thing to use to remove this type of grime. Seen it many ...
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| Old Dresser | 11/3/2009 |
Q: I have an old off white Formica dresser which i would like to paint into a dark oak color what ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First give the dresser a light sanding with 120 grit sandpaper. Then I would ...
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| formica cupboards | 11/2/2009 |
Q: I think it is Formica, they are dark and from the early 70's I am retired and don't have much to $ ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your cupboards are a good candidate for painting. And what a difference this ...
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| dark rings on furniture | 11/2/2009 |
Q: I recently purchased a table that had some water damage on the surface--dark rings. Is there a way ...
A: Nice to hear from you. When we see these dark water marks it means the moisture has broken through ...
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| Varnished and sanded a black table and now it is grey. Help! | 10/30/2009 |
Q: I sanded my table, primed, put on several coats of black paint and sanded between coats, I put on 4 ...
A: You have been misinformed about sanding the last coat of varnish and leaving it like that. Now I ...
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| Varnished and sanded a black table and now it is grey. Help! | 10/28/2009 |
Q: I sanded my table, primed, put on several coats of black paint and sanded between coats, I put on 4 ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh my goodness you are in a mess. First off you have far too many coats of ...
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| old dresser refinishing project | 10/28/2009 |
Q: I have an old dresser that I am refinishing. I believe it is over 100 years old (knapp joinery). ...
A: Sorry I could not get this answer to you yesterday when it was asked but the old PC went out. Ryan I ...
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| old dresser refinishing project | 10/28/2009 |
Q: I have an old dresser that I am refinishing. I believe it is over 100 years old (knapp joinery). ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a nice old Eastlake style dresser. There will be no fear of this ...
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| softwood mistake | 10/27/2009 |
Q: I tried staining my barewood pine kitchen table without using a wood conditioner (I didnt know) now ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Before doing any sanding, use some paint stripper. This will remove some of ...
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| Another question about pickling/refinishing | 10/26/2009 |
Q: You may recall that my previous question about touching up the worn spots of pickling stain on our ...
A: Great going so far. Its my experience that a satin sheen can vary from product to product but I ...
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| making stain darker | 10/24/2009 |
Q: I have six dining room chairs from Crate and Barrel. I really like the chairs, but the stain is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Nice to know our comments are read. I don't recall what that post was about ...
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| dining table | 10/24/2009 |
Q: I have an antique dining table (it's wood but I'm not sure what kind)that i am using as a kitchen ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It would be every mothers dream to have a kitchen table that was ...
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| restaining kitchen cabinets | 10/23/2009 |
Q: My husband and I have totalled messed up! We have put Minwax Wood Finsh, english chestnut stain ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes, as you have found out, you must strip down to bare wood before ...
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| fumes from stripping | 10/21/2009 |
Q: Our HUGE project is almost done!!! Well worth it!! Strange question... My electric oven smells ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You read right. I have experienced this on occasion too. Get a fan going and ...
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| platform rocker parts | 10/21/2009 |
Q: Can you direct me to a source of antique platform rocker hardware? I need the swivel mechanism; the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am hoping this is what you want. ...
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| cherry wood cabinets | 10/20/2009 |
Q: what's the best way to clean ( and with what) everyday cleaning on cherry wood cabinets to keep them ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Just a gentle wipe with warm water and your mild dish soap (not to be ...
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| refinishing birch furniture | 10/19/2009 |
Q: I have done a lot of refinishing and I know that the project I am about to take on is going to be ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If this furniture is birch (not maple), it will take a stain fine. Thats been ...
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| how to restore a rough veneer surface | 10/18/2009 |
Q: We bought a china cabinet at a yard sale that had been sitting outside in the elements. Although it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First start with an overall cleaning if the piece is dirty as you say. Use ...
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| painting wood furniture in humid climate | 10/17/2009 |
Q: I recently painted some pieces the day after a rain storm. It has been quit humid and the furniture ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think I'd wait and give the paint a good chance to dry before resorting to ...
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| smoothing a new varathane finish on dresser tops | 10/16/2009 |
Q: How can I smooth out a new varathane finish I have applied on 4 dresser tops? There are some small ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Jeff in order to get rid of the air bubbles and dust specks the top needs to ...
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| re-finish a murphy chair | 10/13/2009 |
Q: I just bought a chair and was wondering how to go about re-finishing it? It says Murphy 220 on the ...
A: If the chair has some paint on it now, the ideal thing would be to remove it with the paint stripper ...
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| re-finish a murphy chair | 10/12/2009 |
Q: I just bought a chair and was wondering how to go about re-finishing it? It says Murphy 220 on the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I only paint as an absolute last resort. And I only refinish if ...
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| REFINISHING POCKET DOORS | 10/11/2009 |
Q: I HAVE DISCOVERED POCKET DOORS IN MY HOUSE, THAT WAS BUILT IN THE EARLY 1920'S. I BELIEVE THEM TO BE ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a wonderful discovery. Stripping these doors will be no different than ...
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| restaining oiled table | 10/9/2009 |
Q: I want to restain my oak table that was finished with tung oil. I want to restain it a brown ...
A: Nice to hear from you. To change stain color on any wood we must first remove the finish down to ...
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| Refinishing CHEAP Kitchen Table | 10/8/2009 |
Q: I'm hoping you can help me out. I have a cheap kitchen table that was purchased as a "temporary ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Wow..most folks would have given up by now LOL. So heres what I can tell you. ...
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| restoring old singer sewing machine cabinet | 10/8/2009 |
Q: just got given an old singer sewing machine with cabinet the cabinet isnt in the best condition so i ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have done quite a few of these old cabinets over the years. I love them. ...
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| varnishing kitchen cabinets | 10/4/2009 |
Q: but I would like some advice on varnishing. The cabinets look beautiful with the Jacobean stain, ...
A: No need to apologize for more questions. Its such a pleasure for me to hear you progress with this ...
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| Removing Paint From Kitchen Cabinet | 10/3/2009 |
Q: My wife and I have recently purchased a house, however, it seems that the previous owner stained ...
A: As I said this is a big job but if you have the time its very much worth the effort. Its not hugely ...
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| glass fronted china cabinet- will the stripper damage the glass | 9/29/2009 |
Q: I am refinishing the final piece of a 9 piece oak dining room set. It is a glass fronted china ...
A: Nice to hear from a fellow Canadian. Congratulations. Not often a person is brave enough to refinish ...
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| staining an old oak table | 9/29/2009 |
Q: We have just recently sanded down our old antique table that was recently given to us by my husbands ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sabrina if you go to this site and scroll down almost to the bottom you will ...
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| restaining kitchen cabinets | 9/29/2009 |
Q: We have started stripping our kitchen cabinets and it's going well. We are using Citristrip and ...
A: Wow..you are moving right along. Congratulations. If you are staining Jacobean, then both your work ...
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| paint removal | 9/29/2009 |
Q: I have a couple of Windsor chairs (1993) and they are painted blue. I purchased them blue, so I ...
A: Well just one light coat of paint won't be as messy as removing multiple coats but its still messy. ...
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| paint removal | 9/28/2009 |
Q: I have a couple of Windsor chairs (1993) and they are painted blue. I purchased them blue, so I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately there is no quick,easy, or tidy way to remove paint from ...
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| Stripping piano | 9/28/2009 |
Q: I would like to strip the blackened varnish from an upright piano which about 150 years old. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First I will give you my full stripping instructions which apply to your ...
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| repair over zealous cleaning wood cabinet | 9/27/2009 |
Q: I inadvertently stripped my 50 year old oak wood cabinets when cleaning them with Murphys oil soap - ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its likely the finish was gone in the areas you mention and the Murphys just ...
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| oak dresser | 9/25/2009 |
Q: I am stripping an oak dresser set, the marking on the inside of the drawer is SLIGH furniture ...
A: I was glad to hear you could find the stripper. So if thats done, its time to experiment with some ...
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| Furniture repair | 9/24/2009 |
Q: I have a friend with an oak dining room table that has cracked. The crack is close to the center of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is absolutely no way such a crack can be steamed or otherwise brought ...
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| refinishing kitchen cabinets | 9/22/2009 |
Q: Let me first say thank you for volunteering your time to answer our questions :) I grew up with ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Many thanks for the kind words. I will answer your questions in order as I ...
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| Polyurethane | 9/16/2009 |
Q: I am currently refinishing an oak table top, although it is not an antique. I have put 2 coats of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes you can now apply your gloss over the semi gloss with no problem. I would ...
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| oak dresser | 9/16/2009 |
Q: I am stripping an oak dresser set, the marking on the inside of the drawer is SLIGH furniture ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Congratulations on your first project. And please do not let this discourage ...
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| refinishing the underside of a dining table with slides | 9/15/2009 |
Q: I am in the process of refinishing a vintage 40" round oak dining table with two leaves. It was ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A lot of questions here so I'll put them in numbered order so nothing is ...
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| white film on mahogany chair | 9/12/2009 |
Q: A damp towel was left on one of my mahogany chairs overnight. My chair now has a white film over the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Here are the instructions for repairing this "blushing" that has happened to ...
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| streaky wood stain results | 9/11/2009 |
Q: I'm trying to re-stain a bathroom vanity. I had to sand the base and door frames down to bare wood ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh what a shame the doors did not come out like the rest. Only one solution ...
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| Repairing an old bed | 9/9/2009 |
Q: I just bought an old double sleigh bed at a second hand store. The head & foot boards and side rails ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Heres how I would repair this bed. First remove the nails from the support ...
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| paint splatter | 9/7/2009 |
Q: I was treating a ceiling water stain with Zinzer aerosol stain sealer, a oil based product, and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened. If this was water based paint, I know that mineral ...
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| staining bare cedar for cherry appearance | 9/7/2009 |
Q: I'll start by admitting that I wouldn't know what "cherry wood grain" looked like if someone hit me ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are quite right to hesitate in applying more stain. Cedar really absorbs ...
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| painting enamel | 9/6/2009 |
Q: I have a very old enamel top table that I would like to turn into a writing desk. How can I paint ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First you will have to deglaze the surface so the new paint will stick. And ...
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| finishing bare wood | 9/5/2009 |
Q: I am stripping a cherry four poster bed and would like to leave it with a "bare wood" finish. My ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh my goodness keep hubby away from the vegetable oil LOL. But to give him ...
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| old, old rocker | 9/5/2009 |
Q: I found a very old rocker at a flea market. I am in the process of stripping it. The wood looks ...
A: I meant that I think it is a lot of unnecessary work to strip paint off a piece of furniture only to ...
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| old, old rocker | 9/4/2009 |
Q: I found a very old rocker at a flea market. I am in the process of stripping it. The wood looks ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry but I'm a bit confused with this (it doesn't take much LOL). If you are ...
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| Smell in 150-year old dresser | 9/3/2009 |
Q: I would love to use my great-grandparents' dresser brought from Germany ... except whatever I put in ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This can be a problem. First get the drawers out of the dresser. Bet they can ...
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| spot on table | 9/3/2009 |
Q: I thoughtlessly sat a bottle of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol on an antique table. It left a white ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Here is a great article I found that describes how to repair such damage. ...
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| minwax stain | 9/2/2009 |
Q: We just stripped our painted cupboards down to the bare wood which is oak. Should we use a prestain ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I would not use pre stain on previously finished wood. Just seems ...
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| cupboard | 8/29/2009 |
Q: I found a cupboard about 1850's and in good shape but someone put a blue latex paint over what looks ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a shame someone did this. The chances of removing the blue paint and ...
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| refinishing tabletop | 8/28/2009 |
Q: I really made a horrible blunder. I was stripping the finish off my mom's table to refiinish it, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. So sorry this has happened. I imagine by blotches you mean the table is a ...
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| UGGHHH!!!! whitewash cabinets | 8/25/2009 |
Q: My question is why is is absolutely necessary to strip off the old stain from the cabinets prior to ...
A: Love your subject LOL. In this particular case its not necessary to strip off the old finish. Do I ...
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| removing varnish from kitchen cabinets and re-staining | 8/25/2009 |
Q: I'm wanting to remove the varnish/stain from our golden oak kitchen cabinets. We'd like to make ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This question is asked the most on this forum Ruthie. Everyone gets tired of ...
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| Refinishing my Oak table | 8/23/2009 |
Q: Eileen I have a natural finish oak table and chairs. I started with sanding and then I stripped one ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You absolutely do not need grain filler on this oak set but you must strip it ...
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| Dry wood restoration | 8/21/2009 |
Q: How can I condition a very dry 100 year old dresser? Am afraid to even drill pilot holes for ...
A: Nice to hear from you. As you understand, our wood furniture absorbs moisture and dries according to ...
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| Re-finishing antique oak chairs from dark to light | 8/21/2009 |
Q: I have recently purchased a beautiful oak table that is a honey oak color. I have 8 oak antique ...
A: Nice to hear from a fellow Canadian If you even think about sandblasting these chairs I'll never ...
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| Refinishing kitchen cabinets | 8/17/2009 |
Q: I recently inherited my mother's house and want to update the kitchen cabinets which are birch ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The steps you have been quoted are correct. The TSP will ensure all grease is ...
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| Citrus Solve | 8/17/2009 |
Q: I read your kind response to another person's query regarding cigarette smoke on wood and checked ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you look at this web site you will find a contact email address. You could ...
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| refi dresser | 8/13/2009 |
Q: I have an oak dresser I want to finish in distressed dark dark brownish black to match my headboard ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First the dresser will need a light sanding so a new finish will stick. Use ...
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| Lane cedar chest | 8/13/2009 |
Q: I have a cedar chest that has a slightly curved chip (veneer) out of the bottom front of the chest. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like you do not have the chip to glue back in. There is nothing ...
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| removing bubble wrap mark | 8/13/2009 |
Q: I purchased a Duncan Phyfe mahogany coffee table that was shipped to me recently (I'm in Phoenix, ...
A: Another good point LOL. If you are up for waxing the hard way with paste wax thats always the best. ...
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| Rotting Wood | 8/13/2009 |
Q: Eileen, I have an antique table that was unstained but treated with what I believe was a resin to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Once the wood dried after the potatoes were removed, there will be no further ...
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| refinsh chairs | 8/12/2009 |
Q: How can I tell if I have lacquer or varnish finish on the old chairs.
A: Nice to hear from you. Its fairly easy. A lacquer finish will soften by wiping a tiny hidden area ...
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| removing bubble wrap "stain" from antique mahogany table top | 8/12/2009 |
Q: I purchased a Duncan Phyfe mahogany coffee table that was shipped to me recently (I'm in Phoenix, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only possible thing that may remove these marks is mineral spirits. Get a ...
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| Crack in table top | 8/11/2009 |
Q: I purchased an antique oak side table and need to refinish the top. It is evident that there is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sure this can be filled with wood filler but you do that after the stripping. ...
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| Tung Oil removal from Oak furniture | 8/10/2009 |
Q: my lovely oak dresser and bookcase have been stained in Tung Oil, however, this means they are a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your pieces will not be stained in tung oil but will have a dark stain under ...
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| White spots appearing on a new cabinet I've built | 8/6/2009 |
Q: I've just finished building some cabinets (solid maple, birch veneer ply) which I conditioned, ...
A: Nice to hear from you but wish it was better circumstances. First off I see nothing amiss with your ...
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| Refinishing a dinning table and chairs | 8/6/2009 |
Q: My two year old daughter got a hold of some acetone fingernail polish remover and spilled the entire ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened and you have no choice but to attempt a fix. Yes the ...
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| Teak Wood | 8/4/2009 |
Q: I have just inherited a wood teak kitchen table and sideboard. It seems quite dirty, and I can't ...
A: Nice to hear from you I am very familiar with your problem. I would use varsol (hardware store), and ...
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| leather table top | 8/3/2009 |
Q: I received a table from a friend who was cleaning out a old farmhouse. It has great detail on the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes you could certainly try staining the leather top. And it just may hide ...
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| staining mahogany front door | 8/2/2009 |
Q: I hired a painting contractor to paint my house and stain my mahogany front door that gets direct ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think you are a bit confused with the process Cathy but please correct me ...
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| refinish antique dining room table | 8/1/2009 |
Q: I have my great aunts dining table. It has large white marks. My mom said it could be possible heat ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It looks like the table top will need a full stripping and refinish (not a ...
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| Lane Cedar chest | 7/31/2009 |
Q: I've been handed down my mothers cedar chest which is maybe 45-50 yrs old. It has an elaborate ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This particular repair job really cannot be accomplished by the home handy ...
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| Exterior wood window stain | 7/29/2009 |
Q: Home has 1962 Anderson wood casement windows. VERY good condition (so I don,t want to replace). Wood ...
A: In a perfect world I would say remove everything. But this is a tremendous amount of work so I am ...
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| Restaining | 7/29/2009 |
Q: I recently stripped the varnish from two end tables and my coffee table. I am trying to restain them ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What you are experiencing is very common. This happens with very hard woods ...
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| Oak Finishing / Oiling | 7/28/2009 |
Q: I purchased a wine barrel and am thinking of buying a 42 or 48 inch round piece of glass to place on ...
A: I'm glad to hear the barrels are looking so good. Don't get too stressed over all the different oil ...
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| Exterior wood window stain | 7/28/2009 |
Q: Home has 1962 Anderson wood casement windows. VERY good condition (so I don,t want to replace). Wood ...
A: Nice to hear from you. So if I read this correctly, whats happened is the contractor used water ...
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| washed oak kitchen cupboards | 7/27/2009 |
Q: Our kitchen cupboards are now 20 years old. And though they have held up very well, I would like to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Our kitchen cabinets get a lot of use over time and we like them to look ...
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| refinishing kitchen cabinets | 7/26/2009 |
Q: I used the Huntington's Original finish wood revitalizer kit. My cabinets cleaned up nicely. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened. While I am not familiar with the product you used, ...
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| Staining laminate furniture | 7/24/2009 |
Q: I have sauders EZ cube furniture in caramel birch. It is in perfectly good condition. I recently ...
A: I think that perhaps you made a mistake when you gave me a score of 2 for "timeliness". You asked ...
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| removing white wash finish from pine furniture | 7/24/2009 |
Q: I have a bedroom set from "This End up" (which is long out of business) that is solid pine and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. We have a bad storm coming up and I must disconnect here but I wanted to get ...
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| refinishing solid 40 yr. old maple coffetable | 7/23/2009 |
Q: I started stripping and sanding the 40 yr. old maple coffeetable , can't seem to get the color to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are doing a few things wrong LOL. First off you cannot remove a finish ...
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| Cleaning Cherry Furniture | 7/23/2009 |
Q: My mom has a beautiful solid cherry dining room set. It gets humid in the summer, and there is a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a very common thing to happen and its easily fixed with a little ...
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| Keeping bark on a pine fireplace mattel | 7/23/2009 |
Q: I have cut a pine Mattel which is 10 foot long and 5.5 inches thick and 12.5 inches wide. It was air ...
A: Nice to hear from you. As you already know, the bark falls off the wood as the wood dries out. The ...
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| painting a dresser | 7/18/2009 |
Q: It now has a verrner surface on top and the rest is wood. How do I paint the top verrner part . ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Give the top of the dresser a light sanding first. Then a couple of coats of ...
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| Continued, oak table refnishing | 7/16/2009 |
Q: Update. . . I gave the 26 yr. old oak dining table a little wipe down with mineral spirits after 3 ...
A: Although I don't usually use the colored poly's, I think in this case its in order. And I think you ...
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| painting veneer kitchen cabinets | 7/16/2009 |
Q: To paint over veneer on our kitchen cabinets, do I need to stay away from oil-based paints? What ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You do not need to stay away from oil based paint when painting over wood ...
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| Refinishing oak table | 7/15/2009 |
Q: Love your directions! I am refinishing a solid oak dining table, 26 yrs. old. Good shape. Bought it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Can't recall I ever gave directions like this for refinishing a table but I ...
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| Stain and Varnish or Varnish only? | 7/13/2009 |
Q: I recently acquired an old piano stool which had badly chipped varnish. I have stripped the varnish ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its too bad you started trying to sand the color out of the stool but its too ...
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| table refinishing problems | 7/12/2009 |
Q: My table (a few years old, not antique) had to be refinished because it had developed bumps and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I will take your questions in order so I don't miss any. 1... will my ...
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| vintage solid maple furniture | 7/11/2009 |
Q: I have several beautiful solid maple pieces of furniture. Although I love the look, a few pieces ...
A: While you will not actually be stripping the color, the furniture will lighten if there is ...
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| refinishing woodwork | 7/10/2009 |
Q: I am trying to refinish my woodwork (door casings, window casings ect.)The problem is the house was ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am going to suggest the finish you are trying to get off is varnish. It was ...
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| painting wall entertainment unit | 7/10/2009 |
Q: I have an older wall entertainment unit from the early 80's that might look good painted Black. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. With any paint job we do, the surface prep is the most important step. A ...
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| vintage solid maple furniture | 7/9/2009 |
Q: I have several beautiful solid maple pieces of furniture. Although I love the look, a few pieces ...
A: This further info really helps convince me to try to convince you not to paint LOL. What a shame it ...
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| Oak top on coffee table repair | 7/9/2009 |
Q: Could you give me advice on how to fix a group of what I call pressure dents made by a lazyboy leg ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You have likely heard about using a hot iron and a wet rag to try to steam ...
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| Oak Finishing / Oiling | 7/8/2009 |
Q: I purchased a wine barrel and am thinking of buying a 42 or 48 inch round piece of glass to place on ...
A: If the marks are not black now they will not turn black with an application of oil. I would however ...
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| vintage solid maple furniture | 7/8/2009 |
Q: I have several beautiful solid maple pieces of furniture. Although I love the look, a few pieces ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I fully understand your position. But what a shame it would be to paint over ...
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| Oak Finishing / Oiling | 7/8/2009 |
Q: I purchased a wine barrel and am thinking of buying a 42 or 48 inch round piece of glass to place on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I go along with your thinking about some protection for the barrels. Wood ...
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| Using copper to cover kitchen table | 7/7/2009 |
Q: Eileen, Found a previous answer you had given to a question on this subject when I googled copper. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I need some more info here. Are you planning to "wrap" the copper around the ...
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| refinish | 7/6/2009 |
Q: Several years ago, I stripped an old dresser ( maybe oak) and then applied Deft clear coat. I now ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to stain this piece all the finish must be removed with paint ...
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| Dining Room | 7/5/2009 |
Q: My Grandparents recently past away and I inherited their dining room set. My uncle told me it is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think your neighbor is mis-informing you. First off a solid mahogany dining ...
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| finish | 7/5/2009 |
Q: i have a rosewood table to finish,can i use lacquer
A: Nice to hear from you. What we put on a piece depends on the use it will get. I have yet to see a ...
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| refinishing maple furniture | 7/2/2009 |
Q: I know you've discussed this topic before, but I hope you'll be able to help me, too. Before I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Heres what I would do to fix the chest. You did not say if you added a clear ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 7/1/2009 |
Q: Can you please tell me what the best finishing coat would be to put onto freshly painted kitchen ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Shay these paints are not suppossed to have a clear coat applied over them. ...
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| Stains and Finishes | 7/1/2009 |
Q: Am I to understand that you cannot apply a lacquer or polyurethane over a oil based stain You can ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You have a lot of mis-information here Robert. You certainly can apply ...
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| waterproofing a small table | 6/30/2009 |
Q: I have a small teak table about 30 years old which on which nothing was done/used except for the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Pick up a small can of paint stripper at the hardware. Apply a coat over the ...
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| re-finishing 35 year old vilas maple table | 6/29/2009 |
Q: I'm going to attempt to re-finish our 35 year old Vilas maple table.Can I still buy the proper ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am 99% certain your Vilas maple table will have a colored lacquer finish on ...
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| covering crackle paint | 6/27/2009 |
Q: I purchased a cabinet from an antique store for my bathroom. It has been painted over with crackle ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I always have a problem painting over crackle. You really have to sand the ...
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| desk repair | 6/25/2009 |
Q: I bought an old student type desk. It was constructed with tongue and groove which are coming apart ...
A: Nice to hear from you. These old desks are made from hardwood and if the wood has warped or badly ...
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| help | 6/24/2009 |
Q: i want to repaint my cupboards the frame is melamine and the doors are i think oak i went to get ...
A: As I said in my first post, if the paint can does not say for wood, then do not use it. Clearly ...
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| help | 6/23/2009 |
Q: i want to repaint my cupboards the frame is melamine and the doors are i think oak i went to get ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It can be confusing. First of all, if the product you purchased doesn't say ...
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| restaining & refinishing | 6/21/2009 |
Q: I just purchased a use dresser on craiglist. It is from the 60's or 70's. It's a light color and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You do not need to know what type of finish is currently on a piece in order ...
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| sideboard refinishing | 6/20/2009 |
Q: I just purchased a 5'sideboard and a matching shorter 3' sideboard with a 3' hutch and am very ...
A: Aurora Ontario..I am only a short drive away in Washago Ont. How nice to help someone so close. ...
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| sideboard refinishing | 6/19/2009 |
Q: I just purchased a 5'sideboard and a matching shorter 3' sideboard with a 3' hutch and am very ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your first approach is correct..that being to lift the glass straight up then ...
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| Restaining my antique bedroom set | 6/18/2009 |
Q: my name is Sara and I recently received a bedroom set from my mother that used to belong to my great ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to stain furniture, all the existing finish must first be removed. ...
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| refinishing dining table | 6/16/2009 |
Q: The polyurethane finish I put on an oak-stained table 25 years ago has worn off in many places ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is so strange. My table is getting like yours and I was just thinking ...
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| Refinishing Maple Furniture | 6/16/2009 |
Q: Just read your advice to Jack on maple refinishing and you emphasized that he should NOT sand the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. When refinishing a piece of furniture I always say "do not sand unless there ...
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| stripping pickled oak | 6/13/2009 |
Q: I'm in the process of refinishing an old oak table and chairs. The chairs are oak but not the match ...
A: You can purchase an MC (methylene chloride) steripper at any hardware store. Circa 1850 is one brand ...
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| stripping pickled oak | 6/12/2009 |
Q: I'm in the process of refinishing an old oak table and chairs. The chairs are oak but not the match ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It could be you are using the wrong stripper. This will take a heavy duty MC ...
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| restoring pine welsh dresser | 6/11/2009 |
Q: i have recently acquired a lovely but scratched welsh dresser. it is pine and structurally sound, i ...
A: Nice to hear from the UK. Sarah without seeing this damage this is a tricky question to answer. What ...
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| slight water damage on cherry stereo cabinet | 6/9/2009 |
Q: child was helping with housework and used Windex on the top of antique stereo now has white film ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have had Windex do the same thing. I never looked at a Windex label to see ...
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| Antique wood table | 6/9/2009 |
Q: I have an antique dark wood table over 200 years old and the backing off of a table cloth is stuck ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened. Try some mineral spirits and a piece of fine steel ...
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| wood stain removal | 6/9/2009 |
Q: I have a wood mantel that is stained a maple and I want to change it to cherry. What is the best ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I need some more info to answer this. It could be this will be fairly easy or ...
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| New Construction + Custom Cabinets | 6/8/2009 |
Q: We have a new construction project and have had new custom cabinets installed. Within 30 days of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. So sorry this has happened. It should not have happened. I am going to be so ...
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| DINING ROOM SET | 6/7/2009 |
Q: I have an oak dining room set that has a black finish...I grew up with the set, so am guessing it is ...
A: Sorry I never got back to you last night but my internet was down due to storms. While tung oil is a ...
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| DINING ROOM SET | 6/5/2009 |
Q: I have an oak dining room set that has a black finish...I grew up with the set, so am guessing it is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No reason at all why this furniture cannot be refinished. If however its as ...
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| refinishing solid oak cabinets | 6/3/2009 |
Q: In 1990 we bought oak kitchen cabinets from Eastland Kitchens, New Brunswick, Canada. Selected ...
A: MC strippers are the strongest you can buy. MS stands for "methyl chlorene" (spelling is likely off ...
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| refinishing solid oak cabinets | 6/2/2009 |
Q: In 1990 we bought oak kitchen cabinets from Eastland Kitchens, New Brunswick, Canada. Selected ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes this will be a really big job but well worth the effort I feel. You will ...
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| Painting a dresser | 6/1/2009 |
Q: I am in the process of painting an 80s pine dresser and was wondering if a light sanding is enough, ...
A: Your prep work was fine so thats not the problem Was your primer by chance oil based and your next ...
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| Refinishing old fiddleback maple tray | 5/31/2009 |
Q: Forty-five years ago a gentleman woodworker made a tray for my mom out of his last piece of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This has got to be the nicest tray I have seen. Quite lovely. It does not ...
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| Finishing cedar | 5/27/2009 |
Q: I have a slab of cedar I want to use as a coffee table. What is the best finish to maintain the ...
A: Tung oil is a great product. I use a lot of it. While it could certainly be used without harm on ...
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| Painting a dresser | 5/26/2009 |
Q: I am in the process of painting an 80s pine dresser and was wondering if a light sanding is enough, ...
A: Nice to hear from the UK. Personally I would use the white spirit to wipe down the piece if I knew ...
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| Repair of Mahogany Desl | 5/25/2009 |
Q: I have an antique mahogany slant front desk. The outside is fine. However, on the inside the loose ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you can do a competent repair by all means do it. This type of damage is ...
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| 1950 stained oak bedroom set | 5/25/2009 |
Q: I have inherited a 1950s bedroom set. I believe the wood is oak. The finish has some places where it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is oak as you guessed. It has a wash or pickled effect applied. Then a ...
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| finish problem on cherry dining table | 5/22/2009 |
Q: My mother passed along her queen anne cherry formal dining set to me some 19 years ago. I remember ...
A: Mineral spirits is referred to by several names. Paint thinner and varsol are what we call it here ...
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| finish problem on cherry dining table | 5/22/2009 |
Q: My mother passed along her queen anne cherry formal dining set to me some 19 years ago. I remember ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Apparently Pledge is the very worse thing that we can apply to our furniture ...
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| stripping old stain from a dining table | 5/21/2009 |
Q: I have never refinished a piece of furniture before and just jumped right in with a palm sander and ...
A: Nicetohearfromyou. Here are the full and correct stripping instructions. Get rid of the sander. As ...
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| Furniture Smells | 5/19/2009 |
Q: I inherited a dining room table and six chairs, plus a matching hutch from a relative. I believe it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It appears you have gone over the exterior of the furniture but the worse ...
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| coffee & end tables | 5/18/2009 |
Q: I have old tables with cream legs/gold trim & I think pecan tops. I want to paint the legs or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds like a great project. If the legs are original paint then all that ...
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| brown spots on white furniture | 5/16/2009 |
Q: I read an answer to a previous question, but would like additional information. I have a white ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I suppose to a person this is a defect of sorts but to the tree I guess its ...
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| Re-finishing old bedroom furniture | 5/14/2009 |
Q: I bought a new dark brown headboard and am trying to stain my old furniture to match. I bought ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I understand what you want to accomplish here Karen. I know you fully ...
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| Laquering a bathroom cabinet | 5/13/2009 |
Q: I need to finish a bathroom cabinet I have made from Walnut vaneered mdf. Do you know of any good ...
A: I am over in Canada and its impossible for me to tell you brand names in the UK. But personally I ...
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| flat black paint on my dresser | 5/12/2009 |
Q: I have recently sanded my old wood dresser drawers and painted them with a flat paint and added new ...
A: Nice to hear from you. As you are finding out, flat black is not a great paint for this particular ...
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| Sealing Cedar Siding Odor | 5/10/2009 |
Q: Have new heart cedar paneling in our church kitchen. Can we seal the panels with something to reduce ...
A: This clarifies the question. What confused me was the word "panelling". Here in Canada panelling is ...
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| Sealing Cedar Siding Odor | 5/10/2009 |
Q: Have new heart cedar paneling in our church kitchen. Can we seal the panels with something to reduce ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Not a lot of info here to go on. Is "New Heart" a brand name? Is this real ...
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| change color and refinsh cedar | 5/7/2009 |
Q: can i change the color on cedar and refinish it
A: Nice to hear from you. Changing the color depends on what the current color is. If the cedar now has ...
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| cigarette smoke damage in furniture | 5/7/2009 |
Q: What product can I use to get cigarette smoke out of a wood bedroom set?
A: Nice to hear from you. Although I shy away from using anything mixed withn water on furniture, for ...
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| restoring stairs/balcony | 5/6/2009 |
Q: i took up carpet from the staircase of my newly modeled single family home. there is wood underneath ...
A: It makes trying to help easier. I cannot imagine you sanding this entire set of stairs. What a job ...
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| replacing kitchen cabinet doors | 5/5/2009 |
Q: I am trying to save some money by replacing my old kitchen cabinet doors/drawers however the old ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Not having personally ever done whst you are attempting, I did a bit of ...
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| restoring stairs/balcony | 5/5/2009 |
Q: i took up carpet from the staircase of my newly modeled single family home. there is wood underneath ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Katrina I need to know if these stairs in your newly renovated home were ...
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| veneered tabletop | 5/4/2009 |
Q: I read a 3/2/2009 question about refinishing a venerred tabletop. After stripping what about ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you have read my posts about refinishing veneer, I always say its no ...
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| 10 yr old pine kitchen cupboards | 4/29/2009 |
Q: The varnish is coming off and I want to know if I can redo them without too much work. Can I add a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes your cupboards need help badly. I don't have much to go on here Helen but ...
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| Painted Furniture | 4/27/2009 |
Q: I have just painted an old buffet (looks great), but I want to keep the flat black finish and am not ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If my memory serves me (it doesn't always LOL), you can get a water based ...
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| paint or stain | 4/26/2009 |
Q: I have oak pickled cabinets in my kitchen. I would like to bring my kitchen up to date.I have just ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I fully understand your problem. There is no way to change stain color other ...
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| veneered dresser | 4/25/2009 |
Q: I have an old dresser from an estate auction, the top of it has an oak veneer on it that was ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I find removing veneer quite easy using a heat gun on high setting. An iron ...
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| Old China Cabinet | 4/24/2009 |
Q: My Great-Grandpa has an old china cabinet that was his mom's and my be his Grandma's. It has antique ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You will be surprised to hear this glass is available even today. I just did ...
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| Refinishing pickled oak cabinets in another finish | 4/23/2009 |
Q: I have pickled cabinets that I want to update. The picture shows the cabinet below the kitchen sink ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately any changes will require the cupboards be completely stripped ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 4/23/2009 |
Q: I live in a late 60's home with kitchen cabinets made from walnut veneer that have only been ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your cabinets sound like a perfect candidate for my quick fix. Its very ...
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| Refinishing a birch dresser? | 4/23/2009 |
Q: A Refinishing company wants to charge me $350 per nightstand dresser. I decided that I might try it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your handmade pine nightstand is very nice and will certainly take a dark ...
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| Veneer repair; is this piece worth it | 4/22/2009 |
Q: I garbage picked a Lane burled walnut art deco cedar chest, circa 1930's. Its exterior needs work. ...
A: Here are the stripping instructions First check the entire chest over and make sure there is no ...
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| Veneer repair; is this piece worth it | 4/22/2009 |
Q: I garbage picked a Lane burled walnut art deco cedar chest, circa 1930's. Its exterior needs work. ...
A: This is easily repaired after stripping the old finish off (it needs it). I would simply fill with a ...
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| Outdoor Cedar furniture | 4/21/2009 |
Q: I'm building some outdoor patio furniture from cedar, and want to know the best way to preserve it. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Coming from a long line of outdoor wood furniture makers I have learned that ...
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| stripping wood table-discolouration | 4/21/2009 |
Q: I stripped an older table that was painted with thick oil based white paint. All the paint has been ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It looks like you are having your first experience with mineral streaks in ...
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| Restoring an antique vanity- veneer? | 4/21/2009 |
Q: ) I'm am very interested in purchasing a vanity from the local antique mall but it does need some ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Julie this is certainly worth picking up if you can get it for 100 dollars. ...
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| Veneer repair; is this piece worth it | 4/21/2009 |
Q: I garbage picked a Lane burled walnut art deco cedar chest, circa 1930's. Its exterior needs work. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds like you are a girl after my own heart. I would have garbage picked ...
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| TSP | 4/20/2009 |
Q: What is the TSP technique to keep from stripping the furniture before finishing? ANSWER: Hi LaDonna ...
A: You can certainly apply paint directly to the chest as is. You will only need to lightly sand the ...
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| TSP | 4/20/2009 |
Q: What is the TSP technique to keep from stripping the furniture before finishing?
A: Nice to hear from you. TSP is used to deglaze a shiny surface before we paint it. This is usually ...
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| table top refinish | 4/19/2009 |
Q: I just bought a "new" floor model dining table with dark espresso finish over mahogany wood (1/4'' ...
A: Hopefully the buckle will glue and clamp down. Thats the very best repair. Scratching it level is a ...
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| refinishing oak cabinets | 4/16/2009 |
Q: I read your post about someone who has whitewashed cabinets and now wants wood -- I was considering ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I know all the info can be confusing if you are not familiar with this type ...
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| table top refinish | 4/15/2009 |
Q: I just bought a "new" floor model dining table with dark espresso finish over mahogany wood (1/4'' ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First the veneer must be repaired. It sounds like it has lifted slightly and ...
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| Stripping 1920's Built in Hutch | 4/15/2009 |
Q: My house was built in the 1920's and I have a large built-in hutch (14 cabinets and 14 drawers) ...
A: This additional info really helps. If you have solid cherry cabinets built in the 20's you are very ...
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| Stripping 1920's Built in Hutch | 4/14/2009 |
Q: My house was built in the 1920's and I have a large built-in hutch (14 cabinets and 14 drawers) ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes this is a big job but certainly one you could do if you are determined. ...
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| restaining vaneer | 4/13/2009 |
Q: i have a dresser that I bought at a yard sale in a very good condition,I would like to change the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are right that you cannot sand the finish off of this dresser before ...
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| Furniture finish | 4/9/2009 |
Q: I began using Weiman Lemon Oil with Sunscreen a few weeks ago on several pieces of antique ...
A: So glad you got back to me. I was wondering how it went. So obviously this Weiman lemon oil with ...
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| cleaning old used furniture | 4/9/2009 |
Q: I forgot to ask specifically also how to clean the unfinished wood inside the drawers. Please also ...
A: Clean all unfinished wood with a mild household bleach solution. About a 1/2 cup in your scrub pail ...
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| mold inside of a piano | 4/8/2009 |
Q: I just read your help to Andrea on getting rid of a smell in her piano, can you tell me how to get ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I know we often associate this musty smell with mould Chris but it sounds ...
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| wood bowls | 4/6/2009 |
Q: Inherited a set of salad bowls and a large salad server that I think are carved from Mahogany (based ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I ran across something similar this week Ralph. Not bowls but with an under ...
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| Furniture finish | 4/6/2009 |
Q: I began using Weiman Lemon Oil with Sunscreen a few weeks ago on several pieces of antique ...
A: I have never seen anything like this. This is obviously not oil residue if the spirits failed to ...
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| varnish or schlack | 4/6/2009 |
Q: how can i tell if its varnish or schlack on a item i am fixing to redo
A: Nice to hear from you. When you say you are redoing I assume you mean you are removing a finish and ...
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| stain dark berch kitchen cabinets | 4/6/2009 |
Q: I have dark stain kitchen cabinets and I hate them now. I build house in 80's and dark was in. I do ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to remove the dark color from your birch cabinets they need to be ...
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| repairing an oak dresser top | 4/4/2009 |
Q: I have an oak dresser, the quarter sawn oak and the dovetail drawers look like its from the 1890's. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are likely close on the age of this dresser. Usually this is an easy ...
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| antique table refinish | 4/4/2009 |
Q: Our antique table with floral wood inlays looks dried out. Veneer is buckling or gone in some ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh my gosh this is bad. Before anything is done the veneer must be repaired. ...
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| white residue after stripping | 4/3/2009 |
Q: I am refinishing an mahogany chippendale dining set. I am using chemical strippers. These remove the ...
A: This is not by any chance an original painted finish is it? Although on solid mahogany I doubt it. ...
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| white residue after stripping | 4/2/2009 |
Q: I am refinishing an mahogany chippendale dining set. I am using chemical strippers. These remove the ...
A: I need a bit more info here. Is this the original finish you are trying to remove? How old is the ...
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| Clean or Refinish | 4/2/2009 |
Q: I recently acquired a Taylor Jamestown Cherry Hutch, Drop Leaf Table and 4 Fiddleback Chairs. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its very likely only the lemon oil that has caused the problem. Its very easy ...
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| Repairing damage finished mdf boards | 4/2/2009 |
Q: How do fix mdf boards where the cam-bolt was pulled out of the board?
A: Nice to hear from you. This stuff is a bugger to repair and its never very satisfactory but we must ...
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| tabletop finish | 3/31/2009 |
Q: I have a beautiful dining table hand made by an artist in my area. It has a nice satin finish on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened but I hear this all the time. In future tell the ...
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| Old oak desk / leather top | 3/31/2009 |
Q: My grandfather made this desk in question. I am refinishing it (oak), but am unsure how to handle ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I would be very careful about using much on the leather to remove this ...
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| "restaining" furniture | 3/31/2009 |
Q: I have a bedroom set that is about 10 year old which is a medium honey maple color (that's my best ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Congratulations on tackling an entire bedroom set. This ten year old set will ...
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| removing whitewash | 3/30/2009 |
Q: How do I remove whitewash from bamboo chairs and a wicker table? And once removed do I have to do ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The answer to your question is "I have no idea" LOL. Seriously Dora do you ...
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| Sanding kitchen cabinets | 3/30/2009 |
Q: I am in the process of sanding my 20 years old oak kitchen cabinets. I found out the sides of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Simon its obvious the cabinet wood is actually not real wood but a particle ...
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| staining oak cabinets | 3/30/2009 |
Q: We are in the process of sanding our oak kitchen cabinets to stain them a darker color. As I am ...
A: OK..start fresh LOL. First off anything you have read about staining oak cabinets does not apply to ...
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| staining oak cabinets | 3/29/2009 |
Q: We are in the process of sanding our oak kitchen cabinets to stain them a darker color. As I am ...
A: Is this the product you are using? ...
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| staining oak cabinets | 3/28/2009 |
Q: We are in the process of sanding our oak kitchen cabinets to stain them a darker color. As I am ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its good that you arm yourself with lots of info on doing this. And I am so ...
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| refinishing natural cherry table | 3/28/2009 |
Q: I did read your other answers regarding cherry refinishing, but they didn't quite address my issues. ...
A: Glad you decided to go this route as it is the best. Here are the stripping instructions which apply ...
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| staining showing thru cedar armoire | 3/27/2009 |
Q: We have an old cedar armoire that we decided to paint and use for our daughters hanging clothes. My ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are not doing anything wrong. Its the oils in the wood causing this. I ...
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| Changing color on a dinning table | 3/27/2009 |
Q: I have a dinning table that is natural blond but it has like a shiny finish and I would like to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is one of those questions that I am reluctant to answer because I have ...
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| Painting an old bedroom set | 3/26/2009 |
Q: I recently purchased an old bedroom set of 5 pieces from Craig's list. I am getting ready to go ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a great project. And yes you absolutely can paint this furniture. And ...
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| Laminating over already laminated cabinets | 3/26/2009 |
Q: I have a flat surface type of cabinet doors. It has a dark laminated surface that is old and dingy. ...
A: First the doors must be grease free. Wipe them down with mineral spirits (called varsol in Canada) ...
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| mahogany imperfections | 3/25/2009 |
Q: I recently purchased a lovely mahogany dining table and chairs that are in pretty good condition. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have never heard of this 4 Art, but it will be fine to rub out these marks ...
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| Sticky Kitchen Table | 3/24/2009 |
Q: Eileen, I bought a kitchen table a couple of years ago and have cleaned it with several different ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened to your table Ruth. I realise the finish is likely ...
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| Repairing a table top | 3/24/2009 |
Q: I built a solid oak dining table a couple of years ago and although it has held up very well so far, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Just so you know in future, 6 coats of poly is way too much. Three usually ...
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| bamboo cane furniture | 3/23/2009 |
Q: I have sanded a set of bamboo furniture and intend to put clear gloss on do i need to use a primer ...
A: Not sure if I'm very creative but when I think of bamboo I always think of wind chimes. Here are the ...
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| bamboo cane furniture | 3/22/2009 |
Q: I have sanded a set of bamboo furniture and intend to put clear gloss on do i need to use a primer ...
A: It makes helping others worthwhile to know we are appreciated. If the product you refer to is meant ...
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| polish | 3/22/2009 |
Q: Can you recommend any polishes for wood? How do I know what makes a good polish versus one that is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. We have a bad storm happening here and I must shut down the PC but I wanted ...
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| bamboo cane furniture | 3/21/2009 |
Q: I have sanded a set of bamboo furniture and intend to put clear gloss on do i need to use a primer
A: Nice to hear from you. It would not be a primer you apply before the clear gloss. Primer is used ...
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| Refinishing Old Oak Cabinets | 3/21/2009 |
Q: !! I am moving into a house that has oak cabinets that are atleast 20 years old. I have heard that ...
A: No need to be confused. The toning process will be lacquers. Yes this finish does make poor quality ...
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| Refinishing Old Oak Cabinets | 3/20/2009 |
Q: !! I am moving into a house that has oak cabinets that are atleast 20 years old. I have heard that ...
A: Yes I am familiar with toning. Unfortunately its not something we do it yourselfers can do. It must ...
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| Refinishing Old Oak Cabinets | 3/19/2009 |
Q: !! I am moving into a house that has oak cabinets that are atleast 20 years old. I have heard that ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes oak is hardwood and does not take a stain well because of it. But as you ...
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| refinishing cherry furniture | 3/18/2009 |
Q: I have several pieces of black American cherry wood furniture made in Vermont. I’ve had it for ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes its expensive to have furniture refinished. If you want this dark ...
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| Refinishing oak cabinets | 3/17/2009 |
Q: I have oak cabinets in my kitchen which the previous owner painted white. I've stripped the back of ...
A: OK..now I get the picture. The furniture you are trying to match your cupboards to has a colored ...
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| laminating furniture | 3/17/2009 |
Q: Where can I purchase laminate to refinish some old furniture and what product do I use to bond it ...
A: If you want to avoid mail order, go to local businesses that sell lumber products. In my area we ...
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| Refinishing oak cabinets | 3/16/2009 |
Q: I have oak cabinets in my kitchen which the previous owner painted white. I've stripped the back of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. OK..let me get this straight as I'm confused (nothing new for me LOL). You ...
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| Barn wood restoration for interior | 3/14/2009 |
Q: etc., My husband and I would like to take some old barn wood extracted from a falling down barn and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Surprisingly the answer to this question is "do nothing". Over the years I ...
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| Antique table | 3/14/2009 |
Q: I just purchased a very cool old table that I spotted on Craigslist. It has adorable dark mahogany ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Don't sand the veneer. Use medium grade steel wool to scuff the surface well ...
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| new life for cherry cabinets | 3/10/2009 |
Q: My question is about my cherry kitchen cabinets. The kitchen was done by the previous owner in two ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like the owner made these cabinets himself..correct. If this is in ...
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| White Washed Oak Cabinets | 3/9/2009 |
Q: My wife are wondering is there any good paint you would recomend to go over these white-washed.We ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only paint I would ever consider putting on kitchen cabinets is Melamine ...
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| oak desk worn in one small section | 3/9/2009 |
Q: I have a oak desk in beautiful condition except for a small area where the previous owner sat their ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes you can use steel wool on the area. In fact its a good idea rather than ...
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| staining cabinets | 3/9/2009 |
Q: ANSWER: Hi Celia Nice to hear from you. I guess you could use it if you don't mind the smell indoors ...
A: I am familiar with the Olympic exterior stains but I would recommend that you test it. The back of a ...
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| staining cabinets | 3/9/2009 |
Q: ANSWER: Hi Celia Nice to hear from you. I guess you could use it if you don't mind the smell indoors ...
A: I spent a good bit of time on your lovely island after my parents retired to Nanaimo. So you will be ...
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| refinish solid cherry table | 3/5/2009 |
Q: We recently purchased a new solid cherry dining table (breadboard finish) with iron base. It was a ...
A: Nice to hear from you Refinishing a table top is one of the trickiest things for the do it ...
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| stripping/refinishing wood | 3/5/2009 |
Q: I left the stain on a chair to long before rubbing it off. My first coat of polyurethane seems to be ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Before considering stripping your work off (which is what you may have to ...
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| water damage on knotty pine paneling | 3/4/2009 |
Q: We had some water damage to the kitchen of the vacent home of my mother-in-law. The insurance ...
A: If the finish has just come off the boards, and there appears to be no discoloration of the wood it ...
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| Break Fluid on table removed varnish | 3/4/2009 |
Q: I just bought a brand new dining room table at the end of January. My husband put break fluid on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This looks like real wood and not one of those colored toned lacquer finishes ...
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| water damage on knotty pine paneling | 3/3/2009 |
Q: We had some water damage to the kitchen of the vacent home of my mother-in-law. The insurance ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened. I need to know what type of damage. Are the floors ...
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| Refinishing wood veneer | 3/2/2009 |
Q: I want to refinish the wood veneer top of a coffee table. It has a parquet type pattern on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This cotton type material is what the parquet pieces were adhered to before ...
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| loose side rails on antique cherry bed | 3/2/2009 |
Q: The side rails on subject bed snap into the metal receiver;but,there are gaps between the rails and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Try using wood shims instead of cardboard. No way to extend the rails if they ...
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| Antique sideboard | 3/1/2009 |
Q: I have an old sideboard that I purchased for 20$ at a yard sale--however, it needs some refinishing. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds to me like most of the problems with the sideboard are fixable. First ...
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| Damaged finish on oak table | 2/28/2009 |
Q: I have a solid oak kitchen table with some sort of clear shiny finish. Some years ago water or milk ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I would try to repair the damage before considering a refinish of the top. ...
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| Refinishing Cabinets | 2/26/2009 |
Q: The previous owner of our house put a lacquer over the nice oak kitchen cabinets. Although the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only solution that would get rid of the high gloss is sanding and a new ...
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| kitchen cabinet finish | 2/26/2009 |
Q: I read your response to Mike's kitchen cabinet finish questions on 9/13/04. You said to scrub the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Minwax tung oil is fine. In Canada I do not have access to Formbys tung oil. ...
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| Cedar Chest. | 2/25/2009 |
Q: We have a old Lane Cedar Chest. Part of the veneer has come off. We would like to take the rest of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off check the veneer was applied directly over the cedar. Sometimes the ...
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| leaf of dining room table stuck | 2/23/2009 |
Q: I have an oak dining room table that for 8 years had the leaf in. NOw I want to remove it to make ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes I have a suggestion. It involves a bit of brute force LOL. Seriously this ...
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| Ageing Aromatic Cedar | 2/21/2009 |
Q: I am in the process of restoring an aromatic cedar armoire. It is solid wood, Aromatic Cedar inside ...
A: Nice to hear from you I have never had a reaction with the finish but its likely because I always ...
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| Wood Staining | 2/20/2009 |
Q: I had some cabinet doors replaced on some old built-ins. The original wood was a stained and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes I have a suggestion. Mix one part liquid drain opener with one part ...
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| vilas maple table top | 2/19/2009 |
Q: A silence cloth was put back with the plastic side toward the wood. It has left a waffle effect on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened. When you run the palm of your hand over the top is ...
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| edison wind up record player | 2/18/2009 |
Q: a plant was sent on the top of this piece of furniture and left a ring but it also cracked the wood, ...
A: As I feared. The top will need to be stripped first. Then the wood must be bleached to remove the ...
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| Bedframe Restoration and Refinish | 2/18/2009 |
Q: I have inherited a relatively new bed frame that has seen some wear and tear from two beautiful ...
A: Yes the red cedar is an excellent choice as it will be very easy to sand once it it glued in place. ...
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| Refinishing a cedar chest | 2/17/2009 |
Q: My husband and I inherited a Lane Cedar Chest made in the 60s. It has a very shiny finish with some ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First you will need to lightly sand your chest before you apply the white ...
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| edison wind up record player | 2/17/2009 |
Q: a plant was sent on the top of this piece of furniture and left a ring but it also cracked the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Damage like this is hard for the do it yourselfer to attempt. The plant must ...
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| Bedframe Restoration and Refinish | 2/17/2009 |
Q: I have inherited a relatively new bed frame that has seen some wear and tear from two beautiful ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you ever read my posts I have always maintained I have never ran across a ...
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| stain removal | 2/16/2009 |
Q: My quesion is, I am sanding down my kitchen cabinets . They are 4 years old. I hate the color ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only way I have found to get into these corners is with a Black and ...
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| Repairing a table | 2/15/2009 |
Q: My wife recently spilled nail polish remover on a section of our new table. I sanded down the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This white ring does appear to be finish as you suspect and you may not have ...
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| Repairing furniture | 2/14/2009 |
Q: I bought a reproduction antique wooden desk from an auction & two of the legs were broken. Please ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There are many many good glues around for this but here is the one I use. ...
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| Painting over Stain | 2/14/2009 |
Q: I have built in book shelves with a fairly dark stain. I would like to use a black paint over the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You will not be painting over the stain but over the finish that is currently ...
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| PINE KITCHEN | 2/12/2009 |
Q: My uncle is installing his old pine kitchen in our house and we want to change the cupboard knobs ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You did not say you are going to refinish the cabinets so I'll assume they ...
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| cabinet refinishing | 2/11/2009 |
Q: Can you give me a brief overview of compatibility between lacquer and urethane? Can one go over the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. One would think that because these products are mineral based that they would ...
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| refinishing kitchen cabinets, (staining) | 2/9/2009 |
Q: I would like to redo my kitchen cabinets and not sure exactly how to go about it, would like to sand ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I agree with you 100% about painting. Do it only as a last resort. In order ...
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| Refinishing 80+ year old dresser and night stands | 2/9/2009 |
Q: The furniture we are trying to refinish, has been handed down from our mothers grandmother. It is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your 80 year old pieces will not have plastic on it unless someone applied it ...
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| Rocking Antique Bed | 2/6/2009 |
Q: Is there a way to stop my "antique" wooden bed from rocking back and forth. There are hooks that go ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a miserable problem. Its just from age. The only solution that ever ...
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| Stripping old finish | 2/5/2009 |
Q: I have an built in oak china cabinet that I have removed from the wall and started to refinish. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Never give up. This is a simple fix. Get a can of MC stripper (ask at the ...
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| left steel wool on refinishing project | 2/5/2009 |
Q: I left steel wool with stripper on refinishing project (long story) and it appears to have rust ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened. You will have to bleach these marks out with oxalic ...
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| Inside of kitchen Cabinets | 2/5/2009 |
Q: I am renting a house and the inside of the cabinets are terrible and I need to some help how to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The first thing that came to mind when I read your letter was painting the ...
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| cigarette smoke stains | 2/4/2009 |
Q: can you help me figure out how to remove cigarette stains from woodwork and painted trim in my home? ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A product called Citrus Solve will do this job. I use this product ...
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| preparing furniture for painting | 2/3/2009 |
Q: I need suggestions on to prep furniture pieces that are are difficult to sand. I have a great rattan ...
A: Nice to hear from you. To prep for painting in these circumstances, you can use a TSP solution and a ...
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| 50 year old anitque white pedasstal dining room table | 2/2/2009 |
Q: The base of the table was antique white when new..50 years later it is yellowed. What can I do to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Certainly you can paint this pedestal white. The surface must be prepped so ...
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| Refinishing Bathroom Cabinets | 2/1/2009 |
Q: I would like to refinish my bathroom cabinets that currently have the pickled stain that was popular ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The best way to proceed is to first do a test. You must determine if the old ...
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| Removing Stain | 1/29/2009 |
Q: Eileen: I have an old oak file cabinet from early 1900's. It has been stained previously and I ...
A: I would do one more final strip with an MC stripper. Here is one I use ...
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| Removing Stain | 1/29/2009 |
Q: Eileen: I have an old oak file cabinet from early 1900's. It has been stained previously and I ...
A: Nice to hear from you Is this the correct picture? I see plywood sided drawers with what appears to ...
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| Stripping oak door and frame | 1/28/2009 |
Q: I live in an apartment house built in the 1920's. The door and window frames have beautiful detailed ...
A: Nice to hear from you. We do not have this Peel Away here in my area (Canada), but I just looked it ...
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| Young republic maple funiture | 1/28/2009 |
Q: I have a hutch from the 1950's, I would like to sand the finish a little and restrain. Do you know ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There was lead in paint during the 50's but I have never heard of lead being ...
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| Oak cabinets | 1/27/2009 |
Q: My kitchen cabinets are showing their age. They are oak with a non shiny finish.I don't want to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You do not need to sand if you are using a steel wool pad as a scrubber ...
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| Refinishing knotty pine cabinets | 1/27/2009 |
Q: Eileen, Have just purchased a 1950's house with original knotty pine cabinets. Would like to keep ...
A: You can strip and sand and stain (one after the other if your up for it). Wait at least 12 hours ...
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| Refinishing knotty pine cabinets | 1/26/2009 |
Q: Eileen, Have just purchased a 1950's house with original knotty pine cabinets. Would like to keep ...
A: How long the job will take depends of course on how many feet of cupboards you have. I was thinking ...
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| kitchen cabinet matching | 1/25/2009 |
Q: You recently gave Dave some advice regarding trying to match existing 20 yr old oak cabinets with ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you are careful in the color selection of the new doors and drawer fronts ...
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| refinishing pine table | 1/25/2009 |
Q: I bought a gorgeous pine dining table set from a couple at their garage sale. They'd raised their ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have never heard of using mineral oil as a cleaning agent and I would not ...
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| Refinishing knotty pine cabinets | 1/24/2009 |
Q: Eileen, Have just purchased a 1950's house with original knotty pine cabinets. Would like to keep ...
A: Nice to hear from you. These old cupboards should refinish beautifully. First they will need to be ...
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| Refinishing maple cabinets | 1/23/2009 |
Q: Help! I have 14 year old white maple cabinets that the manufacturer calls white frost. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Try one more drawer front. Strip as usual, then apply a pre stain product. ...
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| kitchen cabinet re-poly | 1/23/2009 |
Q: Eileen, I like the method you detailed on 9/13/2004 regarding using tsp & steel wool to refinish ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to apply poly over poly you must not only have a clean surface but ...
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| Re-covering antique leather sofa & chair | 1/21/2009 |
Q: Eileen, I recently "rescued" a set (couch and chair) of sitting furniture from a local barn. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The very best source I can give you with regards to recovering as faithfully ...
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| Paint Accidentally Got on Oak Cabinets | 1/19/2009 |
Q: In very short, i accidentally got paint on my 20-year old oak cabinets here and there. Worse yet, I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened but it should come off fine. Use a clean rag dipped ...
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| refinish an antique chair | 1/18/2009 |
Q: I have an old desk chair that i believe to be about 60 years old. I've stripped the finish of it and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off, this is quite a common thing you are experiencing. It will also be ...
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| Re-staining doors | 1/15/2009 |
Q: I have Pine Doors in my house and i have stained them with Sikkens mahogany stain which is too ...
A: Nice to hear from you. So sorry this has happened. Heres what I would attempt. It will remove some ...
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| Updating oak cabinets in kitchen | 1/15/2009 |
Q: I have just purchased a house with "honey" stained oak cabinets. I have have medium brown oak ...
A: The person you are working with is correct. If you had to hire someone to refinish it would cost ...
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| Updating oak cabinets in kitchen | 1/14/2009 |
Q: I have just purchased a house with "honey" stained oak cabinets. I have have medium brown oak ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to stain your cabinets darker, they have to be stripped of all ...
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| wood floors and shelves | 1/14/2009 |
Q: 1. I used Pledge on my kitchen cabinets and now my hardwood floors closest to them is like a skating ...
A: Nice to hear from a fellow Canadian (once removed LOL) Oh my gosh get this Pledge off before someone ...
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| Cherry parlor wood | 1/14/2009 |
Q: I have a follow up question on the 100 yr. old cherry parlor wood I am cleaning/polishing. I ...
A: Gosh I'm glad you could get the low odor spirits. Hope its here soon. Yes this method can leave this ...
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| Restaining, Bathroom trim. | 1/14/2009 |
Q: I'm having alot of fun remodeling my bathroom, and i currently purchased a new sink. It has a dark ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I'll try to answer all your questions as asked. You have all the trim off now ...
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| cleaning up cherry wood | 1/12/2009 |
Q: I am looking for information on cleaning some beautiful cherry parlor wood in a 100 year old house ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The very best thing to clean this old wood is mineral spirits. Use very fine ...
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| Duncan Phyfe Table | 1/10/2009 |
Q: There are scratches and the finish/varnish is cracking on the table my husband inherited from his ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think first I would try some colored wax on this table. Unfortunately this ...
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| refreshing my coffee table | 1/10/2009 |
Q: Eileen, I have a Henredon coffee table. It has some distressing and is 34 years old. It looks great ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds to me like this top needs a good cleaning if heels are marking it. ...
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| Yellowed White Pickled Wood Kitchen Cabinets | 1/10/2009 |
Q: My white pickeled wood kitchen cabinets have turned yellow over the years and I would like to ...
A: Yes you can paint over this surface but you must create a surface so the new paint will stick. All I ...
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| Refinishing Old Woodwork | 1/9/2009 |
Q: I own a 1924 Craftsman bungalow, when we bought the place the woodwork had 10+ layers of paint, most ...
A: Pine is a softwood and a pretty easy way to tell if your trim is softwood is by indenting with your ...
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| Refinishing Old Woodwork | 1/8/2009 |
Q: I own a 1924 Craftsman bungalow, when we bought the place the woodwork had 10+ layers of paint, most ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My gosh what a job it must have been removing all that paint. My hat goes off ...
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| contact cement removal | 1/7/2009 |
Q: Do you have any tips for the removal of 20 year old discolored "water-soluble contact cement"?
A: Nice to hear from you. This is the meanest stuff to remove but they actually make something called ...
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| Antique armoire door hinge replacement (part II) | 1/7/2009 |
Q: I've attached some photos of the socket type receptical found on the top and bottom of the frame ...
A: Just for referance here is your first question Hello Eileen. We have an old armoire on which the ...
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| painting bedroom furniture black | 1/7/2009 |
Q: I have a dresser and chest that I would like to paint black. The furniture is nice and expensive, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is certainly something you can do Debbie. First the furniture must be ...
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| Oak pedestal table | 1/6/2009 |
Q: I have an antique round oak pedestal table with a square split pedestal. The underside where the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes this is certainly something I could help with if I knew how the table had ...
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| Repairing and Re-finishing oak dining table | 1/5/2009 |
Q: I want to repair and re-finish my older solid oak dining table. The top is rectangular, the legs ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The first thing that must be done are the repairs but I cannot get a true ...
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| Aging pine | 1/5/2009 |
Q: Well impressed! The sideboard was second hand but probably not that old - maybe 10 years old? Yes ...
A: Glad to hear this is not a really new piece. Not sure if I mentioned I would recommend stripping the ...
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| CV | 1/3/2009 |
Q: I sent a question yesterday, regarding the conversion varnish on the bathroom cabinet. What would ...
A: This is the product I would use to remove CV. http://www.swingpaints.com/1806.htm There is no ...
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| Yellowed White Pickled Wood Kitchen Cabinets | 1/3/2009 |
Q: My white pickeled wood kitchen cabinets have turned yellow over the years and I would like to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately the top coat applied to your white cabinets has yellowed. There ...
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| does finish coat affect color of stain | 1/3/2009 |
Q: and happy new year. I have a solid oak kitchen table with a top marred by 25 years of use and white ...
A: Whoever suggested this concept to you is correct in my experience. The surface of the wood can ...
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| Kitchen Cabinet refinishing | 1/3/2009 |
Q: I've read alot of your responses and hope you can help me. We are doing a diy kitchen reno (big ...
A: INSTRUCTIONS FOR STRIPPING DAVES OAK CABINETS The first thing you must do is assemble the material ...
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| does finish coat affect color of stain | 1/2/2009 |
Q: and happy new year. I have a solid oak kitchen table with a top marred by 25 years of use and white ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The first thing you must do before staining or your top coat is to go over ...
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| Kitchen Cabinet refinishing | 1/2/2009 |
Q: I've read alot of your responses and hope you can help me. We are doing a diy kitchen reno (big ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This certainly sounds like something I would attempt to do. You have two 20 ...
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| cleaning & refinishing cabinet fronts | 12/25/2008 |
Q: Eileen - We've bought a house with a wonderful big kitchen with beautifully constructed oak ply ...
A: Keep away from pigment and wax. You cannot apply a top coat over it. If you use an oil based topcoat ...
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| cleaning & refinishing cabinet fronts | 12/25/2008 |
Q: Eileen - We've bought a house with a wonderful big kitchen with beautifully constructed oak ply ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The picture is very good and certainly indicates that something must be done ...
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| ebonized table | 12/22/2008 |
Q: I have an black stained Victorian table in rather poor condition which I would like to have ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes the black you dislike can be removed and a more modern color applied. How ...
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| refinishing | 12/20/2008 |
Q: I have just refinished an old bedroom suit. After sanding off the old finish and sealing the wood, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off Sharon my congratulations on your first job. I must say you are ...
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| wood painting | 12/19/2008 |
Q: I have a very old wooden dresser that I would like to pass on to my 5 year old daughter. I would ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This will be a wonderful first project for you. I'll try to outline the job ...
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| Stripping Maple | 12/18/2008 |
Q: I am redoing my home in a Texican style hence I want to replace some existing furniture with pine ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfinished maple is light and does not take a stain because it is so hard. ...
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| striping - dismantling | 12/18/2008 |
Q: I have a small table with a drawer +-60cmm wide 40cm deep and 50cm high. The tenons/mortises are ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only way to safely seperate such joins is to soften the glue using heat ...
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| Six piece tabletop taking stain unevenly | 12/18/2008 |
Q: First, thank you for your Q&A services. I've learned a great deal from your answers to previous ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gosh after all your work to have this. The finish you stripped off will have ...
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| Maple Cabinets | 12/16/2008 |
Q: I have maple cabinets in the bathroom that are over 40 years old but are still in pretty good shape. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. These over 40 year old maple cabinets would not be a huge job to strip and ...
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| Table top finish | 12/10/2008 |
Q: What do I use to create a finish on table top like you see in bars where the clear finish is real ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This product you want is called epoxy resin. Regards Eileen PS..gosh that ...
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| Removing smell of camphor from hope chest | 12/5/2008 |
Q: My mother finally gave me the beautiful hope chest that had been in the family since she was a bride ...
A: Nice to hear from you. How nice to have your Moms hope chest. A lot of the young folks today have no ...
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| refinishing | 12/3/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I have a very old British Grandfather clock,and I'm trying to bring the finish back. After ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are correct on this Kevin. Old built up wax and dirt can interfere with a ...
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| Refinishing to of a dresser | 12/1/2008 |
Q: I purchased a dresser set form JcPennny about 18 years ago thinking all this time it was solid wood. ...
A: Take heart that you are not the first person fooled by this junk furniture. It has what I call a ...
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| mildew on desk | 11/29/2008 |
Q: After moving a large cheery roll top desk away from the wall, I found mildew not only on the wall, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Heres my take on this problem. First off, mildew only grows when the ...
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| damaged veneer | 11/29/2008 |
Q: We are considering buying a used dining table. It has a blond wood veneer and there is at least one ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes this can be fixed but this type of repair always shows unless done by a ...
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| Paint removal | 11/25/2008 |
Q: I remember my dad taking me to a place when I was little that had a big tank full of acid. People ...
A: What an interesting question. I well remember back about 12 years ago there was a company quite near ...
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| 50-60 yr old dresser warping | 11/23/2008 |
Q: we have a 50-60 year old dresser, not sure of the type of wood. We moved from the West coast to the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You won't fix the warping Mona but there is a lot of room between the drawer ...
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| Painting bookcases | 11/22/2008 |
Q: I have two oak finished bookcases that I would like to paint either black or white. I think they are ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to paint a surface, it must be properly prepped to give the paint ...
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| old wood frame | 11/22/2008 |
Q: I have an old picture from my grandparents home that would be better in my sister's home than mine ...
A: I would stick to doing this by hand. If the back of the frame looks cruddy, its OK to use a little ...
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| oak refinishing | 11/22/2008 |
Q: Hey Eileen, I have a hutch that was mild to moderatly smoke damaged in a fire approx. 15 yrs. ago. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I would take the easiest route first. It should not take too long. Get a can ...
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| old wood frame | 11/21/2008 |
Q: I have an old picture from my grandparents home that would be better in my sister's home than mine ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A couple of winters back I worked on nothing but refinishing old frames with ...
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| Refinishing Oak Kitchen Cabinets | 11/20/2008 |
Q: How can I refinish my oak kitchen cabinets. Some have built up grease and on some the varnish is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You refinish surfaces by completely stripping them of all old finish. On your ...
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| floor wax on my furniture | 11/18/2008 |
Q: One day while I was away, my helper used Pledge floor shiner on my dining room table. I am not sure ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh goodness, sorry this has happened. But help is on the way LOL. Get a small ...
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| Stripping set of drawers | 11/17/2008 |
Q: I have a set of drawers purchased from an antique dealer which he acquired in France. They are ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The spirit will only clean any dirt off the chest. If these dark marks are in ...
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| china cabinet caulking | 11/14/2008 |
Q: i have a 40 year old cherry queen anne dining room set that i bought new. the caulking around the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Never heard of furniture caulk but I do know years ago putty was used for ...
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| need to know | 11/13/2008 |
Q: i have an old sewing machine cabinet and the top of it has a nicely grained wood vaneer i think. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes you are correct. This thin layer of wood is called "veneer". You can pick ...
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| painting veneer kitchen cabinet | 11/12/2008 |
Q: started painting my kitchen cabinets with ben moore water based primer. i used 1 coat. let dry. then ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh my gosh what a fix. Your prepping sounds fine so the problem has to be ...
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| Lacquer finish & pen | 11/10/2008 |
Q: Cronk, I don't have a piece of furniture, but I have a wooden bowl with a lacquer finish that my ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Try a bit of paint thinner on a rag. If that fails, you must resort to ...
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| old hoosier cabinet | 11/10/2008 |
Q: I am refinishing an old Sellers Cabinet I inherited from a family member. The original finish was ...
A: Sounds like a great project. You will need an MC stripper (ask at the hardware) to remove this ...
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| painting old chairs | 11/10/2008 |
Q: I've got a set of 1940s or '50s solid mahogany ribbon-back dining chairs that I've disliked for 15 ...
A: If I re-call correctly, you said you were lazy LOL. So applying a top coat will depend on how lazy ...
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| Cedar Chest refinishing | 11/10/2008 |
Q: I used a copper polish and got it shining new but there are spots on the rivets that lost the ...
A: Nice to hear from you You can purchase a small bottle of copper paint at any craft store to paint ...
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| stains on old wood walls | 11/9/2008 |
Q: Our 70's home has real wood walls which we have neglected to care for, but now we are remodeling and ...
A: Too bad the wall wasn't dealt with prior to getting the new floors installed as any stripper that ...
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| painting old chairs | 11/9/2008 |
Q: I've got a set of 1940s or '50s solid mahogany ribbon-back dining chairs that I've disliked for 15 ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You most definately do not have to strip these chairs before painting so its ...
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| stains on old wood walls | 11/8/2008 |
Q: Our 70's home has real wood walls which we have neglected to care for, but now we are remodeling and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What say I?...LOL I say these are either cedar or pine boards that have never ...
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| Dissatisfied with stain job... what to do? | 11/7/2008 |
Q: Cronk, I just purchased some unfinished pieces for my son's bedroom and had them all stained to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh my goodness this is a problem. A lot of thoughts are going through my mind ...
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| Repair / Re-finish old sewing machine cabinet | 11/6/2008 |
Q: I received this old sewing machine cabinet from a friend. It was in really bad shape stored in a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Short of applying new veneer which may be out of the question if you are new ...
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| wax removal from maple table top. | 11/4/2008 |
Q: I have a maple table with no finish. I removed all the paint, and just left it natural. I set a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It would appear that the wax has absorbed into the wood. The only good thing ...
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| removing table top | 11/4/2008 |
Q: I have a single pedestal round oak table which pulls apart in the middle for an optional leafs ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I'm so glad you asked before trying this because the table certainly could ...
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| old rocker | 11/3/2008 |
Q: I bought an old rocker at a "antique" auction,in 1976. My ? is, at that time they said it was not ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You have no doubt heard some say that to be called "antique" an item must be ...
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| Remove laminate and refinish wood kitchen | 11/3/2008 |
Q: In the U.S. now, but born in Alberta! My 1975 built home has beautiful dark woodwork but someone ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Stripping paint from kitchen cabinets is a tough job but it certainly can be ...
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| Cedar Chest - Bleached | 11/2/2008 |
Q: I used light paint striper on a 30yr old black painted 1930 cedar chest. The stubborn spots I used ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This can be remedied. I see a few things you did incorrectly here. First you ...
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| waterproof an oak table | 11/1/2008 |
Q: I have a California style oak/oak parquet(possibly some veneer) top table, purchased about 25 years ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have Minwax fast drying poly in satin sheen on my kitchen table. This table ...
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| upgrading oak cabinets | 11/1/2008 |
Q: We stained our oak kitchen cabinets 25+ years ago with Minwax 2 parts golden oak to one part ...
A: These are lovely well maintained cabinets and it would be a shame to paint over them as you suggest. ...
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| nightstands and stain | 10/30/2008 |
Q: I was given two pine nightstands. They are sturdy wood and have a light finish/stain on them. Very ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Although you may not detect it, these stands will surely have some type of ...
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| cleaning oak kitchen table & chairs | 10/30/2008 |
Q: My table has some age on it. Around the chair tops and the arms & around the table are dirty. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am very familiar with this type of dirt with a large family and ...
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| taking apart an expandable table | 10/28/2008 |
Q: I need to take a round table apart for transport. It has 3-part sliders (wooden) that expand it to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. All of these sliders were applied with screws and removing them should allow ...
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| minwax | 10/28/2008 |
Q: What is the minimum temperature for applying a polyurethanee finish
A: Nice to hear from you. I avoid using poly in temperatures below 65 degrees F. Poly must "flow" after ...
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| BLEACHED OAK BATHROOM VANITY | 10/28/2008 |
Q: Would it be better to strip and stain my bleached oak vanity that is 15 years old or paint it? I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Save yourself a pile of work and just lightly sand and paint the vanity. You ...
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| Removing paint Splatters | 10/27/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if there is any way to remove paint splatters from the chairs to my kitchen table ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Funny enough I have always been successful removing such paint splatters with ...
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| Restaining Kitchen Table | 10/26/2008 |
Q: I have a hardwood kitchen table I would like to restain. The colour at present is a light brown ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In all cases where we wish to restain, all the existing finish must be ...
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| Restoring wood stairs | 10/25/2008 |
Q: I have some old wood stairs in kind of rough condition, I do not want to go crazy in stripping and ...
A: Forgot to mention that you can treat the railings and spindles of the stairs the same as the ...
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| repairing old mahogany table | 10/22/2008 |
Q: I have an old mahogany table that a dog walked on and scratched it. It has a nice patina but the ...
A: Great picture of the damage. Short of stripping and refinishing which is a last resort, I would try ...
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| bedroom furniture | 10/22/2008 |
Q: I am painting one wall in my bedroom a sage green. The beds will be against this wall. I have a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You could paint these pieces for absolute sure. But Without seeing this ...
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| stain maple to look like oak | 10/18/2008 |
Q: I purchased some unfinished maple wood corbels to place under my kitchen bar. I have all oak ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sandy this can be done with lacquers but of course it won't have the graining ...
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| barnwood kitchen cabinets | 10/14/2008 |
Q: We purchase a home that's about 120 years old and has old barnwood kitchen cabinets. They are in ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think you are on the right track with your idea of a whitewash to lighten ...
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| Refinishing Oak tables | 10/13/2008 |
Q: I have an oak coffee table and end tables and am tired of the light oak color, I'd like to know if ...
A: Another great question. But not easy to specifically answer LOL But your 10 year old tables I would ...
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| Painting Papasan/previous question 6/20/08 | 10/12/2008 |
Q: Date: 6/20/2008 Subject: Painting/Staining a bamboo papasan frame Hi Eileen: I picked up this ...
A: Yes you can use the TSP on the rest. My concern now after hearing you used Rustoleum paint is that a ...
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| Staining pine cabinets | 10/11/2008 |
Q: I've currently sanded my pine cabinets in a 2 step process first with a 100 grit then with a 220 or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I had to read this question twice Rachelle to get the full picture..I guess ...
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| Painting Papasan/previous question 6/20/08 | 10/11/2008 |
Q: Date: 6/20/2008 Subject: Painting/Staining a bamboo papasan frame Hi Eileen: I picked up this ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Hmmm...the paint did not stick because it did not have a surface properly ...
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| Refinishing Oak tables | 10/9/2008 |
Q: I have an oak coffee table and end tables and am tired of the light oak color, I'd like to know if ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you ever get the chance to read this forum Cindy you will see this ...
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| staining wood furniture | 10/8/2008 |
Q: I have a mixture of wood finishes in my living/dining/office. I would like to stain them to be more ...
A: Unfortunately what you wish to achieve is impossible unless you want to have all this furniture ...
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| greasy oak cabinets with moisture problem | 10/5/2008 |
Q: I have a similar problem and will try your solution of TSP with steel wool followed by MinWax and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Janet these cabinets look in overall excellent condition. Personally in this ...
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| restaining | 10/3/2008 |
Q: I have a sofa table stained in light oak, that has a slight sheen to it. Can I just sand it down or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a very nice table by the way. In order to restain this piece, all the ...
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| Refinishing Oak Dining Table | 10/1/2008 |
Q: I have an Amish Red Oak round table that I purchased approximately 25 years ago. The table has ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am hearing about lots of ruined finishes from these wipes. I have never ...
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| Restoring Kitchen Table | 9/29/2008 |
Q: We were given antique table but needs a lot of work. The top has a lot of scratches & several white ...
A: Denatured alcohol left the white film because it did not agree with the finish it was applied ...
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| 2 questions -- odor and paint | 9/29/2008 |
Q: lousey execution, neophyte. #1 I am going to purchase an "antique" Chinese armoire -- it has a ...
A: Glad you clarified that for me. The new finish smell will be gone shortly so bear with it. You can ...
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| Restoring Kitchen Table | 9/29/2008 |
Q: We were given antique table but needs a lot of work. The top has a lot of scratches & several white ...
A: Nice to hear from you. At this point there is absolutely nothing wrong with trying the restore a ...
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| 2 questions -- odor and paint | 9/28/2008 |
Q: lousey execution, neophyte. #1 I am going to purchase an "antique" Chinese armoire -- it has a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off, there is no way on this earth that an "antique" Chinese armoire ...
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| Refinishing wooden window frames | 9/26/2008 |
Q: Throughtout my house I have wooden window frames that are 25+ years old and have suffered wear and ...
A: If these where my windows, I would get a can of opaque stain and apply that. This product is oil ...
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| painting old dining set | 9/25/2008 |
Q: I just finished painting a dining room table and chairs. First I sanded the chairs and table legs ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh gosh this is strange. Acrylic paint usually dries in hours. I would wait a ...
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| Refinishing wooden window frames | 9/25/2008 |
Q: Throughtout my house I have wooden window frames that are 25+ years old and have suffered wear and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Wish you had told me if this was clear coated wood or painted window frames. ...
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| furniture repair | 9/24/2008 |
Q: I recently purchased a used solid wood cherry finish bureau. I now notice that the outside edge ...
A: Once again Jan I can only speculate without seeing this piece. This type of color variation from ...
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| furniture repair | 9/23/2008 |
Q: I recently purchased a used solid wood cherry finish bureau. I now notice that the outside edge ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Without seeing this damage I can only speculate what is happening. Heres what ...
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| Beech wood kitchen counter top | 9/23/2008 |
Q: My beech wood countertop has water stains or blackish mould stains round the taps. How can I get rid ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like the finish has worn off the wood around the taps..correct? ...
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| repainting wood furniture | 9/22/2008 |
Q: I'm not sure if what I did is right or I just did a big mess, I sanded my old wood furniture and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Rest assured you did nothing wrong at all. Heres my take on priming. If we ...
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| Furniture Stain on concrete | 9/21/2008 |
Q: Eileen: furniture stain was accidentally spilt in my driveway. What do I use to remove the stains ...
A: Stain is miserable stuff to remove from concrete. This may sound odd, but I would stain over the ...
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| Furniture Stain on concrete | 9/20/2008 |
Q: Eileen: furniture stain was accidentally spilt in my driveway. What do I use to remove the stains ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think the time this should have been removed was when it was wet. At that ...
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| Anitique Maple Highboy | 9/18/2008 |
Q: I have recently been looking at purchasing an antique maple highboy dresser. It’s finish in pretty ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off when we dye wood, that is the stain. You do not dye the wood and ...
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| refinish/restoring a child's rocking chair | 9/17/2008 |
Q: Someone gave me a old child's rocking chair, I would like to restore it for my grandson. It is old ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a neat find. Your Grandson will love it. Particle board paints up very ...
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| Modernizing an 80's china cabinet | 9/15/2008 |
Q: Eileen: My mother-in-law recently gave me her old "oak" 1980's china cabinet and I like it but I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You may have asked the wrong person this question LOL. I would never paint ...
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| stipping old balusters | 9/7/2008 |
Q: the house was built in the late 1800, there is several coats of white paint probably lead paint and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. They actually sell little kits for testing such paint for lead and perhaps it ...
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| Refinishing kitchen cupboards | 9/6/2008 |
Q: I am wanting to refinish my kitchen cupboards. I do not want to change the color, but because of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes it sounds like these cupboards are in need of some work. Your cabinets ...
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| dining table and chairs - do it myself? | 9/5/2008 |
Q: I just purchased a formal dining table and chairs from an estate sale. There are a lot of surface ...
A: Nice to hear from you. As you have found out, having this done by a pro costs big bucks. Its ...
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| refinishing stained oak table | 9/5/2008 |
Q: supplementary to earlier question - I have tried bleach to no avail to remove black spotting. I have ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Heres what I do. Add to hot water until the crystals no longer dissolve. This ...
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| refinishing oak kitchen cabinets | 9/4/2008 |
Q: I am a Canadian too! My oak kitchen cabinets are 25 years old and have turned a yellow/orange ...
A: Holly you are going to have to trust me on this. There is no way on this earth that you (or anyone) ...
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| cleaning cabinets | 9/4/2008 |
Q: can i clean my cherry kitchen cabinets with mineral spirits? i was told that they would look great. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Just for general regular cleaning the mineral spirits are not needed. But if ...
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| Conundrum over refinishing a table | 9/4/2008 |
Q: I recently bought a pair of Conant Ball end tables designed by Richard Wright ...
A: Great picture of the table top with the damage. This damage must be sanded out. Nothing else will ...
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| Golden Oak cabinets | 9/2/2008 |
Q: We are remodeling our home for resale. We have golden oak cabinets which are in good condition and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Evy I am concerned for you. This is a really big job for an experienced ...
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| Maple chest | 9/1/2008 |
Q: I have a maple 6 drawer chest I've had for over 24 yrs. I'm planning to give it to my neice who is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The scratches are nothing you did rest assured. I have seen this finish and ...
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| refinishing oak kitchen cabinets | 9/1/2008 |
Q: I am a Canadian too! My oak kitchen cabinets are 25 years old and have turned a yellow/orange ...
A: So nice to hear from a fellow Canadian. You can refinish your 25 year oak cabinets to the medium oak ...
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| re upholsering dining chairs with zig zag springs | 9/1/2008 |
Q: I have dining chairs with zig zag springs and the original horsehair type padding that is turning to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Great project and once you do this type of thing once you will not hesitate ...
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| CLEANING OLD MAPLE TABLE | 8/31/2008 |
Q: hOW DO I CLEAN A MAPLE TABLE? iT IS A STICKLEY MAPLE TABLE MADE IN 1977 AND NOT CARED FOR. THERE ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Easy to do. Get a small can of Mineral spirits (varsol in Canada). Get a box ...
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| making an old bedroom set livable again | 8/31/2008 |
Q: I have decided to re-stain our ugly bedroom set. It is oak (I think ) and is presently an ...
A: I really think you got the finish off OK if you used paint stripper as directed. I think you messed ...
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| stain removal(minwax) | 8/31/2008 |
Q: I have a coffee table which I want to remove the old stain and add a new one. What is my best course ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Fairly straight forward job. Strip all finish then apply your new stain then ...
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| Residue on Kitchen Table | 8/30/2008 |
Q: My Kitchen table is a distressed table from Broyhill. I've had it for about 6 years and it is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes this is very doable. Get a small can of mineral spirits (varsol in ...
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| Color wash dingy cabinets? | 8/29/2008 |
Q: I have a case of dingy kitchen cabinets. They are a yellow-oaky stain, but some of the "frame" (not ...
A: Sorry Susan I missed some of your question. The answer is yes you can treat the frames the same as ...
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| finishing | 8/27/2008 |
Q: I have finished a pine door with stain and coating of Helmsman Spar clear finish. The finish is too ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is easily solved and no stripping needed. Give the door a sanding with ...
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| table and chairs | 8/26/2008 |
Q: I purchased a nice maple drop leaf table at an estate sale its dated 1959. I have no idea what kind ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes its possible to freshen the table as you suggest with oil. Heres what I'd ...
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| making an old bedroom set livable again | 8/25/2008 |
Q: I have decided to re-stain our ugly bedroom set. It is oak (I think ) and is presently an ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you are determined, have the time and space this could be a wonderful ...
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| nail polish on stained table | 8/25/2008 |
Q: nail polish remover went through dishtowel on kitchen table table is a teal whitewash incolor made ...
A: The ashes treatment is used for water blush marks. I understand this was nail polish remover that ...
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| Covering a crackle paint finish | 8/25/2008 |
Q: I have some very large pieces of bedroom furniture that have the venitian plaster crackle paint ...
A: No, the finish will not fall off when you do this. Just make sure you clean the pieces before ...
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| refinishing oak table | 8/25/2008 |
Q: After using Citristrip and then restaining (flecto gel) and poly rub finish (Minwax) (first coat) ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have heard about this happening but never experienced it. I am going to ...
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| refinishing | 8/24/2008 |
Q: I bought some Formbys conditioning refinisher and am trying to take the old varnish off a Singer ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off Cathy you are using the wrong product to remove varnish. This ...
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| fiber chair seat | 8/23/2008 |
Q: I have a chair in perfect condition but one day I set my trash on the chair before taking it out. ...
A: Now I can give you a correct answer. The stain is there to stay in this seat. You have two options. ...
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| refinishing teak | 8/21/2008 |
Q: i have some teak cabinets that have been oiled. the wood grain is nice but the color is definitely ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I agree. This wood should not look orange. Unfortunately you will need paint ...
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| Removing stain from a china hutch-restaining | 8/20/2008 |
Q: My mother-in-law gave me her china hutch. It's a very dark color called "Spanish Moss" (Sears ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Do not even think about sanding this finish (or any finish) off in order to ...
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| Conundrum over refinishing a table | 8/19/2008 |
Q: I recently bought a pair of Conant Ball end tables designed by Richard Wright ...
A: Not 20 questions at all LOL. If you don't ask you will never learn and you seem keen to do so. ...
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| Poly brush - how to select | 8/18/2008 |
Q: I saw your reply to a question where you said getting a poly brush was well worth the $12, and I ...
A: Nice to hear from New Zealand. Yes the proper brush is vital. So go to your paint store. Tell them ...
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| Smoke Damage Kitchen Cabinets | 8/18/2008 |
Q: I am considering buying a set of three year old Schrock cabinets from a homeowner who had a fire in ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds like something I would most definately attempt...but. Its important to ...
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| Exterior Front Oak Door | 8/17/2008 |
Q: I have double doors and is reasonably good condition for 25 years in place. A couple of years ago I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh gosh I wish you had asked before you started this. The doors must be ...
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| Conundrum over refinishing a table | 8/17/2008 |
Q: I recently bought a pair of Conant Ball end tables designed by Richard Wright ...
A: Nice to hear from you. How you ever got paint off the table with Murphys soap and steel wool is ...
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| Dull cherry furnature | 8/16/2008 |
Q: I have Eathen Allen cherry furniture purchased in the 1960's. Over the years I have used various ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds to me like this set is in need of a good cleaning to remove all the ...
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| Blistered varnish or schlack on woodwork | 8/16/2008 |
Q: Friends have bought a home with blistered finish on the woodwork. What do they do with it? This ...
A: Nice to hear from you. All work on the woodwork should be done before the fresh painting. Sounds to ...
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| fiber chair seat | 8/15/2008 |
Q: I have a chair in perfect condition but one day I set my trash on the chair before taking it out. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds as if we think alike Lisa LOL Of course you must try everything you ...
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| Water damaged oak. | 8/15/2008 |
Q: We recently had a leak. We put down pots and pans to gather the water. Once it was repaired, we ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Paul it sounds to me like the moisture has not penetrated the finish but just ...
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| Polyurethane on kitchen table | 8/14/2008 |
Q: I have painted our kitchen table and put polyurethane on it. It now has 3 coats and every time it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Slow down on the poly Carol. You only need one coat over paint. A few things ...
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| black spotting on teak patio set | 8/14/2008 |
Q: We recently bought a new teak patio set. Within a couple days it began developing black spotting on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am going to assume this set is outdoors..correct? And not protected from ...
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| wooden wheels | 8/12/2008 |
Q: My mother had beautiful maple furniture and I have received 2 pieces I love. She gave me a rolling ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Not sure if its actually wheels you need or casters. First look through this ...
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| sideboards | 8/12/2008 |
Q: I just rescued two head boards and footboards from the trash. I would like to paint themand use them ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a great project. Personally I would attach them to the metal bed ...
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| Bad Stain Job | 8/12/2008 |
Q: We are remodeling a home and we had someone come in and build us brand new cabinets. The wood we ...
A: Oh my gosh you must be sick over this. I really think the person who did this should come back and ...
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| stripping bleached pieces | 8/11/2008 |
Q: I have 6 cabinets that are turning pink w/ age and I only hae one week to re-finish them in. I love ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First all the existing finish needs to be removed. This is not fast I'm ...
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| condition/seal old wood | 8/10/2008 |
Q: Eileen, Need some advice about how to seal, before staining, a 100-150 year old bed. Maple head/foot ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Dan we do not seal before staining in most cases. The only time I say to seal ...
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| screws/hinges came out of cabinet | 8/6/2008 |
Q: The screws on the door hinge of my wardrobe cabinet have pulled out. This is an IKEA product ...
A: Yes you have the drill/ glue dowel part correct. And yes it will work if the screws are offset from ...
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| screws/hinges came out of cabinet | 8/5/2008 |
Q: The screws on the door hinge of my wardrobe cabinet have pulled out. This is an IKEA product ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This type of material is hard to fix and a dowel most definitely won't work ...
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| Hoosier cabinet refinishing | 8/5/2008 |
Q: I have the bottom half of a Hoosier cabinet,which I'm stripping. I have two questions: 1) I'm down ...
A: What you are stripping will be a paint grade Hossier. That means a piece that came from the factory ...
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| Hoosier cabinet refinishing | 8/4/2008 |
Q: I have the bottom half of a Hoosier cabinet,which I'm stripping. I have two questions: 1) I'm down ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You will need an MC stripper to do this and possibly a metal stripping brush ...
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| Painting oak cabinets | 8/4/2008 |
Q: I read your response to not sanding first, you said use steel wool and TSP solution, What is this? I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. TSP (tri sodium phosphate) is good to use as a scrub solution along with ...
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| Kitchen and Bath Cabinets - Golden Oak - | 8/3/2008 |
Q: I have goofed up. Have done a lot of work with poor results. Cabinets look like old dark brown ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A lot of questions here John and I will try to cover what I can. 1..I am not ...
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| re-staining a table darker | 8/1/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I'm attempting to refinish a wood and glass kitchen table. The wood was finished in a light ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No you should not need to sand off the stain, but I would go over the entire ...
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| Cahnging Natural pine wax to Dark Walnut | 8/1/2008 |
Q: I have come across a gorgeous pine dresser. It is made from up to 1" thick solid pine and is hand ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Before you stain this waxed piece, all the wax must be removed. But before we ...
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| restorz it | 7/31/2008 |
Q: Have you used this product, what were results, would it be appropriate for an older kitchen table ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No I have never used this product but I have read a bit about it. I see ...
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| Ugly stains on old oak umbrella tree | 7/31/2008 |
Q: We purchased an old oak umbrella/coat tree with what appeared to be the original finish. Our ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately these stains should have been removed prior to staining and ...
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| refinishing a stanley maple desk | 7/30/2008 |
Q: I just bought my son a maple (finished natural) desk and hutch from a local consignment shop. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is no hope of staining this maple desk a dark color so you will have to ...
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| wooden windows | 7/30/2008 |
Q: my windows are made of wood and have started to show water marks, fading etc. How can I strip them ...
A: Nice to hear from you. These are the insides of the windows..right? The windows will not need ...
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| refinishing | 7/30/2008 |
Q: I am trying to refinish a bedroom set that is i think from 1960's. It is painted an avacado green. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What you are trying to strip is a paint grade dresser. Sorry to tell you Lori ...
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| Polishing Waterfall Furniture | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I want to know if there is a special polish to use on waterfall veneer.Also,what is a good product ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is no special polish to use on this furniture but it is advised that ...
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| Cedar chest finish problem | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I have a cedar chest that operates as my coffee table. I usually dust it and put lemon oil on it. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think all this is is moisture trapped between the oils and finish. Or just ...
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| adhesive removal from a table top | 7/28/2008 |
Q: I used some clear plastic shelf liner with adhesive to cover a table that was used in a play to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This adhesive will be easily removed with varsol or mineral spirits. This ...
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| Table Top | 7/28/2008 |
Q: I just finished sanding a table top and applying stain (outdoors). The color is beautiful but there ...
A: So glad we found your problem. There is not an expiration date on Minwax. This is the only stain I ...
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| Staining wood steps | 7/27/2008 |
Q: I have recently tried to sand, stain, and seal my wood steps that have always been covered by ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh gosh I wish you had asked before you started this job. I can well imagine ...
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| Cedar Chest | 7/27/2008 |
Q: Refinishing a solid cedar painted chest-already stripped with Stripeze, and now need to go back and ...
A: Correct..no sanding at all LOL. The only time we sand is to remove wood damage. And there is a ...
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| Re-finishing ebonized Victorian furniture | 7/26/2008 |
Q: I have several items of ebonized Victorian furniture (of which I am very fond). Sadly, some of them ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This type of furniture has been stained or painted black. Either method is ...
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| Cedar Chest | 7/26/2008 |
Q: Refinishing a solid cedar painted chest-already stripped with Stripeze, and now need to go back and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am going to assume all the paint is gone..right? And you are now trying to ...
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| Veneer Cabinets | 7/26/2008 |
Q: I have veneer cabinets in my kitchen. The cabinets look good far away, but up close you can see ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No household cleaner will remove veneer as you describe. Veneer is thin wood ...
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| Old wood bench | 7/25/2008 |
Q: I have an old wooden bench. It still has some of the old square head nails in it that leads me to ...
A: Sorry but I think I misunderstood your first question totally (its an age thing LOL). You are right ...
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| Re-finish table and chairs | 7/25/2008 |
Q: I have a gloss finish on maple wood and would like to dull it because it looks cloudy in certain ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am fairly certain this will be a lacquer finish and it can cloud like your ...
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| Removing furniture wax | 7/24/2008 |
Q: we have a table which has been well waxed over the years before we got it. Is it possible to remove ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only thing I know of that will remove this wax is mineral spirits. Use ...
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| Refinishing old sewing machine cabinet | 7/24/2008 |
Q: My situation is similar to the other lady who was refinishing a sewing machine cabinet. My cabinet ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No need for a picture as I am very familiar with these old sewing machines (I ...
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| teak patio furniture refinish | 7/22/2008 |
Q: I recently acquired a teak patio furniture set that was completely gray. After sanding for about a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You did nothing wrong. Its obvious the wood (even after sanding for a month ...
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| Old wood bench | 7/20/2008 |
Q: I have an old wooden bench. It still has some of the old square head nails in it that leads me to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If this is going to be used for a coffee table I agree it needs something. ...
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| kitchen cabinent | 7/20/2008 |
Q: My cabinet has pulled away from the back at the top and side. It leans forward slightly. How can I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My goodness this is an emergency as far as I'm concerned. Get everything out ...
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| Table Top | 7/20/2008 |
Q: I just finished sanding a table top and applying stain (outdoors). The color is beautiful but there ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I assume you dusted the surface well before applying the stain so I will rule ...
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| Darkening wood on an entertainment center | 7/18/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I have a lovely 1970s Thomasville Entertainment Center. Three pieces solid wood. Not a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is not a do it yourself project..for non finger nail painters LOL. ...
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| Redoing an old Cedar Hope Chest | 7/18/2008 |
Q: I am trying to strip the paint off of an old Cedar Hope CHest. In the process I found out that the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds to me like this is veneer glued to the chest not paneling. You ...
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| Painting dinning table black | 7/18/2008 |
Q: This is my First attempt to do anything like this.I have a light oak finished Dinning table set.Its ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You will have to go black. This expresso finish you speak of cannot be ...
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| Ageing a pine table | 7/17/2008 |
Q: It looks far too new and golden gingery. I have tried to age it using antique pine coloured wax but ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately to make your table look more aged the current finish will need ...
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| Wood Finish | 7/17/2008 |
Q: I had three questions. First, I just stained (Minwax oil-based) some eating trays and finished it ...
A: Hope you don't mind me answering this way but I don't want to miss any of your points so I'll go in ...
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| Stripping an old dresser | 7/16/2008 |
Q: I have an old dresser that was my grandmother's and then my mom's, and now it's mine. It's very ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You almost had it right LOL. Use the masking tape but don't attempt to get it ...
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| Wood Finish | 7/16/2008 |
Q: I had three questions. First, I just stained (Minwax oil-based) some eating trays and finished it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. All of the answers I give you are my personal opinion. 1..The water based ...
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| refinishing a bedroom dresser. | 7/15/2008 |
Q: having trouble finding a simple dark large bedroom dresser for my master bedroom. i just picked up a ...
A: Nice to hear from you Sounds like a fun project. What you could do is simply paint the dresser ...
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| Removing Polyurethane spatters from wood furniture. | 7/14/2008 |
Q: Some workmen refinishing our staircase today spattered polyurethane on a (beloved) wood credenza. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gosh I'm sorry this has happened. All I can suggest is wait till the spatters ...
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| Can Yellow Oak Cabinets Be Refinished to Cherry? | 7/12/2008 |
Q: I have an important question regarding refinishing Yellow Oak Kitchen Cabinetry to a Spice Cherry ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Interesting question. Its like making a silk purse from a sows ear LOL...well ...
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| veneer overlay? | 7/10/2008 |
Q: The piece I would like to repair has roughly 1/4 of its veneer peeling up or missing. How intensive ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its very easy to remove veneer with a heat gun or a hot iron. Simply apply ...
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| Stains on oak dining table | 7/9/2008 |
Q: I have a 19th C. dining table which is never used with a table cloth. The stains were quite ...
A: Nice to hear from you. For a Non do it your selfer, the only thing to try is mineral spirits. Start ...
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| Repair of leather inlay on coffee table | 7/9/2008 |
Q: Have leather inlaid top on coffee table, gold embossed, with finish "Checkerboarding" or cracking. ...
A: First try some lacquer thinner. It will remove lacquer and will not be as harsh as using stripper. ...
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| Heavily painted kitchen cabinets | 7/9/2008 |
Q: My son just bought a house and is on a budget at the moment. His kitchen really needs a big face ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Believe it or not, the hindges will come off. What you must do is clean the ...
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| Repair of leather inlay on coffee table | 7/8/2008 |
Q: Have leather inlaid top on coffee table, gold embossed, with finish "Checkerboarding" or cracking. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First I would try a cleaning with saddle soap...may not help but give it a ...
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| Kitchen Cabinets | 7/7/2008 |
Q: I still love my kitchen cabinets even after 24 years. They are a honey-golden oak finish. In the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is only one way to find out if a spot repair will fix this. You must ...
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| Cedar Chest | 7/7/2008 |
Q: I just stripped an old cedar chest. It had several coats of a terrible varnish that had been on for ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I suggest several coats of tung oil applied with a rag. I like the Circa ...
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| Secretary Desk | 7/5/2008 |
Q: I have a dark stained colonial style secretary desk that is badly scratched and nicked. Otherwise, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This type of damage is hard to disguise. If its in great shape otherwise ...
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| Coffee table | 7/5/2008 |
Q: A co-worker has tried to clean a table with a bleached cloth and has ruined the table. It looks ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This has been happening a lot because of these cloths. Try cleaning the table ...
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| Barn wood cabinets | 7/5/2008 |
Q: My husband & I are moving into the home that my in-laws built in 1975. The cabinets are made of barn ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think I know what you have and you are correct they would be a nightmare to ...
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| Refinishing white lacquered engineered wood | 7/3/2008 |
Q: I recently bought a buffet from Crate and Barrel that is described as: white lacquered engineered ...
A: Nice to hear from you. While this piece can certainly be painted it cannot be made to look like ...
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| More waterfall furniture | 7/2/2008 |
Q: I have a set of basic "poor man's" waterfall bedroom furniture that is of two different collections ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My personal opinion about painting old furniture (thats in good condition) is ...
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| 1850 Circa Heavy Body Stripper | 7/2/2008 |
Q: My husband and I strip furniture and have been doing so for years. He's also a cabinet maker and ...
A: So nice to hear from a fellow stripper LOL. I am up in Canada and must admit I am not very ...
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| Water mark on veneer surface | 7/1/2008 |
Q: I purchased a cherry veneer dining room table recently at a garage sale. I paid for it and returned ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened. Here is a link that details how to fix thiese water ...
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| Super glue on wooden table | 6/30/2008 |
Q: a few days ago i spilt some super glue on my dining table and it went through my tabel cloth and got ...
A: Nice to hear from you. All I can do for you Mary is ask you to read this ...
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| waterfall style | 6/29/2008 |
Q: I have no clue on how to refinish or salvage my father in-laws funiture. I am told they were built ...
A: Nice to hear from you. These old pieces will refinish beautifully. I have done many such. And ...
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| easy way to color the wood furniture | 6/29/2008 |
Q: I'm planning to color this piece of furniture to match the decor of the nursery. The furniture is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can skip the priming but not the sanding. You need a surface that the new ...
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| Leather Top Desk | 6/28/2008 |
Q: I bought a desk at a resale shop and began to strip it so I could refinish it. The previous owners ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is no reason this leather could not be painted. I don't feel the stain ...
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| Black stain oak cabinet | 6/28/2008 |
Q: I want to refinish or paint existing oak bathroom cabinet to a black color. What would be the best ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It would be real easy to answer this by just telling you to paint. But when I ...
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| Odor in Credenza | 6/27/2008 |
Q: I bought an old wooden credenza that smells musty/moldy on the inside despite airing out, baking ...
A: Sorry I should have been more specific. Sounds like this is a dye stain on the inside but thats OK. ...
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| staining after lacquer | 6/27/2008 |
Q: I have a mahogany dining room table and hutch. I also have an old microwave stand in there that acts ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You did not say what the micro wave stand was made from but I'll guess ...
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| kitchen cabinets refinishing | 6/26/2008 |
Q: I have oak kitchen cabinets over 25 years old and they need to be refinished and my question is how ...
A: Good question It just depends on how much the wood has darkened over the 25 years. And often you can ...
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| four poster bed repair | 6/26/2008 |
Q: one of the four post is broken,hanging not completly broken can this be repaired or replaced?
A: Nice to hear from you. I have rarely seen a broken piece of wood that could not be repaired. This ...
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| Odor in Credenza | 6/26/2008 |
Q: I bought an old wooden credenza that smells musty/moldy on the inside despite airing out, baking ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If the piece is already stained inside there is no harm in wiping on another ...
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| varnish on dresser | 6/25/2008 |
Q: Ms. Eileen, I left a plastic banner on my dresser and it stuck to the dresser top messing up the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this has happened. As a long shot you could try a product called ...
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| White Washed Oak | 6/24/2008 |
Q: hope you can help. I have three problems. I have a white washed oak bedroom set and three questions. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. 1..Unfortunately the finish has yellowed and there is no way to get that out. ...
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| bleached blonde oak kitchen cabinets | 6/23/2008 |
Q: Is there any good way to strip and re-stain these cabinet doors and drawer fronts? I would prefer a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Helen this seems to be the most asked question in this category. You ask "is ...
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| 'aging' new furniture | 6/22/2008 |
Q: .. Eileen, I have just bought two repro French rush seat wing back armchairs on ebay because I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes it would be possible to sand and apply a coat of something not so shiny. ...
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| Painting/Staining a bamboo papasan frame | 6/20/2008 |
Q: I would like to paint or stain my light colored (natural)bamboo papasan chair an espresso color to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The very easiest route for you would be a dark spray paint. The colored ...
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| restoring waterfall furniture | 6/18/2008 |
Q: I have a lovely bedroom waterfall bedroom suit, but one of the pieces of amber glass from the vanity ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Most all glass can be replaced. When I need mirror or glass I go to a store ...
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| relacquering brass knobs on old fashioned iron bed | 6/18/2008 |
Q: I have a black wrought iron metal bed with four brass spheres on each post. Over the years, some of ...
A: I just happened to have one of these kits...forgotten till you asked. Its called Accents by ...
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| relacquering brass knobs on old fashioned iron bed | 6/17/2008 |
Q: I have a black wrought iron metal bed with four brass spheres on each post. Over the years, some of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Hmmm..interesting question that flys in the face of what "I thought" LOL. And ...
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| Re-finishing Headboard/Footboard | 6/17/2008 |
Q: I purchased an old (antique?) headboard and footboard that are in decent condition. They have a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off I would clean the pieces. Use mineral spirits and fine steel wool. ...
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| Teak Sideboard with areas of sun-fading | 6/16/2008 |
Q: My partner and I recently purchased some lovely teak dining room furniture - Danish Modern 40 years ...
A: First a cleaning with varsol will not harm furniture. If you are worried the varsol will remove this ...
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| Grease stains under paint or stain on kitchen cupboard doors | 6/16/2008 |
Q: My daughter in law is refinishing the kitchen cupboards. She has removed the doors and went straight ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off you cannot sand off a finish if you wish to restain. The finish ...
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| Remove Whitewash from Kitchen Cabinets | 6/15/2008 |
Q: I have oak kitchen cabinets that are whitewashed/pickled white. They were that way when we moved ...
A: Nice to hear from you. OK...I have to ADMIT I love your spunk. So lets get right at it. When I get a ...
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| rocking chair | 6/13/2008 |
Q: I have my grandfathers rocking chair - the seat and back appear to be made of a paper-like rope ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I usually wash this type of seat (I call it sisal but that could be wrong), ...
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| kitchen cabinets refinishing | 6/12/2008 |
Q: I have oak kitchen cabinets over 25 years old and they need to be refinished and my question is how ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am hoping that this 25 year old lacquer will come off just fine with paint ...
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| old dresser dilemma | 6/12/2008 |
Q: I purchased an old dresser from a used furniture store, absolutely beautiful, but needs a lot of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Darn it all, I'm with you on this one. If things like this can be fixed I say ...
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| vintage oak chairs | 6/12/2008 |
Q: yesterday I bought 6 matching oak chairs at St. Vincent de Paul for $4.50 apiece. The reason they ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a great letter. Not often folks take the time for interesting comments ...
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| Second coat of semi gloss white marks appeared | 6/11/2008 |
Q: I have some kitchen cabinets that I sanded down & stained with cherry "darker" color. I placed 2 ...
A: If you are careful, perhaps you can just sand down the effected areas as long as you do not ...
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| broken spindles | 6/11/2008 |
Q: I just bought a used rocking chair which the former owner claims to be antique. Anyway, two of the ...
A: Try to repair the broken spindle at least. I have never used Gorilla glue but just read a bit about ...
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| Second coat of semi gloss white marks appeared | 6/10/2008 |
Q: I have some kitchen cabinets that I sanded down & stained with cherry "darker" color. I placed 2 ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am so sorry this has happened after all your hard work. I fear you are back ...
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| broken spindles | 6/10/2008 |
Q: I just bought a used rocking chair which the former owner claims to be antique. Anyway, two of the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. On genuine antiques restorers always use hide glue to make repairs as that ...
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| sticky residue | 6/9/2008 |
Q: I have a distressed pine wooden table. I love it, but lately it has become so sticky that it is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Before you think of refinishing, try cleaning the table with mineral spirits. ...
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| Teak Sideboard with areas of sun-fading | 6/9/2008 |
Q: My partner and I recently purchased some lovely teak dining room furniture - Danish Modern 40 years ...
A: Nice to hear from a fellow Canadian. I am actually just up the highway from you near a village ...
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| Painting dresser top | 6/8/2008 |
Q: I would like to paint only the top of a old wooden dresser in a very dark brown (espresso) shade. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Get a couple of sheets of 120 grit sandpaper. A padded sanding block is great ...
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| painted furniture | 6/8/2008 |
Q: I have an end table that has been painted white. I want to take the white paint off and stain the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You need paint stripper to remove the paint from your table. Yes its possible ...
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| furniture stain | 6/5/2008 |
Q: I have a 200 year old farmhouse kitchen table (from Maine) with what I think is a varnished (could ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This should not require a solvent if its food. Use a warm wet cloth. Place it ...
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| Staining oak white | 6/4/2008 |
Q: I'm one of those terrible people that need more informationon staining the oak cabinets that are in ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am so glad you are doing only one drawer as a test. For this look I would ...
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| refinishing | 6/3/2008 |
Q: I building and staining maple kitchen cabinets and used Waco Dark Walnut finishing stain. The wood ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This question comes up continually. What you are experiencing is very common. ...
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| repainting my diningroom table | 6/2/2008 |
Q: I have a 10 year old table that has a natural wood finish. My diningroom is a open floor plan with ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes you have to sand the table legs in order for the new paint to stick. Use ...
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| Old furniture | 5/31/2008 |
Q: and thanks so much for the advice! I actually have questions about two items. I’m refinishing and/or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I love this question. This in my opinion is a true fix -er- uppers project. ...
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| greatgrandma sideboard | 5/28/2008 |
Q: i have acquired my greatgrandmas sideboard. its still a sturdy piece of furniture but it has water ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Usually with water stains that have penetrated the finish the only fix is a ...
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| Removing stain from door | 5/27/2008 |
Q: We just put in 2 sets of French Doors,I think they are pine. We are deciding if we should paint them ...
A: You seal before the stain is applied. Read this link in the section that says "pre stain wood ...
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| refinish/strip dining table | 5/26/2008 |
Q: My M'inlaw gave me her old dining set; it is not antique but has great lines. 2 pedestal type legs 6 ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I'm hearing you on this LOL. Personally I would refinish the entire set but ...
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| old teak wood banisters | 5/26/2008 |
Q: Old teak wood banisters were taken from place torn down in St. Augustine Florida. Thinking about ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This wood will certainly need to be protected from the elements and it will ...
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| Painting | 5/25/2008 |
Q: I would like to ask a question. My fiancee has just bought a house. the bathrooms are terrible can I ...
A: I am unclear what you mean by "partial wood". If this means half the walls are covered in wood like ...
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| blond furniture | 5/21/2008 |
Q: We have a blond bedroom set that was handed down to us by our folks. I'm thinking 1950's. It's ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds like you have a bit of experience stripping so this should be an easy ...
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| Refinishing Oak Table | 5/21/2008 |
Q: I used Circa 1850 to try and strip mt table top today and it lifted about 75% of the old finish, I ...
A: You will not get a stronger stripper than the Circa. Its not unusual to have to apply multiple coats ...
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| teak wall units | 5/21/2008 |
Q: I have a pair of older teak wall units that I would occasionally coat with teak oil,, however my ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds to me like you are using the wrong product for this job. Get a can of ...
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| painting old oak desk | 5/19/2008 |
Q: I have an old oak desk that is in a very distressed condition. The finish is mostly worn off, some ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I would use wood filler on these areas for sure. All the prep that would be ...
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| furniture refinishing | 5/19/2008 |
Q: Eileen. I goofed-up. I was applying an oil-finish to a project (working outside)and the sun hit one ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If the finish has hardened, you will not get it off with mineral spirits, but ...
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| Removing paint color from oak grain | 5/18/2008 |
Q: I recently acquired my grandparents' 90 year old oak dining table. Unfortunately for me, the people ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a shame this was done to this table. Have you tried an MC stripper? Its ...
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| refinshing laminate furniture | 5/18/2008 |
Q: I have my bedroom furniture from my childhood that I would like to refinish so that I can use it. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. How nice to have this from your childhood. First off this is paint grade ...
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| painting an old crib and dresser | 5/18/2008 |
Q: I have an old oak crib and dresser that were stained originally. It is 20 years old and I would like ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Doing a good paint job is a problem a lot of folks have. I can think of three ...
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| Vinegar/water damage on old woodwork | 5/15/2008 |
Q: I'm starting to understand that the answer to my question might not be as straightforward as I hoped ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This should be a fairly easy fix and it really does not matter what the ...
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| Yellowed Oak Wall Storage Unit | 5/14/2008 |
Q: The oak has yellowed and I would like to strip it and stain it a different wood color - blond, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes its possible to do what you want in most cases. But first you must do a ...
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| uncaulking | 5/12/2008 |
Q: I have to correct a big mistake. I caulked doors and baseboard with a silicon based caulking. It ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is not a specific item that will remove silicone caulking. Its one of ...
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| Removing oil stain from Roblewood | 5/9/2008 |
Q: I have 5 roblewood chairs that were oil stained instead of sanding and teak oil. How can I remove ...
A: Both the strippers are gel. Personally I would just buy the cheapest if you can get either. I am in ...
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| strip and re-do inside woodwork and doors | 5/9/2008 |
Q: I have stripped the inside doors and woodwork around them, then re-stained them and applied ...
A: Sounds like you did everything right. This just cannot happen on a properly prepped surface. This ...
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| strip and re-do inside woodwork and doors | 5/8/2008 |
Q: I have stripped the inside doors and woodwork around them, then re-stained them and applied ...
A: Sorry I hit the wrong button on your question and sent you off to the question pool..my mistake. ...
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| Re-stain & re-finish | 5/8/2008 |
Q: we have a bleach oak railing with wood spindles. We would like to re-stain or paint in darker color ...
A: I suggested sanding only if you are going to paint. If you use this stripper to remove the finish ...
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| strip wood | 5/6/2008 |
Q: Do you have a preferred brand of wood stripper?
A: Nice to hear from you. My preferred brand of stripper is Circa 1850 brand. No other after wash or ...
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| applying darker glaze or finish | 5/6/2008 |
Q: I would like to change the tone of a maple cabinet that I have. Is there a type of a thin, dark ...
A: Good question. Yes this is different than a glaze. In my first letter I said a colored varnish or ...
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| applying darker glaze or finish | 5/5/2008 |
Q: I would like to change the tone of a maple cabinet that I have. Is there a type of a thin, dark ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You could try one of those colored varnishes or polys. This has the stain ...
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| edging | 5/5/2008 |
Q: Can you please tell me the name of the item that covers rough wood edges? I just made a tabletop out ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It should be fairly simple to apply an edge to this but first you have to ...
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| Re-stain & re-finish | 5/1/2008 |
Q: we have a bleach oak railing with wood spindles. We would like to re-stain or paint in darker color ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to stain your railing and spindles you must remove all existing ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 5/1/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I have oak cabinets. I would like to make them two-toned: antique black as the base ...
A: Glad you have a cabinet to experiment with. If you use the grey as a base, I think you will get a ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 5/1/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I have oak cabinets. I would like to make them two-toned: antique black as the base ...
A: Nice to hear from you I am thinking the stuff we used in the 70's was a colored glaze. This allowed ...
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| walnut desk redwood dining set | 4/30/2008 |
Q: I just bought a walnut desk and a set of redwood dining set from someone who is moving so I got it ...
A: Yes correct. And poly can be water based or oil based...confusing I know. And I get confused too ...
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| walnut desk redwood dining set | 4/30/2008 |
Q: I just bought a walnut desk and a set of redwood dining set from someone who is moving so I got it ...
A: Personally with a lovely walnut desk I would try my darndest to get the top looking nice before I ...
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| kitchen cabnet molding | 4/30/2008 |
Q: My kitchen is about two years old and some of the wood trim moldings on the cabinet doors are ...
A: Nice to hear from you. So sorry this is happening to your cabinets that are only two years old. It ...
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| walnut desk redwood dining set | 4/30/2008 |
Q: I just bought a walnut desk and a set of redwood dining set from someone who is moving so I got it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A poly finish will not mark with a warm coffee cup but in order to apply this ...
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| cabinet refinishing | 4/28/2008 |
Q: I just refinished my cabinets - the doors and the trim turned out a slightly different shade, even ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I need lots more info before I can help with this. SO...Are these kitchen ...
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| Removing clear coat finish | 4/28/2008 |
Q: We just had a custom media cabinet made in walnut. It has a clear coat finish and we are not happy ...
A: So sorry to hear this. I have had a bit of experience working with walnut either refinishing it or ...
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| Amish Hutch- strip and restain | 4/28/2008 |
Q: We have acquired a beutifull Amish made Hutch. The only problem is that it is stained too dark for ...
A: While I have never heard of "rocking oak" finish, I suspect this will be a lacquer. The hard part ...
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| Amish Hutch- strip and restain | 4/26/2008 |
Q: We have acquired a beutifull Amish made Hutch. The only problem is that it is stained too dark for ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I need some more info before I answer this Brian. Don't want to set you in ...
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| non-yellowing agent | 4/25/2008 |
Q: I 'm on a mission to find a non-yellowing top coat to apply over my freshly painted (Acrylic Latex ...
A: I live in a small rural area in Ontario with a small village close by. While our village has a small ...
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| non-yellowing agent | 4/24/2008 |
Q: I 'm on a mission to find a non-yellowing top coat to apply over my freshly painted (Acrylic Latex ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Acrylic Latex semi gloss should not on its own turn yellow. But if you want ...
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| refinishing kitchen cabinets | 4/22/2008 |
Q: We have moved into a 1999 built home. The cabinets are the blonde color oak finish. I cannot ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Everyone seems to be wanting to change their oak cabinets to something ...
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| The final step??? | 4/22/2008 |
Q: I've stripped the old stain from my teak cabinet and would like to leave it O'natural can I just ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Very interesting question and one I am glad to offer an opinion on. My ...
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| how to repair water and steam damage to clear lacquer maple cabinets | 4/21/2008 |
Q: I have 14 year old cabinets that have not worn well. I asked how to strip and restain, and after ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes I read your first answer and it was right on. But lets not forget we are ...
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| Refinish old oak table | 4/19/2008 |
Q: I have an old 30" X 40 " table that I need to refinish. It isn't in bad condition but I didn't know ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Throw away the sandpaper. You cannot sand a finish off if you want to stain. ...
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| Repairing door | 4/19/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I am excited to tell you that I have "refreshed" most of the wood work in my house per your ...
A: So glad I was able to give you some help. And I agree with you about trying to fix things like this. ...
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| re-staining maple vaneer cabinets | 4/18/2008 |
Q: WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF RE DOING OUR KITCHEN. MY FIRST PROJECT IS TO REFINISH THE KITCHEN ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off, throw out the sandpaper. Yes you will damage the veneer and ...
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| refinishing a maple kitchen chair | 4/17/2008 |
Q: I just stripped layers and layers of white paint from an old chair. To say that it was a lot of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Stripping chairs of paint is the worse job ever. And stripping poly from ...
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| acceptable finishes over lacquer | 4/17/2008 |
Q: I have kitchen cabinets that were originally finished with a lacquer product approx 15 years ago. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This clouding you mention is my concern. Does it come and go or is it there ...
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| Giving life to old flower boxes | 4/17/2008 |
Q: I have four planting areas in my front yard. They are made out of wood and look like they have ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This sounds like a grey opaque stain you have now. I would certainly stick to ...
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| Wipe on Poly for my table top | 4/17/2008 |
Q: I wiped on the minwax poly and I sanded between coats, and I did put about 4 coats on, the can ...
A: If your willing to try another coat of poly..just a very light one, you could try using fine steel ...
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| removing stain from pine furniture | 4/16/2008 |
Q: I have a dresser that has been stained a dark color. I want to strip down to the lighter pine. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately its darn near impossible to remove a dark stain from pine ...
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| refinish my dining room table | 4/12/2008 |
Q: I want to refinish my dining table. It is about 25 years old and has a few scratches on the top. A ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Pat this 25 year old table could have a poly or lacquer finish. Of course I ...
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| table with decals | 4/12/2008 |
Q: I have an old tea cart with really nice Japanese decals on it but the finish is getting real bad, is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is no way to refinish and save the decals..thats a given. But perhaps ...
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| unusual colour cherrywood dining set | 4/12/2008 |
Q: I have a 30-year old dining room set manufactured by a well-known maker; the embossed stamp on the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gosh I'm sorry about this but there is just no way to correct a yellowed ...
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| Cedar refinishing | 4/11/2008 |
Q: I have a cedar plank wall in my sauna and surrounding bathroom. The wood is dry and needs something ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I know this look LOL My son has a sauna, and the procedure is to sand this ...
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| Staining and Painting table and chairs | 4/11/2008 |
Q: I have a rubberwood kitchen table and chairs. They are not stained, just the typical clear finish. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This wood acts like maple with regards to staining it in my opinion. In other ...
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| striping woodwork | 4/9/2008 |
Q: I am striping the woodwork in a 1901 farmhouse. I have striped the paint with a heatgun, and it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If this is in fact a lacquer residue, it can be removed with lacquer thinner. ...
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| refinishing kitchen cabinets | 4/8/2008 |
Q: Our custom-made 18 year old oak cabinets were not stained when they were built. The cabinet-maker ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its going to be a heck of a job stripping your cabinets without removing the ...
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| Removing whitewash stain | 4/8/2008 |
Q: We have very nice oak cabinets that are 8 years old. They are in great shape and sides are solid as ...
A: Yes the poly stain is a whole different topic LOL. Yes the real issue is getting down to the raw ...
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| Removing whitewash stain | 4/7/2008 |
Q: We have very nice oak cabinets that are 8 years old. They are in great shape and sides are solid as ...
A: Nice to hear from you. So many of the questions I get come from folks who are experiencing what you ...
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| kitchen cabinets in 1929 house | 4/7/2008 |
Q: I have what I suspect is a common problem. I have a lovely old 1929 house with original ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You know Lisa I often hear such complaints from folks with these oak ...
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| New house, old/ugly cabinets! | 4/4/2008 |
Q: We are in the process of buying our first house which is perfect for us, except for a very homely ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Thanks for the great picture. From what I see, I feel these cupboards would ...
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| stripping furniture | 4/3/2008 |
Q: My question is I stripped an old cabinet and under it was like little red stains or dyes like ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds like your cabinet had dye stain Lisa. You will need to bleach this out ...
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| revarnishing flat oak table | 4/3/2008 |
Q: I have no previous experience but would like to revarnish an old oak table top that I have. There is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The easy way to fix this is simply a good sanding and then a coat of wipe on ...
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| painting laminated furniture | 4/2/2008 |
Q: I am going to paint an old, cheap desk that is laminated ( the slick wookdgrain look. Some of the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes pretty much treat it the same way but if the particle board is rough or ...
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| refurbishing laminated furniture | 4/2/2008 |
Q: I have an old, cheap desk that is laminated (the old, slick wood grain look). I have been told to ...
A: Think I answered part of this question before, but I just wanted to comment on painting the ...
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| refinishing old kitchen cabinets | 4/1/2008 |
Q: I have very old varnished/laquered cabinets which are in much need of refinishing. The ones by the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Stripping is the correct way to do this Debbie, but if this is a rental I ...
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| removing stain | 4/1/2008 |
Q: I have just applied a water-based gel stain to older white-washed oak cabinets. The came out too ...
A: Many thanks for the great ratings. It makes helping others worthwhile. Hope you have gotten the ...
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| Re-staining Oak cabinets | 3/31/2008 |
Q: I am planning on re-staining my Oak kitchen cabinets and I saw some questions about that earlier. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your cabinets will need to be completely stripped with paint stripper if you ...
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| Antique loveseat strip and restain and finish | 3/29/2008 |
Q: I have an antique love seat that belonged to my great grandmother the wood is still in good ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The first part of this question I can help you with. The second part I will ...
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| old butcher block | 3/29/2008 |
Q: My question is I got this old house that was built in the early 1950's or so. It has an old butcher ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This hardwood butcher block can be sanded down and a coat of food grade ...
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| re-finishing | 3/28/2008 |
Q: You graciously answered my question regarding a vanity and suggested that I clean it up with Varsol ...
A: It makes helping others worthwhile. I am sending my complete instructions for stripping furniture. ...
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| Refinish kitchen cabinets | 3/27/2008 |
Q: I have standard kitchen cabinets that came with my home when I purchased it I want to refinish by ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In my experience, there is just no way you can get rid of the grain in these ...
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| stripping a waterfall piece | 3/26/2008 |
Q: I have a dark walnut stained vanity but I like the waterfall vanities that show the different grains ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can certainly strip this finish off and restain and apply a new finish. ...
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| Refinishing old buffet server | 3/25/2008 |
Q: I recently bought this buffet server at an auction,the finish is in terrible shape. It looks as ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Well it sounds to me like this piece needs a full stripping and a new finish ...
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| Black wood dining table | 3/25/2008 |
Q: I have a black dining room table that has a few white spots on it from paper plates with hot food on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First try the home remedy of rubbing the spots with a bit of mayo. Thats ...
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| brown spots on distressed white wood finish | 3/24/2008 |
Q: I have an expensive piece of furniture I bought from Ethan Allen. It is a sofa table that sits ...
A: Nice to hear from you. These spots did not come out of nowhere Judy, they came from the wood. They ...
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| Tung oil and stain | 3/23/2008 |
Q: I put 2 coats of tung oil on a new piece of tiger maple and now I would like to make the finish a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can do this if you remove the oil but it cannot be done over it. Also ...
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| Dining RoomTable Leaf | 3/22/2008 |
Q: I have a single pedestal round oak table which pulls apart in the middle for an optional 2 leafs ...
A: Nice to hear from you. One thing only is wrong here. The sliders are not functioning as they should. ...
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| veneer furniture | 3/20/2008 |
Q: I have a piece of furniture that is made of veneer(drawers)and wood(rest of the piece). I would like ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can easily remove veneer by applying heat to it. This will soften the ...
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| painting old furniture | 3/19/2008 |
Q: i have found a bunch of old furniture and i am going to paint it all white for the shabby chic ...
A: You are never bugging me. I like to use a small roller for this type of painting. Not one of those ...
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| painting old furniture | 3/17/2008 |
Q: i have found a bunch of old furniture and i am going to paint it all white for the shabby chic ...
A: All of the above types of furniture can be painted of course, but the surface prep is essential so ...
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| College Kid's Desk | 3/17/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I'm a student in college and I'm finally getting out of the dorms and into an apartment ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No way to strip this type of furniture but it can certainly be painted. In ...
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| Repairing veneer | 3/17/2008 |
Q: How do you repair veneer? We got a Waterfalls vanity and wardrobe, but the vanity has a rounded ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately this is the hardest damage there is to attempt to fix. I say ...
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| Protecting shelfs | 3/16/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I read your Q&A on Poly-urethane application on paint surfaces and had the same problem. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Well I hate to say it but I would use poly..LOL But a specific poly. This one ...
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| teak dinning set | 3/16/2008 |
Q: just bought a danish modern dinning set I would like to clean it and then polish it what do you ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I like to use fine steel wool dipped in Mineral spirits for heavy dirt, and ...
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| refinishing waterfall furniture | 3/16/2008 |
Q: I have a waterfall style dresser & a vanity w/a round mirror. On both pieces the finish/varnish is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You do not need to know what finish is on this furniture in order to strip ...
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| refinishing cherry cabinets | 3/16/2008 |
Q: I sent out the doors of my cherry cabinets to be stripped. The finish was removed but not the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My gosh for a novice you have taken on a big job LOL. While stripping wood ...
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| furniture finishing | 3/16/2008 |
Q: ...I striped a 1940 dressing table chair down to the bare wood and stained it red mahogany (minwax ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you have the chair color matched perfectly, it would be nice if you could ...
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| Painting over polyurethaned wood furniture | 3/13/2008 |
Q: I have a corner wall cabinet and corner tv cabinet that need to go from green to black. I think ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Don't worry about what is previously on the unit. I understand sanding can be ...
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| rubbing gel stain | 3/12/2008 |
Q: I am attempting to finish a table my painter had applied gel stain to. I applied a coat of Minwax ...
A: At this point, there is absolutely nothing wrong with trying anything you have on hand LOL. But take ...
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| rubbing gel stain | 3/11/2008 |
Q: I am attempting to finish a table my painter had applied gel stain to. I applied a coat of Minwax ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You asked what you should do and there is only one answer I'm afraid. You ...
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| Wood Finishes | 3/8/2008 |
Q: Good afternoon Eileen..... My home is in Baltimore, Maryland. I have three pieces of furniture ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think 3 years is a pretty good span for spar varnish in these conditions. ...
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| refinishing woodwork | 3/8/2008 |
Q: We live in a circa 1910 house with lots of fairly ornate woodwork that is kind of yellow in color. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A few years back I worked on a restoration of a century home that had this ...
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| finishing old bench | 3/6/2008 |
Q: Eileen, I just sanded an old yellow pine deacons bench and am ready to go the finish. I want a soft ...
A: Nice to hear from you Ashley I cannot be certain how much you sanded this bench. Does it look like ...
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| Restaining Kitchen Cabinets | 3/6/2008 |
Q: We just bought a house and the kitchen cabinets are stained a very light color - almost natural. All ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I don't have enough info to answer this Ashley, but here is what I told ...
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| Toning down a red stain on Danish Modern piece | 3/4/2008 |
Q: We purchased a 1963 danish modern (we think teak) cabinet on Ebay, and when it arrived, we were ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It would be great if we could change the color of wood by simply rubbing it ...
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| rocking chair - rush seat, wood frame | 3/2/2008 |
Q: I am the proud owner of my grandfather's old rocking chair. (50-75 years old) I have been layering ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It will be a lot of work to prepare this chair for repainting if the present ...
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| Maple Kitchen Cabinets | 3/1/2008 |
Q: I have 5 year old maple kitchen cabinets, with a cherry stain. my housekeeper used Pledge to clean ...
A: Nice to hear from you. All I can say is "oh my gosh this is terrible" I just hope the Pledge has not ...
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| Removing wood stain | 2/29/2008 |
Q: I bought a used entertainment center whose finish and stain had been scratched and faded. I started ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes there is a better way. You must remove the finish with paint stripper if ...
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| Berkey & Gay bed 1614 2900 | 2/27/2008 |
Q: the head & foot boards are in need of refinishing. I want to know how to do it so I don't do more ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds like anything you do now will only improve things. And it sounds to me ...
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| Completely strip all stain layers | 2/25/2008 |
Q: I have golden oak stain (10+ years) for my fireplace mantle, and bought last week a chemical ...
A: Nice to hear from you Yes its possible to remove the color after stripping but its not necessary if ...
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| pickled oak | 2/25/2008 |
Q: We have an antique oak pedestal table with 7 leaves and chairs that unfortunately were pickled many ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry you have this problem. If you tried stripping and it did not work, the ...
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| refinishing antiques | 2/23/2008 |
Q: I was given an antique vanity along with attachable mirror. I don't know how old (it is wood and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In all cases when you plan to sell an item such as this, leave it alone. ...
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| restorz it | 2/21/2008 |
Q: I'm very skeptical about ordering Restorz It wood refinisher. Does the product work for kitchen ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gosh a lot of questions here about a product I have never used, but I'll try ...
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| Oak trim and cabinets | 2/21/2008 |
Q: About 3 years ago we purchased a 'new' house. The people that built the house chose really unusual ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes you can restain your oak trim. I have to agree with you on the color. ...
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| Restaining Kitchen Cabinets | 2/21/2008 |
Q: I would like to strip them and stain them a cherry color to enhance the kitchen. I would also like ...
A: Sorry I missed that. Here are my standard stripping instructions. INSTRUCTIONS FOR STRIPPING The ...
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| Restaining Kitchen Cabinets | 2/20/2008 |
Q: I would like to strip them and stain them a cherry color to enhance the kitchen. I would also like ...
A: Nice to hear from you. As long as the new hardware will be positioned in the same place and the ...
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| mohogany furniture refinishing | 2/19/2008 |
Q: I have stripped a 5 piece 100 year old mahogany bedroom suite with denatured alcohol. The wood is in ...
A: WoW back..LOL..the plot thickens...well not really Bruce if this is in fact a dye stain, then your ...
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| mohogany furniture refinishing | 2/18/2008 |
Q: I have stripped a 5 piece 100 year old mahogany bedroom suite with denatured alcohol. The wood is in ...
A: I'm with you about raising the grain. Some strippers will do this. Here is the one I use that will ...
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| mohogany furniture refinishing | 2/17/2008 |
Q: I have stripped a 5 piece 100 year old mahogany bedroom suite with denatured alcohol. The wood is in ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am surprised that this mahogany set had this very dark stain applied. A ...
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| refinishing mahogany | 2/11/2008 |
Q: I have 4 large mahogany chairs that are stained a dark cherry color. Can these be refinished to a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately with mahogany, the color you see is what it is, although the ...
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| dark spots on white furniture | 2/10/2008 |
Q: I'm not exactly sure what caused the spots on my daughter's white furniture but it might have been ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh the dreaded black rubber marks LOL. Seen lots of them at my house. The ...
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| refinishing an old dresser | 2/7/2008 |
Q: I have a dresser I would like to refinish. I don't know what kind of wood it is. Before I attempt ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like you are new to this Victoria and I hope this will be your ...
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| painting over a new birch with lacquer finish kitchen table | 2/7/2008 |
Q: I've just bought a drop leaf birch with lacquer finish table from ikea and really want to paint it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your right on with this..sanding, priming then paint in that order. Thats ...
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| Painting on wood stain | 2/5/2008 |
Q: Can I paint something decorative on an oil based stained wooden porch swing? If so, what kind of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You absolutely can paint on stained wood. Oil based paint is available at ...
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| barnwood | 2/4/2008 |
Q: I have some barnwood and want to make a tabletop out of it. How is this usually done? We planed one ...
A: This sounds like a great project. I have seen these tables made without filling the holes and with. ...
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| making a dining room set beautiful | 2/4/2008 |
Q: I have a veneer dining room set with six chairs in good condition except for scratches and spots on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Jan its always our darn table tops that get like this and its too bad when ...
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| staining mango wood | 2/4/2008 |
Q: I purchased two large interesting mango bowls, but they looked dry and lacked life. I wanted to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. To my knowledge I have never seen a piece of mango wood. Good start isn't it ...
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| barnwood | 2/3/2008 |
Q: I have some barnwood and want to make a tabletop out of it. How is this usually done? We planed one ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Not sure if you are asking how to make a table top or just how to get the ...
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| Refinishing dresser | 2/3/2008 |
Q: What is the best way to refinish what I think is an european walnut dresser. Some of the finish is ...
A: Here is the link to the page you found me. ...
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| Musty smell in underbed drawers | 2/2/2008 |
Q: You helped me last year with this problem with a musty smell in the underbed drawers. Have tried ...
A: So nice to hear from you again, and I certainly remember you. This stuff you see under the bed is ...
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| attached leather sofa | 2/2/2008 |
Q: We have just bought a new home, which we have been renovating. We love our nutmeg leather sofa and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This question is a bit out of my line Anna but I know its important to you. I ...
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| Vanity 1950 ish | 2/1/2008 |
Q: The vanity looks like at one point it was "natural" but the varnish has aged so much it looked ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes there is a way to disguise this Erin. Here is a link to what I consider ...
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| Stripping and restaining kitchen cabinets | 1/31/2008 |
Q: I am not a professional but I would like to strip my golden oak finished kitchen and restaining them ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gord this is certainly something that can be done, but some testing first ...
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| Microwave smoke engulfed oak cabinet-how to remove smell? | 1/30/2008 |
Q: We recently had a cabinet maker make us a beautiful oak cabinet that houses our microwave. My mom ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like you have tried all the normal methods to get rid of this, but ...
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| Refinishing a table | 1/29/2008 |
Q: I have a table that is "country" style, very yellow wood (I'm a serious amature here -- I don't even ...
A: I know all this can be confusing. It is to me too without being there. So OK..you did the test with ...
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| Refinishing a table | 1/28/2008 |
Q: I have a table that is "country" style, very yellow wood (I'm a serious amature here -- I don't even ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First off throw the clorox wipes away. They are ruining your finish. Next you ...
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| Refinishing an old desk with formica laminate | 1/27/2008 |
Q: Just wanted to see by chance if you know a good answer to this. Can I cover an old desk that is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Well Formica is pretty thin so I guess this would be possible but what a job ...
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| Painting dresser over finish | 1/26/2008 |
Q: I have a small dresser that I am attempting to paint black to match a baby crib. The black finish ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First the proper prep is essential. For this job I would use some medium ...
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| table top | 1/25/2008 |
Q: i have white ring on a polished top a whitch has been french polished a hot dish was placed on it on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is the question I get asked most often Alfie. There are several ways to ...
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| Repainting wood dressers | 1/24/2008 |
Q: I want to repaint my old bedroom set, well some pieces, I want to know if it is absolutely necessary ...
A: Nice to hear from you I understand where you are coming from Jennifer. The answer is No its not ...
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| refinishing kitchen cabinets | 1/22/2008 |
Q: I am refinishing my original kitchen cabinets and doors. I see a couple problems in the way of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its my experience that staining rarely hides these "shadows" you refer to. ...
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| veneer repair | 1/22/2008 |
Q: I would like to custom paint an old cedar chest. The problem is that the front has a veneer that ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If this missing area is not huge, there is nothing wrong with using wood ...
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| antique door refinishing | 1/22/2008 |
Q: Can a medium dark stained antique inside vinear oak door be refinished to a natural oak color
A: Nice to hear from you. This is possible in some cases Wade, it just depends how much of the stain ...
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| cherry table | 1/21/2008 |
Q: I am buying a cherry dining room table(Ethan Allen) that has some damage to the tabletop. The table ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This table top will no doubt have a lacquer finish and it can certainly be ...
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| Refinishing Oak Cabinets | 1/20/2008 |
Q: I am refinishing my oak cabinets which are in great condition, I want to give them a darker espresso ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The downfall of not prepping any surface we wish to finish is that the paint ...
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| old upright linen cabinet | 1/19/2008 |
Q: This cabinet was in house fire, was damaged by water and freezing. It is oak and has only water ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Not sure if you sent a picture but none came through. Gregg I doubt you will ...
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| refinishing cedar chest | 1/19/2008 |
Q: I have a Lane cedar chest. The exterior has veneer with many scratches on the top. It's not an ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In this case, I would use tung oil. And perhaps after you sand you may ...
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| repainting furniture | 1/18/2008 |
Q: I have a chest of drawers that is white and I would like to paint it brown to match a baby crib. Is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Certainly you can paint over your chest of drawers. Give the chest a good ...
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| Refinishing Heywood-Wakefield | 1/17/2008 |
Q: Just got a Heywood-Wakefield table and six chairs. Love it. Hate color, hate waterstaining ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Anne I agree with you on this. It might be heresy on my part too, but I never ...
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| painting or distressing an antique bedroom set | 1/15/2008 |
Q: My mother in law recently gave us the first bedroom set her and her husband bought. It is 50-60 ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My goodness this would be out of my budget too. Donna there is no reason to ...
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| painting my table black | 1/14/2008 |
Q: I have a table and chairs that I bought unfinished back in 2004. My husband and I stained the set ...
A: Nice to hear from you. As I think you understand, the prep work is the most important part of any ...
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| touching up minor wear areas on oak cupboards | 1/13/2008 |
Q: I have 18 year old oak cupboards which are showing some minor wear & soiling on the perimeters in ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your right on with the technique. The only thing I would try before resorting ...
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| painting old furniture | 1/12/2008 |
Q: How do I prepare to paint old furniture that was refurbished about 15 years ago with a MINWAX oil ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You got it right Donna. The only caution I offer is avoid aggressive sanding ...
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| Proper staining | 1/12/2008 |
Q: I just finished my first refinishing project after MUCH trial and error but still need some advice. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First I would throw away the one step. They have their place but this is not ...
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| painting over 14 yr old whitewashed cabinets | 1/10/2008 |
Q: Can Oak cabinets that are whitewashed be prepped & just painted? We want to do something with the ...
A: Sorry if I started something and turned you in a different direction. It was not my intent LOL Now I ...
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| furniture storage and freezing temps | 1/8/2008 |
Q: I need to temporarily store a dining room set in my garage for a couple weeks. The outdoor temps ...
A: Nice to hear from you As long as the garage is dry there will be no harm done. I like to put wood ...
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| antique furniture | 1/8/2008 |
Q: I have a buffet and a china cabinet that have what looks like bubbled up or leather texture in ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have often seen varnish finishes go in the manner you describe. And it does ...
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| Repair white washed oak | 1/7/2008 |
Q: I have white washed oak where the wood has been worn past the white washed surface. How would I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Heres what I would do to just one door for a sample. And the finish is worn ...
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| Urgent: Birch Wood Darker stain to lighter stain | 1/6/2008 |
Q: I bought a house recently and in the kitchen, the birch wood cabinets came out to be much darker ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry you are having this trouble. OK I agree with their explanation of using ...
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| Restoring Oak cabinet - lacquer finish | 1/6/2008 |
Q: I have been looking through the postings on refinishing / restoring Oak kitchen cabinets. Found some ...
A: Nice to hear from you. OK..heres what I would do. But pick the worst door first and sample this. ...
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| table and chairs | 1/6/2008 |
Q: I bought a classic solid wood farm table and six chairs about twelve years ago. The finish has ...
A: You could try one of those darker colored varnishes. They have color suspended in the actual finish. ...
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| cleaning and polishing a teak desk | 1/5/2008 |
Q: I rescued a large, old Danish Modern desk from a neighbor's trash pile last weekend. I am almost ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Don't you just love it when neighbors throw good stuff out LOL For this job, ...
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| painting over 14 yr old whitewashed cabinets | 1/3/2008 |
Q: Can Oak cabinets that are whitewashed be prepped & just painted? We want to do something with the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes your cabinets can be painted Linda. To me its a shame to paint over oak ...
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| refinishing | 12/31/2007 |
Q: What is the best way to refinish Banister railing that has a whitewash finish to a dark walnut ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to try to change the whitewash to a dark stain, the existing finish ...
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| securing rear chair legs | 12/30/2007 |
Q: We have six dining room chairs, two with arms, four without. The arms on the two chairs very nicely ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No need for pictures as I am very familiar with this chair ...
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| oak kitchen cabinets | 12/29/2007 |
Q: I read previous advice you gave on painting oak cabinets where you recommend TSP powder to eliminate ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Betty the grain filler is used on new wood that has no finish on it yet. The ...
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| yellowed finish on old furniture | 12/26/2007 |
Q: I have an old Stanley/Basset bedroom set approximately 30 years old. It was a beautiful medium blue ...
A: Nice to hear from you Its obvious whats happened here Steve. You had an blue antiqued finish on the ...
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| cracked headboard | 12/18/2007 |
Q: We just inherited a set of bunk beds that my husband's grandfather built. The headboards are ...
A: Nice to hear from you Amy there is always a way to fix wood LOL. In this case there is a right way ...
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| Replacing leather top on a coffee table | 12/12/2007 |
Q: I have an antique leather-topped coffee table. The leather has been damaged and needs to be ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Vlad it depends if this is real leather or synthetic. Newer furniture will ...
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| oiling South African Yellowood | 12/11/2007 |
Q: I have a circ 1900 South African Yellowood table which i was oiling with 2 parts mineral turpentine ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I would use tung oil or a Danish oil. Neither will go sticky. As far as ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 12/9/2007 |
Q: I have red oak cabinets(15 yrs old)that have been danish oiled and varnished they have an orange hue ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Love to pass on any advice I can on this Trudy as I've done it a few times. ...
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| Finishing a new (raw wood) entertainment center | 12/8/2007 |
Q: My husband and I had a custom made entertainment cabinet built for our living-room. The cabinet ...
A: Nice to hear from you. How lucky you are to have a hubby who wants to learn all these woodworking ...
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| refinishing blond oak child's tabel & chairs | 12/7/2007 |
Q: The blond finish is totally worn off in spots on a child's oak table & chairs. Can it be touched up ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Of course if you strip, you will lose the decals. So I would just make sure ...
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| ugly dark capinets tongue/groove | 12/7/2007 |
Q: eileen my decorator suggested insted of bombing my kitchen capnets I try white washing them. I can't ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This should be fairly simple Ann going on the premise that your decorator ...
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| Staining new oak | 12/7/2007 |
Q: We ordered new steps going into our living. They are made of oak, we sanded them with fine sand ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Fran this could be one of two things. First is stain overlap. It can in fact ...
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| sticker | 12/6/2007 |
Q: My daughter placed a sticker ( non-adhesive) to the cabinet door of her white finished armoir. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My kids used to do these things too. Use full strength household bleach. Just ...
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| refinishing bathroom vanity | 12/5/2007 |
Q: Eilleen I want to either paint or refinish my bathroom vanity. it is pine with a layer of varnish if ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately if you wish to restain, you must strip all the existing finish ...
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| want to refinish JUST the top of oak dining room table | 12/5/2007 |
Q: (I live in California but my extended family is all in Canada--mostly Manitoba, Alberta, and BC--we ...
A: So nice to hear from you. Wish I was down in California instead of the Great White North of Ontario. ...
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| stripping/restaining bathroom cabinet | 12/4/2007 |
Q: We want to retain our bathroom cabinets. They're walnut and have a reddish/brown finish, I want to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In most cases there is color left in the wood after stripping so do not fault ...
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| burned cabiets | 12/4/2007 |
Q: I have some Oak cabiets that were smoked damaged in a fire. I would like to know how to get the ...
A: Forgot to mention you apply the bleach after the finish is off, but you probably know that. Thanks ...
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| stripping and staining | 12/3/2007 |
Q: I Live in Australia and over the weekend my partner and I purchased an old "edwardian pottery ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think this is the first question I have answered from Australia. How nice. ...
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| dining room table top | 12/1/2007 |
Q: We just bought a cherry table that has a few slight scratches in the top finish, looks like someone ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There are many different ways and methods of correcting this. I always like ...
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| Teak Wood furnature | 12/1/2007 |
Q: I've been given my parent's beautiful teak dinning room set - buffet, table and 4 chairs. However, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I suspect the set was likely waxed over the years and the smell has permeated ...
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| HELP... I have blotchy Maple Cabinets now | 11/30/2007 |
Q: Can you please tell what I can do to fix this problem? I have a brand new custom home with custom ...
A: Nice to hear from you but not under these circumstances. This is terrible. There is something that ...
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| Refinishing an old cedar chest | 11/27/2007 |
Q: Can you please provide me with the proper steps to refinish a cedar chest? I want to take it down ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you have never done this work before, this will be a great first project. ...
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| painting old cabinets | 11/27/2007 |
Q: My father decided to take it upon himself to paint his old cabinets. He used a water base eggshell ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is not a biggy LOL. Get a can of water based poly. ...
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| Resurfacing/painting/??/pickled cabinets | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I was curious to know if I could just "rough up" parts of my cabinets (they are pickled) restain or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A picture did not come but thats OK. Dana you and I must have the same type ...
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| cleaning cherry kitchen cabinets | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I need to know if the following products are safe: Liquid Gold, Old English, Endust. If not, what ...
A: As I said, look at the ingredient list. If either contain silicone it is recommended they not be ...
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| cleaning cherry kitchen cabinets | 11/25/2007 |
Q: I need to know if the following products are safe: Liquid Gold, Old English, Endust. If not, what ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The very best thing of course is paste wax. I'll name Bri-wax as one kind. ...
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| Refinishing a 20 year old bathroom vanity | 11/25/2007 |
Q: Help! What is the best, most efficient and fastest way to refinish a 20 year old bathroom vanity? ...
A: This will be easy Barbara. Just take your time. I like the Circa 1850 paint and varnish remover. I ...
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| re-staining | 11/24/2007 |
Q: We have a built-in wall unit that was constructed in our family room about ten years ago. It was ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have to agree with the paint pro on this one Joe. This type of finish can ...
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| window cling stuck to dining room table | 11/24/2007 |
Q: I have a couple of those window clings stuck to our nice mahogany finish dining room table insert. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only product that I can imagine that would help this is mineral spirits. ...
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| Refinishing a 20 year old bathroom vanity | 11/24/2007 |
Q: Help! What is the best, most efficient and fastest way to refinish a 20 year old bathroom vanity? ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Barb to refinish anything, the old finish must be removed. The only way to ...
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| latex paint spill on wood dining table | 11/20/2007 |
Q: This morning found that a container of exterior latex paint has seeped out of its container and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. So sorry this has happened. I do know that varsol (mineral spirits) will ...
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| Cabinet refinishing... | 11/18/2007 |
Q: I'm getting ready to update my kitchen. The cabinets are in pretty good shape but I'm replacing the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I feel this cannot be fixed perfectly, but what the heck you must try. First ...
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| Refinishing Maple Furniture | 11/15/2007 |
Q: My father-in-law recently passed away. As a result we have a maple bed frame and a maple dresser ...
A: It never has to be the last question. I'm always here LOL. No the stripper never removes the color. ...
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| Refinishing Maple Furniture | 11/13/2007 |
Q: My father-in-law recently passed away. As a result we have a maple bed frame and a maple dresser ...
A: I knew you would have a question about sanding LOL. OK..Think about this. You have a possibly 100 ...
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| Refinishing Maple Furniture | 11/12/2007 |
Q: My father-in-law recently passed away. As a result we have a maple bed frame and a maple dresser ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds like a great project. And you won't screw it up LOL. Just take your ...
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| random orbit sander | 11/11/2007 |
Q: I own a 1/4 sheet sander(1 speed) and a belt sander(variable speed) I am interested in purchasing a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Bill if you purchase a random orib sander it will be your best friend in your ...
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| Repairing roll top on desk | 11/10/2007 |
Q: Do you know of any books or videos that show how to replace canvas? Will glue adhere to new canvas ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Don't know of any books on the subject, but there are some instructions on ...
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| Painting over stain | 11/8/2007 |
Q: I really need your help. I have a ugly pine stained and varnised entertainment center I want to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First prep the surface by giving it a scrub with TSP. Use medium steel wool ...
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| refinishing cedar chest | 11/6/2007 |
Q: I painted a Roos 1938-40 cedar chest 30 years ago. I now used methelene chloride to strip the paint. ...
A: Its the white can. Yes just give it one coat, rag the excess off, then while the wood is still wet ...
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| refinishing cedar chest | 11/5/2007 |
Q: I painted a Roos 1938-40 cedar chest 30 years ago. I now used methelene chloride to strip the paint. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Linda I'm a little confused here. I know methelyne chloride is in a lot of ...
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| refinishing chairs | 11/5/2007 |
Q: I am refinishing solid wood (pecan) chairs and would like step by step (yes, I am a beginner) on how ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Welcome beginner. Here are my finishing instructions. This will be a fairly ...
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| Kraftmaid Maple Cabinets | 11/5/2007 |
Q: I have Kraftmaid Maple cabinets in kitchen done in Hazlenut Glaze that are 3 years old. I am having ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its my experience that maple darkens with age. Quite rapidly compared to ...
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| Staining wood cabinets | 11/4/2007 |
Q: I would like to stain my kitchen cabinets, the doors are birch and the frames are maple. The ...
A: The depot or large places like that probably don't carry the Circa. Try the hardware stores or paint ...
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| Pledge Furniture Polish | 11/4/2007 |
Q: Why is Pledge supposedly so bad for furniture? I've heard that it can make refinishing a piece very ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I like this question. It reminded me of watching my Mother "Pledge" her ...
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| Painting over new table | 11/4/2007 |
Q: I bought a new cream color dining room table--painted and probably finished with some kind of flat ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Absolutely you can paint this table. Surface prep is the most important part ...
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| Black Lacquer | 11/3/2007 |
Q: I have a very nice dining room set, But I hate the Black Lacquer. What can I do. Can't really afford ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this is late but my darn internet went out last night just as I started ...
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| putting veener on cabinets | 11/3/2007 |
Q: how do I apply veneer on wood cabinets.my cabinets are in fairly good shape but are styled from the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If your doors are perfectly flat you could veneer over them, but the proper ...
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| antique dresser with problem draws | 11/3/2007 |
Q: I have an old oak dresser with 3 draws. When I try and open the draws, they either dont open or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This often happens with our old dressers, but do not throw it out. This can ...
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| Painting my dining room table | 11/2/2007 |
Q: 2 years ago we refinished our oak table top and painted the base and chairs. The table was 15 years ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Denise the furniture you see in the stores has a lacquer finish. You get that ...
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| antiquing | 11/2/2007 |
Q: I wish to "antique" a table and chair set. It would be an off white base with raw-umber colored ...
A: And of course you are right. There has to be a way to protect the antiquing and there is. But ...
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| "antiquing" | 11/1/2007 |
Q: I wish to "antique" a table and chair set. It would be an off white base with raw-umber colored ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Mary its obvious the last step of applying the poly ruined your work. My ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 10/31/2007 |
Q: ..my kitchen cabinets are probably of a maple wood. Someone had put a polyerthelane finish on it at ...
A: I love this reply LOL...20 doors..oh no OK..I would do a few at a time perhaps as I know I would not ...
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| Repairing damaged barnwood | 10/30/2007 |
Q: We have a lovely small barnwood corner cabinet, that we just accidentally burned with candles ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I would try the wood filler. You can get wood filler in many ...
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| pol;yurethane | 10/29/2007 |
Q: I have sanded them -primed them and then used two coats of an interior latex. I used a spray poly ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gosh I'm sorry this has happened Lori. The mistake was made when you used the ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 10/29/2007 |
Q: ..my kitchen cabinets are probably of a maple wood. Someone had put a polyerthelane finish on it at ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I'm hearing you loud and clear on this Ronn. So heres what to do. First in ...
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| water stain/bubble | 10/28/2007 |
Q: Eileen, I have a very nice 100 year old table(52 inch w/out leaf) with a veneer that had lifted in ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Certainly glad to give you what guidance I can here. First off you have ...
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| Teak furniture that has been in a cigar environment | 10/27/2007 |
Q: I was given my father's furniture that is solid teak. (hutch, sideboard, table, chairs, end tables ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only way that I know of to get this stickiness off is with mineral ...
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| veneer furniture | 10/27/2007 |
Q: I have a veneer bedroom set from the early 1950's and would like to update it to a modern look of a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I like this question Debra as it highlights a problem that so many people run ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 10/25/2007 |
Q: My oak cabinets are not stained, but the finish is broken in the wear areas..I read you suggestion ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only way you will know for sure is to do a test. Just a small dab of oil ...
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| Repair of roll top slats on canvas | 10/21/2007 |
Q: Eileen. I have an early American Hoosier. The canvas on the rolltop is ripped and needs to be ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The canvas is readily available at any fabric store, upholstery shop, and a ...
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| Restaining a stool | 10/18/2007 |
Q: I have an old (not antique) step stool made from solid wood that has a dark stain. The orginal ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Jill this "water based stain remover" is something I have never heard of, but ...
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| repairing factory manufactured wood | 10/18/2007 |
Q: My son's crib which was factory made, and very expensive I might ad, is terribly scratched and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Liza I need a bit more info here. When you say "repairing factory ...
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| restaining | 10/17/2007 |
Q: I have two dressers I want to stain a darker color, they are currently a teak color. What's the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to do this. Stripping the old finish away ...
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| Refacing / Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets | 10/17/2007 |
Q: I have ordered new cabinet doors for my mom's kitchen. They are made of oak and will be unfinished. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh gosh Gail, this will be a big job. Hopefully the kitchen cabinets are not ...
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| Cedar Trunk | 10/16/2007 |
Q: I'd like to refinish it; it will need sanding to get some of the junk off it. What's the best ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First throw away the sandpaper. Here are my instructions for stripping and ...
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| Musty smell in underbed drawers | 10/15/2007 |
Q: How can I eradicate the musty smell in the drawers under my bed. I have taken everything out and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gosh this is odd. One would think that fresh air would stop the smell not ...
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| Trying to match existing woodwork stain | 10/14/2007 |
Q: I would like to replace the interior doors in my house with oak 6 panel doors. Our woodwork was a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My experience with matching stains is just trial and error, and its usually a ...
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| Leather inlay | 10/14/2007 |
Q: We have a 50+ year old coffee table that needs refinishing. The center of the table has a leather ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You refinish this table as you would any piece, but due to the leather, use ...
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| utcher block countertop | 10/13/2007 |
Q: I have butcher block countertops that I would like to stain darker. Part of them have mineral oil ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First before any stain is attempted, all the oil will need to be ...
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| cabinet refinishing - what is a poly? | 10/13/2007 |
Q: I've been reading these q&a's as I prepare to refinish my bathroom cabinets. What is the "poly" ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Poly is actually called polyurethane.SP? I call it liquid plastic, although ...
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| Painting over Green Stain | 10/12/2007 |
Q: I have a maple dining table and chairs, the table legs and trim, and the chair backs & legs are ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes I have seen furniture done this way. Certainly easy enough to change this ...
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| Veneer repair | 10/11/2007 |
Q: Greetings: I acquired a nice antique dresser. The wood is very dark. There are two doors that ...
A: Thats OK. Removing veneer is super easy. A hot iron will do it nicely. Start at an edge, and have a ...
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| Water proofing danish teak cabinet? | 10/11/2007 |
Q: I'm planning to use a Danish teak cabinet(1960's) as a vanity in my bathroom but need a way to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is no need for high gloss as a satin finish will protect the wood just ...
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| Veneer repair | 10/10/2007 |
Q: Greetings: I acquired a nice antique dresser. The wood is very dark. There are two doors that ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First thing to do is apply some gentle pressure on the veneer (before gluing) ...
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| clamping wood boards together | 10/9/2007 |
Q: when clamping boards together how much pressure should be applied
A: Nice to hear from you. Well, I've clamped a lot of boards together in my time, and of course you can ...
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| Antique Kits | 10/8/2007 |
Q: A number of years ago I bought several kits that included a base color and a top coat that was ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is so strange Ann. Last week I purchased 2 of these kits. Unfortunately, ...
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| water stains when refinishing veneer | 10/6/2007 |
Q: I am refinishing a early 1900's dining table in my garage. The top is veneer and I failed to cover ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gosh I'm sorry this has happened. Unfortunately the water stains will have ...
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| Staining and varnishing kitchen cupboards | 10/5/2007 |
Q: We purchased oak doors for our kitchen and stain them in a Red mahogany, we've applied several coats ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh I am sorry you have this problem. It now makes more work. The person who ...
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| 3rd part of 1st question | 10/5/2007 |
Q: I Eileen,it's me again what i wanna know is that i went to home depot today...And the guy that works ...
A: There is no need to sand all the paint off. Just a good scuffing so the new paint will stick. Latex ...
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| Refinishing a old oak table and chairs | 10/4/2007 |
Q: My Mother has given me her kitchen table and chair set from Carline Home that I remember them ...
A: Nice to hear from you. How nice to have a kitchen set you remember from childhood. I think you were ...
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| stripping & repair | 10/4/2007 |
Q: Two. How do you effectively strip a catalyize varnish finish? And...How do you repair a scratch or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Standard paint and varnish remover will effectively remove varnish. Mike the ...
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| Heywood Wakefield wheat stain | 10/3/2007 |
Q: I wanted to know if you ever found the formula for the wheat toner/sealer. There is a guy in GA. who ...
A: I have it book marked for future reference as I would hate to continually get such bad ratings for ...
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| antique chest with drawers that are stuck | 10/3/2007 |
Q: I would like to refinish a chest I purchased. I stored it in a shed, and when I went to work on it, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A very common problem Marie and one that should correct itself if you get the ...
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| retrofitted bath cabinet | 10/3/2007 |
Q: my daughter bought a house that has a sink in an old sideboard cupboard. How can we finish the top ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have seen old sideboards and dressers used for sinks many times, and they ...
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| 2nd part of 1st question | 10/2/2007 |
Q: I Eileen,it's me again what i wanna know is that i went to home depot today...And the guy that works ...
A: In a lot of cases, you would use primer. I did not suggest it in your case because the dresser ...
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| Squeaky rocking chair | 10/2/2007 |
Q: I am the recipient of a family heirloom; a rocking chair. It has been in our family for 150 years. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a lovely story and a wonderful Heirloom you have. And you are correct in ...
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| repairing / resecuring veneer | 10/1/2007 |
Q: I recently purchased an antique tiger oak veneer side table that happened to match my existing ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Fixing veneer can be tricky, but as you say you want to make the repairs ...
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| painting a dresser | 10/1/2007 |
Q: but when i say old i mean like maybe it was built in the late 80's early 90's it's wood but it's not ...
A: I love this question...its easy LOL. Lightly sand, then two coats of your paint color of choice. ...
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| Can my kitchen cabinets there were pickled be painted white? | 9/30/2007 |
Q: I hate my kitchen cabinets, they are cherrywood and the painters pickled them, can they be painted ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Of course your cabinets can be painted white or any color you desire. A good ...
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| removal of paint splatters on furniture | 9/30/2007 |
Q: I recently bought a used china cabinet that has some latex paint splatters and spots. How can I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Funny enough I have been sucessful removing latex paint spatters from ...
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| refinishing knotty pine | 9/28/2007 |
Q: I saw your response to a knotty pine cabinet question, and hope you can help me as well. My wife and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What you are experiencing is the reason I dislike pine. This stuff will be ...
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| How to darken a teak sofa table | 9/27/2007 |
Q: I want to darken the table to match some cherry furniture. I got some cherry oil stain and applied ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes, in order to stain a piece of furniture, we must first remove the finish ...
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| Restore Bathroom Cabinets | 9/26/2007 |
Q: My home is approx 8 years old and the maple cabinets have turned a yellow/orange color. Is there any ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No product that I know of for this. This could be the natural aging process ...
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| Grandmother's chest of drawers. | 9/26/2007 |
Q: I have my grandmother's dresser with a mirror. It is solid wood and the drawers have no railings I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think when you say railings, you mean a slide on either side of the drawer. ...
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| Painting Oak Kitchen Cabinets | 9/25/2007 |
Q: I have 20 year old oak kitchen cabinets that I'd like to paint off white so that the grain shows ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In my opinion, these cabinets will need to be stripped of all finish before ...
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| refinishing an old window frame | 9/25/2007 |
Q: I am refinishing an old Bermudian Cedar window frame. I am planning on stripping the paint and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Anne you can stain the stripped wood prior to the poly. Cedar really absorbs ...
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| Table Finish | 9/24/2007 |
Q: I have a cherry dining room table; looks like a damp plastic newspaper bag was laid on the table ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes its possible water could have penetrated an area of the table. But this ...
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| wood protecting | 9/23/2007 |
Q: I am planning on moving a coffee table, looks like maybe made out of maple or some other heavy wood, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Spar varnish is the best finish for outdoors, but no finish lasts too long ...
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| sanding away paint | 9/23/2007 |
Q: I have a very large built in wall unit. About 7 years ago during a moment, or should I say days of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I feel this would be a pretty long job if you try to sand this off. Also very ...
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| rocking chair repair | 9/22/2007 |
Q: I just bought an old spinle back rocking chair. One of the spindles is broken lengthwise as if ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Jean it will depend on how you are going to use the chair. If it will get ...
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| Darkening oak cabinets paint or stain | 9/22/2007 |
Q: I would like to darken my solid oak front bathroom vanity cabinets to something like a mahongany ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First in order to darken the cabinets, you must strip them of the existing ...
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| Residue | 9/22/2007 |
Q: Both the kitchen and bathroom cabinets in my new condo look like teak and do not have any apparent ...
A: Avoid wax in these areas. It will eventually go gummy. Try a test area of low luster tung oil to see ...
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| Paint or stain? | 9/19/2007 |
Q: I picked this nice coffee table at a yard sale, it is supposed to be part of the Ethan Allen farm ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you stain, you will need to remove the existing finish with stripper. Then ...
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| Teak coffee table | 9/5/2007 |
Q: Have an old teak coffee table. It has become sticky to touch. How do I fix this proble?
A: Nice to hear from you. I find when furniture gets this way it usually needs a good cleaning. Wax and ...
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| Removing paint from door hardware | 9/4/2007 |
Q: I'm in the middle of renovating my 1926 home. I have an original door set that has a silver-colored ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes paint stripper is the only thing to get the paint off the handle. I have ...
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| refinishing a dining table | 9/4/2007 |
Q: I have a 45 year old LANE dining table that i have already sanded down. The table is made of two ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its nearly impossible to get walnut and oak to look the same. The only way ...
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| polyurethane on pine boards | 9/3/2007 |
Q: I am building a rustic cabin in northern Wisconsin. On one wall I plan to put 8" tongue and groove ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like you may have read my advice about always staining wood before ...
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| mahoghany coffee table with inlaid leather top | 9/3/2007 |
Q: This 50 year old table used to be gorgeous in my grandparents' home but time, cats, and general ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This type of damage can be fixed, but I have never attempted to fix so much ...
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| Dresser tracks | 9/2/2007 |
Q: I have a 3 drawer dresser that I brought new from a local furniture store. The top two drawers seem ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Jamie without seeing these tracks, its hard to say what they are. The tracks ...
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| refinishing oak dining set | 9/2/2007 |
Q: I inherited a beautiful dining room table, 6 chairs, and buffet from my grandmother years ago. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The chair rails...I assume you mean the chair wrungs LOL, I'm not sure of the ...
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| cleaning & refinishing 5 panel horizontal doors | 9/1/2007 |
Q: I have bought several 5 panel horizontal doors. They look dull and do not appear to have any poly ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A lot of questions and so I do not miss any I'll repeat them here... 1.. do ...
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| oak dining room set | 9/1/2007 |
Q: Eileen: I thought that I should get a hold of you again. Firstly I must apologise, as the dining ...
A: So I haven't got my wires crossed, This was your original question and my answer..Right refinishing ...
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| kitchen cabinets | 8/31/2007 |
Q: .My question is regarding the typical kitchen cabinets that are purchased from a "lowes" type place. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately Jan, if there is currently a finish on your cupboards, it will ...
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| Adding a protective coat to a new table | 8/29/2007 |
Q: We just bought a lovely new dining room set, but the finish on the table doesn't seem durable ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You should not have to strip to add a couple more coats of clear laquer, but ...
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| Painted Cabinets | 8/28/2007 |
Q: my house was built in 1997, our kitchen has painted cabinets, what would you suggest I use to remove ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Unfortunately if the paint is original, the cupboards will be paint grade. ...
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| Painting an old bedroom set. | 8/27/2007 |
Q: I was wondering your opinion on painting my bedroom set. It is a light (Maple possibly) wood. I am ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If the furniture is actually maple, you have little hope of making it darker ...
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| antique furniture restaining/lighter | 8/27/2007 |
Q: My aunt and Uncle purchased an antique bedroom set for my 3 year old daughter. It is a beautiful 40 ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Well first off, the set is a long way from being classed as antique. I'm a ...
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| refinish dining room chairs | 8/27/2007 |
Q: we were given 5 year old dining room chairs. The stain is wearing in many places and we would like ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a great question. And comes at a time I just finished a rocking chair ...
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| lacquer furniture | 8/26/2007 |
Q: I just moved into a furnished apartment and got a lacquer or lacquer like dresser. It's green and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Not a good idea to put tile directly on this piece if its not yours, and a ...
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| restoring natural color to oak cabinets | 8/26/2007 |
Q: 1. We have 1979 oak kitchen cabinets in a dark walnut coffee stain from manufacturer, Kabincraft. ...
A: It makes this job worthwhile. Gladys I fear you will never get the dark color out of the grain. Its ...
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| Water Damage in Old Oak Woodwork | 8/26/2007 |
Q: My Husband and I just bought and old home (build 1912)which needed some rehab. We have oak woodwork ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can try wood bleach first. Its available at any hardware store. Comes in ...
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| staining new cabinet | 8/24/2007 |
Q: I built a vanity out of maple & birch. The frame is maple & the 2 doors & 2 drawers are made of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Deryl this will take some color experimenting. I hope you have some end ...
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| restaining solid oak cabinets | 8/24/2007 |
Q: We also have the 80's golden oak kitchen. I would like to restain everything. We have oak paneling ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Leanne this is a great question and it gives me a chance to explain about ...
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| veneer furniture | 8/23/2007 |
Q: can furniture with veneer be painted? this piece is from 1960's probably. dark,ugly and slick,but ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes of course veneer can be painted over. Surface prep is the key to any good ...
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| Alder wood, soft or hard wood? | 8/22/2007 |
Q: I have read here, in Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks, and elsewhere, that Alder wood is a soft ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I consider both Alder and Birch to be softer hardwoods. And certainly that ...
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| "Touching" up Oak Cabinets | 8/21/2007 |
Q: I followed your instructions for touching up my old oak cabinets. I scrubbed thoroughly with ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can certainly apply several coats of tung oil if you think its necessary. ...
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| white spot on wood table | 8/20/2007 |
Q: looking to find out if there is a way to repair a white spot from a hot dish placed on my kitchen ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Doesn't matter how careful we are, these things happen. As a home remedy try ...
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| Refinish window frames | 8/20/2007 |
Q: I recently purchased 4 old stained glass windows (33" by 53"). Estimates are between 100 to 150 ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If the wood is sound, there is no need for other than you are doing. I have ...
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| Dresser Drawer | 8/20/2007 |
Q: I moved and it seems like the movers lost one of the drawers to my dresser. Is ther some place I can ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a shame this has happened. How in the heck can movers loose their ...
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| painting exterior doors | 8/19/2007 |
Q: In response to another questioner who was repainting an exterior door, you said that spar-urethane ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I hope you did not get confused with a previous answer I gave someone. Spar ...
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| Can oak look sophisticated? | 8/19/2007 |
Q: we have a 18 year old house with huge kitchen that has golden oak cabinets. I want to do a designer ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a great question. And now that I think about it, I never see designers ...
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| restoring tables | 8/19/2007 |
Q: Two questions, first, my mother gave a circa 1960 Henredon coffee table with chipping veneer inlay. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gerri I'm sorry but it sounds to me like the veneer inlay table needs an ...
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| what to do about bubbles in the *wood* on table | 8/18/2007 |
Q: I'm refinishing only the top of our dining room table. As I was sanding, I noticed some lighter ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Christy its a good thing you stopped sanding when you noticed these bumps or ...
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| refinishing drexel china cabinet mid-century | 8/17/2007 |
Q: i just bought a drexel china cabinet. It has what I would call a mid-century style, and is stamped ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Throw the sandpaper away...do not touch your cabinet with it. If you attempt ...
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| Polyurethane | 8/17/2007 |
Q: I have done quite a bit of woodwork over the last 20 years, and my polyurethane never has come out ...
A: Well this certainly is a puzzle. A cooler temp would not allow the poly to flow as well. And a dryer ...
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| painting over trim | 8/16/2007 |
Q: I just bought a second-hand desk for my daughter. It's ivory painted wood with a thin gold trim ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a great idea. And yes you can paint directly over the gold with the ...
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| Polyurethane | 8/16/2007 |
Q: I have done quite a bit of woodwork over the last 20 years, and my polyurethane never has come out ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I feel you are doing nothing wrong here Lawson. If the poly is ...
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| Grandfather Clock | 8/13/2007 |
Q: I am making a grandfather clock from a kit I bought at Emperor Clocks. Yes, I am - - - for 12 years ...
A: Never think for a minute that you are bothering me. And you know something...if you are in the ...
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| restaurant tables | 8/13/2007 |
Q: I have a client with oak trimmed tables, after years of people getting in and out of the booths the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Mike I wonder if perhaps the stain is not soaking into the worn areas because ...
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| Grandfather Clock | 8/12/2007 |
Q: I am making a grandfather clock from a kit I bought at Emperor Clocks. Yes, I am - - - for 12 years ...
A: I am as confused as you are about brushes. But its fairly easy to pick a good one. You will want ...
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| Refinishing a Lane Dresser | 8/11/2007 |
Q: Eileen, I have a Lane dresser that I purchased in 1963. Obviously, it needs refinishing. I have ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I cannot imagine what happened with the dresser top if the original finish ...
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| refinishing teak | 8/11/2007 |
Q: I've been looking for a second hand oak trestle table to buy. I've found a teak one that might just ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is an interesting question Julia. First off before you apply any stain ...
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| Refinishing whitewashed kitchen cabinets | 8/11/2007 |
Q: Our kitchen cabinets are the whitewashed look that was popular about 10 years ago. They are oak ...
A: Please do not get discouraged until you have done a test area. Use the stripper on the back of a ...
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| Grandfather Clock | 8/10/2007 |
Q: I am making a grandfather clock from a kit I bought at Emperor Clocks. Yes, I am - - - for 12 years ...
A: It makes my job worthwhile. And of course you are correct to want your clock made and finished 100% ...
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| repairing noisy bed | 8/10/2007 |
Q: I just read your answer to the question pertaining to the "wobbly" bed problem. I have the similar ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Glad folks read our answers. Certainly give my remedy a try...nothing ...
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| Refinishing whitewashed kitchen cabinets | 8/9/2007 |
Q: Our kitchen cabinets are the whitewashed look that was popular about 10 years ago. They are oak ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are correct in thinking your cupboards will need to be stripped then ...
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| Restoring 1950's Early American Maple Furniture | 8/9/2007 |
Q: I recently purchased a dining set from the late 1950's. The chairs are Windsor style with a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My gosh this is so strange. I am currently working on my 1960 maple chairs. ...
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| Refinishing a table | 8/8/2007 |
Q: this is actually a brand new table from IKEA. It is birch with a clear lacquered finish. What I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry but you cannot keep the laquer finish and change the color. All finish ...
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| refinishing veneer doors | 8/8/2007 |
Q: I have some time off this summer and I am refinishing the veneer doors inside a ranch style bungalow ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a real tough question without actually seeing the doors. I gather you ...
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| Painting over faux cherry wood | 8/8/2007 |
Q: I just painted over my daughter's cherry bed room furniture. It isn't true wood, but some kind of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its certainly not too late to do this, but I personally do not like this ...
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| paint still feels tacky on dresser painted over 6 years ago | 8/7/2007 |
Q: I have an antique dresser that my dad painted when my daughter was born (almost 7 years ago!). It ...
A: Nice to hear from you I cannot think that this paint has not adhered to the underlying surface. It ...
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| Refinish old kitchen table | 8/7/2007 |
Q: I have a pine kitchen table with butcher block look. I would like to create a Tuscany look, ...
A: I think this would be very nice. There are so many different painting techniques for you to choose ...
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| Removing stain from Doors | 8/7/2007 |
Q: I am in the process of staining 6 panel pine doors. My wife and I had stain from a previous project ...
A: Personally I would not try to remove any of the first color. Thank goodness you want to go from ...
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| Heat Spots on Leather table top | 8/6/2007 |
Q: I have a leather-topped coffee table. Someone put their hot paper plate down on it and the almost ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My experience is that real leather often reacts like wood when we place hot ...
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| Refinish old kitchen table | 8/5/2007 |
Q: I have a pine kitchen table with butcher block look. I would like to create a Tuscany look, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think the question here is changing the color of your existing table ...
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| Removing stain from Doors | 8/5/2007 |
Q: I am in the process of staining 6 panel pine doors. My wife and I had stain from a previous project ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Removing stain from pine is almost impossible. You could first try some paint ...
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| refinish oak table top | 8/5/2007 |
Q: The table top is old and has a dark oak finish.I have used "old Englih" scratch cover and it looked ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Ed it sounds like there is wax or grime built up and thus this sticky area. ...
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| stripping and staining cherry table | 8/3/2007 |
Q: I read your advice on another cherry table so you may have already answered some of my questions. I ...
A: Its nice to know that others read our advice too. This sounds to me like a great first project. And ...
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| HAIRSPRAY SPILL ON LIGHT WOOD FURN | 8/3/2007 |
Q: I SPILLED HAIRSPRAY ON MY LIGHT WOOD DRESSER. IT LEFT STAINS, LIGHTER THAN THE WOOD. PLEASE HELP ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like the spray has removed the finish and the stain..oh dear. A pro ...
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| Walnut kitchen cabinets | 8/2/2007 |
Q: I read your answer to a question regarding dark walnut cabinets. We also purchased a home with ...
A: Nice to hear from you. While I cannot remember the question you refer to, thats OK. I like to take ...
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| heat bubbled up wax on table top | 8/1/2007 |
Q: We put hot pizza boxes on top of a wood table. when we moved the boxes the wax(I think) bubbled up ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Well if this is in fact wax that has bubbled, you will have to remove all the ...
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| lacquer | 7/31/2007 |
Q: I have black lacquer bedroom furniture,and have found two end tables (second-hand) whose shape and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I would paint the white tables with black high gloss or semi gloss ...
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| waterproofing dining room table | 7/31/2007 |
Q: I have a 1970's American Furniture Co. oak dining table (solid oak top, I believe)that is in good ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I certainly would not replace the finish..or the table for that matter. It ...
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| Removeing wooden plugs | 7/30/2007 |
Q: What method or tool would you recommend for removing wooden plugs?
A: Nice to hear from you. If the wooden plugs are flush with the surface, the only way I remove them is ...
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| Old mahogany dresser with "plastic-like" finish | 7/29/2007 |
Q: I just bought a mahogany bedroom dresser that was bought/manufactured in 1930. It is in very good ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only way to get rid of this finish is a complete strip and a new finish ...
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| Removing Musty Smell From An Old Dresser | 7/28/2007 |
Q: I recently bought an older dresser from an antique shop and it has a bad musty smell. I see no ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds to me like you have taken all the right steps so far to remove this ...
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| Looking for an "easy" way to refinish oak cabinets | 7/28/2007 |
Q: I have just bought new hardware for my kitchen cabinets, and am having glass inserts added to about ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I love this question...LOL..an "easy" way. Carol there is no real easy way to ...
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| warped barnwood | 7/23/2007 |
Q: I have learned so much from your site! I am currently refinishing several pieces of old oak ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Wish I new how you are putting the boards together. But try this first. Find ...
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| Refinishing Old Woodwork | 7/23/2007 |
Q: I really appreciated your response on 6/15/07 to jessica re: refinishing old woodwork. It sounds ...
A: I love this question. OK Miss Messy..you sound like my daughter. Painters tape is great for ...
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| old dresser & chest | 7/20/2007 |
Q: I have a bassett bedroom dresser, chest, and night stand. It is about 36 years old and in great ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I think it would be nigh on to impossible to remove the formica. ...
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| restain ash furniture | 7/19/2007 |
Q: - I have two solid ash tables made by Lane purchased in 1995. They are very light in color - a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Well Jan I guess your friend is correct in saying "they cannot be redone ...
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| painting over kitchen cabinets | 7/18/2007 |
Q: My wife wants to paint over our 27 year old kitchen cabinets. I believe there is a walnut finish on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The beauty of these products is it delivers us from sanding, and the darn ...
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| Stickers on Antique Cherry Bed | 6/26/2007 |
Q: I have an antique cherry bed with a walnut stain. This bed has all kinds of decals and stickers on ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh I hate these things LOL..but I have did it a time or two myself. These can ...
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| dressers | 6/26/2007 |
Q: I have 2 older dressers that were once in a college dormitory. The college remodeled and I bought ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First sand the pieces. Then paint black. Probably two coats. Then rough up ...
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| refinishing oak cabinets | 6/23/2007 |
Q: This is a great site for all us do-it-yourselfers!! We just bought an 18 year old home with honey ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A big job but certainly worth the effort for oak cabinets. Here are my ...
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| Refinishing pickled oak kitchen cabinets | 6/22/2007 |
Q: The finish is worn off of the cabinets from washing over the years. They are 10 years old. I do not ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Funny enough Jean I had my first experience with this product today. Its made ...
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| Repairing an old sewing machine cabinet | 6/22/2007 |
Q: I just got a nice old sewing machine with a cabinet. The hinges have torn holes in the wood, and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Not sure where the wood is broken here but I'm thinking you mean the screw ...
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| Stain on Engineered Wood | 6/21/2007 |
Q: I am refinishing a coffee table that is ~10 years old. When I used a stripper the so called stain ...
A: This is a tough question Tom. Its times like this I wish I had long distance vision. But I certainly ...
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| cabinets | 6/20/2007 |
Q: I'm trying to refinish my mothers kitchen cabinets.(Oak) 35 years of grease,grime,& children. My ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In my opinion, these cupboards need a full stripping and the finish replaced. ...
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| Old, very weathered bird house? | 6/20/2007 |
Q: Have a not in good condition condominium bird house with lots of potential! It now has no paint or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a wonderful project this will be. Those detail sanders ruin more detail ...
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| striping newer laqures | 6/20/2007 |
Q: I have been striping furniture for seven years with little problems.I have run into newer furniture ...
A: Nice to hear from you. How correct you are. Funny that our stripper will remove old stuff but not ...
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| Knotty Pine Cabinets | 6/19/2007 |
Q: cabinets. I hate the knots, and I would like to paint the cabinets a dark "merlot" like color to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In all cases where we are painting, surface prep is the most important step. ...
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| Refinishing Bathroom Cabinets | 6/19/2007 |
Q: I'm wanting to strip and refinish our bathroom cabinets in a darker stain, but all of the surfaces ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There sure is a product to do this job. Its called "Peel and stick ...
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| Refinishing veneer furniture | 6/19/2007 |
Q: I am attemting to refinish a 2 piece bookcase/credenza that is mostly veneered. I sanded with a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Does the product you painted with by any chance say "lacquer" on it. This ...
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| refinishing/painting an old dining room table | 6/18/2007 |
Q: We have just bought our first house and its 120 years old! We love antiques and old carpentry. My ...
A: Yes of course you have two options here. Either painting which is easy or a full strip and refinish. ...
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| staining a lighter stain over a dark stain | 6/18/2007 |
Q: about 6 months ago I tried to restain an old pine wood kitchen table and benches. I sanded it well, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry but the answer to this is wish you had never stained pine dark in the ...
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| Refinishing old barn wood | 6/17/2007 |
Q: I have some old barn wood that I would like to build into a table. The wood is true 1x12 and is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes the wood will be dry if its that old, but Personally I would not use ...
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| painting knobs | 6/17/2007 |
Q: including sanding, etc. Now I'm down to the knobs. I know they need to be sanded, but how on earth ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I know exactly what you mean. Been there LOL Now I use a foam brush for ...
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| Waterproof finish | 6/17/2007 |
Q: Eileen, I recently purchased a new oak dining table. (Amish made) I would like to recoat the top to ...
A: So glad you got back to me. This topic was going through my mind all day. Joe I am not going out on ...
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| Dark Walnut cabinets & woodwork | 6/16/2007 |
Q: We have just purchased a new home and it is full of dark Walnut kitchen and bathroom cabinets..to me ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you have kitchen cabinets made from walnut you are very lucky indeed. Its ...
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| Waterproof finish | 6/16/2007 |
Q: Eileen, I recently purchased a new oak dining table. (Amish made) I would like to recoat the top to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Under no circumstances use spar varnish on your lovely Amish table...been ...
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| refinishing old woodwork | 6/15/2007 |
Q: I want to refinish old woodwork in my house. Personally I'd like to paint it, but certain people ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have to agree with those "certain people" who tell you not to paint the ...
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| restore maple cabinets | 6/15/2007 |
Q: I have many very high quality 40 year old maple kitchen cabinets. They have touch catches instead of ...
A: You are correct that the poly will better hide the problem. And you could try the wipe on poly. I ...
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| Refinish the seat of new chairs | 6/14/2007 |
Q: I found a set of chair at target that almost perfect with my kitchen. I'd like to paint/refinish the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If I understand this question correctly, you are thinking of buying white ...
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| restore maple cabinets | 6/14/2007 |
Q: I have many very high quality 40 year old maple kitchen cabinets. They have touch catches instead of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You did not say if the damaged areas are a different color than the undamaged ...
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| Adhesive Removal | 6/13/2007 |
Q: .. We put some stickers on wood cabinets (oh woe that we did this!) that say "meat" and "dairy". ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Gosh I hate those stickies on things LOL. They can be removed with varsol. ...
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| refinishing a wooden dresser | 6/13/2007 |
Q: Hope you can help! I just bought a second-hand dresser and nightstand for my young daughter and want ...
A: Actually this does not change my answer. It only increases your sanding duties LOL. And not a belt ...
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| refinishing a wooden dresser | 6/12/2007 |
Q: Hope you can help! I just bought a second-hand dresser and nightstand for my young daughter and want ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There should be no need to strip the pieces before painting. Very old oil ...
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| removing wax from an old table, finish choices, bare spot | 6/10/2007 |
Q: I recently purchased a kitchen table and 6 rush style chairs at an antique shop. The table top was ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds to me like this table top needs a refinish. If the methods you used ...
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| staining over stain | 6/10/2007 |
Q: We have a large dining room table (possibly veneered) finished in a honey pine color that our folks ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Without seeing this table, I can probably guess the existing finish is ...
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| Refinishing a 1950's Henredon sideboard | 6/2/2007 |
Q: I just acquired a beautiful 1950-ish sideboard from Henredon, with gorgeous flame mahogany and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes this approach will be best. See if it removes this heavy buildup of wax. ...
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| Refinishing a crib | 6/1/2007 |
Q: I am interested in finding out about re-staining a crib...what product should I use for a child ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I must go along with your thinking here and recommend just a latex. ...
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| painting fiberboard | 6/1/2007 |
Q: I saw a question that sounded like what I need to know as well but I geuss I am still unsure. I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Get a 220 grit sandpaper and lightly sand this unit. Then a coat of the same ...
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| Rinfinshing Our Kitchen Table Part 2 | 5/29/2007 |
Q: I don't know for sure if the table is cherry, I just have the original brochure stating the table is ...
A: With all these things on the top of the table, I would get out the sandpaper and lightly sand the ...
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| knowing | 5/29/2007 |
Q: how to paint furniture step by step
A: Nice to hear from you. You do not say if this furniture is used and you want to paint it, or if its ...
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| Refinishing bedroom furniture | 5/29/2007 |
Q: I need to refinish a couple of pieces to make them much darker (dark brown to black) b/c my daughter ...
A: Love your thinking LOL Unfortunately, you are giving stain more powers than it has. If you take the ...
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| Warped Oak Table | 5/25/2007 |
Q: We have a single pedestal oak table which pulls apart in middle for an optional leaf. We recently ...
A: Actually if you are fairly sure its the sliders, I would not trash the table but simply replace the ...
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| Refinishing Our Kitchen Table | 5/25/2007 |
Q: We have a large kitchen table (62x98 inches) with 3 leaves in it. The table is cherry with a "cider ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can certainly refinish the table top and not the legs and skirt, but when ...
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| Warped Oak Table | 5/24/2007 |
Q: We have a single pedestal oak table which pulls apart in middle for an optional leaf. We recently ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Is this an antique table with wooden sliders? If it is, that could be the ...
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| old home with oak trim throughout | 5/18/2007 |
Q: I recently purchased an old home that has beautiful oak trim throughout the house. We would like to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This will be a big job Mike but well worth the effort. When I say big I do ...
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| painting old dresser/ painting over spray paint? | 5/16/2007 |
Q: Our daughter's dresser was an old oak veneer. We wanted to paint it white to match her bed. A ...
A: I like your approach...convince yourself you were just priming LOL. OK..as long as you use the same ...
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| interior to exterior table | 5/14/2007 |
Q: I am wanting to turn an interior (pine, oil-based varnish x ~ 20 years old) trussle table into our ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you have an oil based varnish currently as the finish, you can sand and ...
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| gel stain and grain filler | 5/14/2007 |
Q: I just recently had a french door installed that is made of pine treated wood. I plan to stain ...
A: If I plan to use a dark stain on a piece, I use a dark colored wood filler. And a light stain of ...
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| painting over stained wood furniture | 5/13/2007 |
Q: Is there a quick step in "deglossing" or priming a stained piece of furniture in preperation for ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Certainly there is. Get a box of TSP powder and a box of medium steel wool at ...
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| gel stain and grain filler | 5/13/2007 |
Q: I just recently had a french door installed that is made of pine treated wood. I plan to stain ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Ronnie every once in a while a question comes along that could be answered ...
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| restaining oak entertainment center | 5/13/2007 |
Q: First I would like to thank you for offering your advice via this method. I have asked a couple of ...
A: I am up here in Canada and would have no idea of anyone in NC. Just pick up the phone book and look ...
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| bedroom furniture repair | 5/12/2007 |
Q: We have brand new bedroom furniture with a dark espresso finish. Our wonderful French bulldog ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First get a small can of Minwax stain in dark walnut or mahogany. Dap that on ...
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| refinish inlaid furniture | 5/12/2007 |
Q: I have a large chest,top is 4 feet by 2 feet, inlaid in mountain flowers very beautiful. needs ...
A: OK as you want to fix this piece my thoughts are this. Just strip the top with paint stripper and ...
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| refinishing a dining room table | 5/12/2007 |
Q: I am a woodworker and am trying to refinish a table for a customer. They had used a spray furniture ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh my gosh. What a problem Heres my thoughts (probably yours too). If the ...
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| restaining oak entertainment center | 5/11/2007 |
Q: First I would like to thank you for offering your advice via this method. I have asked a couple of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. OK Chelley I'll tell it like it is LOL....this is a heck of a big job. First ...
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| STRIPPING OF OLD DOORS | 5/11/2007 |
Q: I HAVE RECENTLY MOVED INTO AN OLDER HOME AND THE UPSTAIRS HAS SOME VERY OLD WOODEN DOORS THAT HAVE ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I do not think any stripper is 100% safe. If it removes multiple ...
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| smoke odor | 5/10/2007 |
Q: I have a question about getting rid of cigarette smoke odor from wooden furniture. The 3 pieces I ...
A: You can get rid of most of this odor, and time will do the rest. Wash all unfinished areas with a ...
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| restaining kitchen cabinets | 5/9/2007 |
Q: I have a similar problem to a previous question in that I have red oak cabinets southwestern slight ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Certainly hope no one got my directions wrong Daniel, but heres the scoop ...
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| new veneer for a Lane ceader chest | 5/9/2007 |
Q: We have an old cedar chest that had water damage and all the veneer has come off. I would like to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Replacing veneer is not an easy job. It requires an expert hand in my opinion ...
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| Bedpost Repair | 5/8/2007 |
Q: I would like to repair bedposts of a 4-poster bed. The posts originally were screwed into the wood ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Without seeing this damage, it sounds like mortise and tenon construction ...
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| Stripping mistakes | 5/6/2007 |
Q: I'm in the early process of refinishing my great-grandmother's bedroom furniture and have run into a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. No worries here. The stripper will not harm the wood, but I am going to ...
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| varnishing wood work | 5/6/2007 |
Q: We recently removed all the trim in our family room and I sanded it down, applied a stain/varnish ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I think what you have here is called "Blush". The exact cause could be ...
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| dried out wood | 5/5/2007 |
Q: We just brought home 2 dressers that have been in storage for years. When we removed the drawers, ...
A: You will not be able to tell, but wood absorbs moisture rather quickly. Two weeks should be enough. ...
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| cracked/weather damaged porch furniture | 5/4/2007 |
Q: I ahve some older (1950s) Old Hickory porch furniture that I inherited from my great-grandparents. ...
A: Nice to hear from Tennessee. Unfortunately outdoor wood furniture needs constant maintenance. Thats ...
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| refinishing/painting mix n match dining set | 5/4/2007 |
Q: I recently bought a used pedestal table (stained honey oak color) four ladder back chairs (painted ...
A: Suzanne you are NOT a pest LOL And please stop reading about paint on line LOL...you are getting ...
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| dried out wood | 5/4/2007 |
Q: We just brought home 2 dressers that have been in storage for years. When we removed the drawers, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Usually the opposite thing occurs. The pieces are damp and swell and you ...
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| refinishing antique cradenza | 5/2/2007 |
Q: I just purchased two mid century modern cradenzas that are made from partical board with a wood (I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This sounds like it could be a fun project, but just a word of advice..for ...
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| Fence stain | 5/2/2007 |
Q: I recently had a new cedar fence installed. A painter offered to seal the fence, and I agreed, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Well you have found out what I have been contradicted on a few times...power ...
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| refinish oak kitchen cabinets | 5/1/2007 |
Q: Eileen. I'd like to refinish my oak kitchen cabinets. The color (golden oak) is fine, but the finish ...
A: I think you will be pleased with this approach. No dust at all, and you do not need to remove any ...
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| refinishing/painting mix n match dining set | 5/1/2007 |
Q: I recently bought a used pedestal table (stained honey oak color) four ladder back chairs (painted ...
A: Primer comes clearly marked as such. The can will clearly state wood primer. I am in Canada and like ...
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| antique piano | 5/1/2007 |
Q: We have been attempting to strip the paint off an antique piano. The piano has been painted at ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are finding out what I found out a few years back about removing ...
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| refinish oak kitchen cabinets | 4/30/2007 |
Q: Eileen. I'd like to refinish my oak kitchen cabinets. The color (golden oak) is fine, but the finish ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This will be a big job if you choose stripping so will you try a "less work" ...
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| refinishing/painting mix n match dining set | 4/30/2007 |
Q: I recently bought a used pedestal table (stained honey oak color) four ladder back chairs (painted ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This sounds like a wonderful undertaking and I am so glad you ask the right ...
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| burned cutting board | 4/30/2007 |
Q: I mistakenly turned on the wrong burner on the electric stove at a friend's house and caused a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You were told correctly. In most cases burn marks will need to be planed out. ...
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| refinishing a nightstand | 4/29/2007 |
Q: I was in the process of refinishing a nightstand, when I found that the front of the door is made of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This fake stuff has fooled me too on occasion. Being plastic, there is no way ...
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| Pickleing or glazeing finished oak cabinets | 4/29/2007 |
Q: I have just bought a home. In the kitchen, there are dark stained oak cabinets. I think these are ...
A: Nice to hear from you. OK Your questions one at a time How do I prep for this? Do I have to strip to ...
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| Refinishing lacquer table top | 4/29/2007 |
Q: We have a solid wood pedestal table used daily in our kitchen. Table was commercially made with ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Seems you have some experience in this area so this should be a cinch for ...
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| restaining kitchen cabinets | 4/28/2007 |
Q: My kitchen cabinets are oak with a southwestern whitewash stain. It used to be pinkish in hue but ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Try to avoid sanding completely on your oak cabinets. You cannot sand a ...
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| Stripping/Cleaning Gumwood | 4/27/2007 |
Q: I have removed all carpeting from my home and I am going to have my hardwood floors sanded and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Stripping with paint stripper will get you back down to bare wood and I think ...
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| Grease marks on cupboards | 4/27/2007 |
Q: I'm unsure if you will be able to answer my question without seeing my problem ( I could e-mail you ...
A: Its a possibility that its some reaction of the water based top coat but I have done the same thing ...
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| Maple Lacquered Cabinets gummy | 4/26/2007 |
Q: My maple lacquered cabinet doors and drawers are gummy and dirty. I cannot find any products to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is an easy fix. First get a good degreaser. In Canada we have a product ...
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| lighten up honeyed oak kitchen cabinets | 4/26/2007 |
Q: We have just installed a natural red oak hardwood floor & my kitchen cabinets look old even though ...
A: The Bri wax, and Restorz-it will not make the cupboards lighter as you want. I know of the ...
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| re-staining kitchen cabinets and new side panel | 4/25/2007 |
Q: I have one of those standard kimball hill home light oak cabinets that I'd like to re-stain a darker ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You sound like a very smart lady. And you are certainly correct to wonder ...
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| Grease marks on cupboards | 4/25/2007 |
Q: I'm unsure if you will be able to answer my question without seeing my problem ( I could e-mail you ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Very strange thing here. My thoughts when I read this went back a few years ...
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| lighten up honeyed oak kitchen cabinets | 4/24/2007 |
Q: We have just installed a natural red oak hardwood floor & my kitchen cabinets look old even though ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry this is late. Bad storm knocked out our power for 24 hrs. There ...
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| Relacquering Kitchen Cabinets | 4/10/2007 |
Q: We are looking for a cost effective way to update our kitchen. Currently the cabinets are dark but ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Certainly most wood can be stripped of its finish and a new finish applied. ...
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| squeaky chair | 4/9/2007 |
Q: I don't know if I have the right area or not but I will take the chance and ask anyway.My computer ...
A: Sure you have the right place, if I can provide the right answer LOL First you must locate the ...
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| Coffee table is warped - how to fix? | 4/8/2007 |
Q: Now there is a bubble in the top of my coffee table. How can I fix this problem?
A: Nice to hear from you. The veneer has come loose because of the wet towel. If you can get a good bit ...
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| touch-up my cabinets | 4/7/2007 |
Q: I was planning on refinshing my bathroom cabinets, but decided that would be too much work right ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You most definately can clean and apply a coat of poly. Surface prep is the ...
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| redoing pickled kitchen cabinets | 4/4/2007 |
Q: I have 15 year old pickled custom cabinets. The lacquer has yellowed. I know that I can strip the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Once the cabinets are stripped, a lot of the pickling will come off, but not ...
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| Water stain | 4/2/2007 |
Q: We have a beautiful gloss ELMWOOD dining table that has what appear to be either water stains ( ...
A: Nice to hear from you. How right you are..sanding should not be considered in this case. First try ...
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| Warped round table | 4/1/2007 |
Q: I have an Ethan Allen round table. It began to crack and now has two clean cracks from one end to ...
A: Well lets hope the top has only come off of the table skirt and you have no warping. Thats a better ...
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| Warped round table | 3/31/2007 |
Q: I have an Ethan Allen round table. It began to crack and now has two clean cracks from one end to ...
A: Sorry you must have misunderstood my answer I said "It is also my experience that any board will not ...
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| Warped round table | 3/30/2007 |
Q: I have an Ethan Allen round table. It began to crack and now has two clean cracks from one end to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Certainly not too many questions and I know they are important to you. I'll ...
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| matching stains | 3/27/2007 |
Q: I would like to re-stain my oak kitchen cabinets. When they were custom made 30 years I used ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes I have an idea what you could use. First mix a test batch. When I test ...
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| Heywood Wakefield color question | 3/21/2007 |
Q: I see in another post that you wrote the formula for the Heywood Wakefield Champagne finish. I am ...
A: I have been searching as promised for the formula with no luck. In my searching I happened to come ...
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| Restaining Furniture | 3/20/2007 |
Q: I have a new piece of furniture (an armoire wall unit) that is stained a medium oak color. The piece ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This piece will have to be stripped of the finish in order to restain. ...
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| refinishing | 3/18/2007 |
Q: Our favorite tv armoire is made of a light oak veneer, how would we go about refinishing it to match ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Going from a light stain to a dark one will work fine but the finish must be ...
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| pickled cabinets | 3/16/2007 |
Q: I've got pickled cabinets in our kitchen and don't much like the pink look they have. I'd love to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I agree with you. I always think its a shame that they put this pickled look ...
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| finding scrap wood | 3/13/2007 |
Q: i know this maybe isnt the exact field of intrest to you but im sure through your experiences maybe ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Your a girl after my own heart LOL. I get all my scraps from my local lumber ...
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| How can I determine the type of wood I have | 3/9/2007 |
Q: I have a bedroom set, manufacturered by Hibriten, which has been in my family since the 1930's or ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry to say but this type of wood can fool you. Usually factory painted ...
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| Wood staining | 3/9/2007 |
Q: Shows how much I know about this! Are there any other options for me, to change the look of the ...
A: Sorry I could not give you the answer you wanted to hear about the furniture, but there are things ...
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| refinishing sewing machine cabinet | 3/8/2007 |
Q: Eileen, Thanks for the advise. One final question. Have applied stain and it turned out darker than ...
A: I'm so glad you contacted me again. I was thinking about how the machine may be coming along. It may ...
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| Wood staining | 3/8/2007 |
Q: I have some bedroom furniture that I would like to spice up a bit... I've had it for years and it's ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Well I am giving you A+ for enthusiasm Katie LOL Unfortunately there is just ...
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| refinishing old cabinets | 3/6/2007 |
Q: Do you happen to have any ideas like adding a one inch frame on the outside of the doors just to ...
A: Sorry for the delay here but the PC was down. I agree if the cabinets are well made, don't replace. ...
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| refinishing old cabinets | 3/5/2007 |
Q: Currently have plain no design solid pine cabinets built in late 60's They have been varnished quite ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In my opinion, I would only paint as an absolute last resort..you will be ...
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| laquer removal | 3/4/2007 |
Q: I am wanting to redo my kitchen cabinets because the laquer that was applied 15 years ago has ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It would be nice to get your oak cabinets back to lovely wood again. Use ...
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| refinishing sewing machine cabinet | 3/1/2007 |
Q: Am preparing to TRY and refinish my mothers antique sewing cabinet that I just inherited. It appears ...
A: Any follow ups are fine with me. I want you to be happy with the job. OK..you lightly sanded. At ...
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| refinishing sewing machine cabinet | 3/1/2007 |
Q: Am preparing to TRY and refinish my mothers antique sewing cabinet that I just inherited. It appears ...
A: Nice to hear from you. These old sewing machines are lovely when refinished, and really fairly ...
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| stripping old kitchen cabinets | 2/27/2007 |
Q: I am doing some updating in my kitchen. The cabinets are very old and have an accumulation of dirt, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I certainly have never run accross this problem before but I suspect its your ...
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| And now for the stair railing... | 2/27/2007 |
Q: Work on the tung oil finish to my sewing machine cabinet is proceeding well, thanks to your advice. ...
A: Glad to hear the sewing machine is going well..Do you like it? No way really to check if its poly ...
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| Cabinet Hardware | 2/23/2007 |
Q: I want to replace my kitchen cabinet hardware & I found what I want that is the same size so I don't ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If you are painting the cupboards, its easy. Simply put a bit of wood filler ...
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| what finish to use | 2/20/2007 |
Q: We have recently had a pine table made and we asked for it to be unfinished as we have used a wax ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This winter I actually made a large pine table for my son. I was fortunate ...
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| Two different oak stains... | 2/18/2007 |
Q: We recently purchased two townhouses and are converting them into one unit through the kitchens by ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to restain either set of cabinets, the existing finish must be ...
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| Refinishing old sewing machine cabinet | 2/2/2007 |
Q: Actually, I was originally inclined to use tung oil to refinish this cabinet, but when I started ...
A: A laquer finish will disolve in laquer thinner. A shellac finish will dissolve in wood alcohol. A ...
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| Refinishing old sewing machine cabinet | 2/1/2007 |
Q: I recently acquired an old Free-Westinghouse sewing machine in what appears to be its original ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have lost track of the number of these old sewing machine cabinets I have ...
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| Spilled Elmer's/Craft Glue on Hardwood Floor | 1/28/2007 |
Q: Help! My 2-year-old got into the craft bin and dumped about a half bottle of glue onto our hardwood ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can soften this glue with warm vinegar. I think for this possibly just a ...
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| painted wood surface protection | 1/25/2007 |
Q: I HAVE PAINTED A WOODEN CHAIR WITH ACRYLIC ARTIST PAINTS. CAN i USE A WATER BASED POLYCRYLIC ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Certainly it is recommended that a finish be put over such work. I actually ...
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| refinishing kitchen cabinets | 1/24/2007 |
Q: We have solid maple cabinet doors that need to be refinished. They are natural and the person who ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I would use tung oil wiped on with a rag. About 3 coats for good ...
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| Painted kitchen cabinets | 1/21/2007 |
Q: My kitchen cabinets were painted a dark green before we moved in. I'm wondering if there is a way ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The only way to remove the existing paint is with paint stripper, hours and ...
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| staining cabinets | 1/21/2007 |
Q: We have just built new oak cabinets and we are planning to stain them a golden pecan color to retain ...
A: Nice to hear from you. OK..do I understand...you want to retain the natural color of the wood but ...
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| eliminate squeaks in kitchen chairs | 1/20/2007 |
Q: Have an old maple breakfast room set and the chair joints are somewhat loose and squeak. Was told ...
A: Sorry about the delay getting back to you but the site was down yesterday. But help is on the way. ...
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| Water Stain | 1/14/2007 |
Q: Help, having just removed the table decoration from my veneered table, I have discovered a water ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Good thing you caught this before the veneer was damaged. First try an oily ...
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| Formica | 1/13/2007 |
Q: I've seen the formica wrapped around the front of countertops, how do you bend the formica? ...
A: Do you mean bending the piece that goes on top of the counter over the front edge? Thats impossible. ...
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| Formica | 1/12/2007 |
Q: what's the best way to cut formica? I'm installing formica on the top of the bar and I will need ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Actually I have not worked a lot with formica, but funny enough last week I ...
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| Mixing stain and top coat | 1/11/2007 |
Q: I anticipate finishing a solid oak dining table and chairs in the near future if I can ever get them ...
A: Nice to hear from you. A few years back, I did the finishes for a man who made oak and pine ...
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| Old Butcher Block Refurb - Help! | 1/11/2007 |
Q: I have recently inherited my Grandfathers Butcher Block (he was a farmer) and had great sentimental ...
A: Sounds like a great project. Did you use household bleach or wood bleach. Try wood bleach if you ...
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| Staining Furniture to Look Old | 1/9/2007 |
Q: Eileen thank you for taking time to answer my questions. The Wood I am using is solid red oak. I ...
A: First a couple of quotes from one of the old books I found last night. "Staining oak. Like other ...
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| Piano | 1/9/2007 |
Q: The desk look great. I am inerested in the china cabnet, but don't know where to start with the ...
A: Glad you liked the pictures. First thig that must be done is all the insides removed from the ...
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| Staining Furniture to Look Old | 1/8/2007 |
Q: Eileen: I have heard that if you stain a piece of furniture and then take some water and soak some ...
A: Nice to hear from you I know years ago this method was used, but as an actual stain..not to make ...
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| Piano | 1/8/2007 |
Q: I have an old upright panio I want to turn into a china cabnet. Can this be done?
A: So nice to hear from you. Your piano can be turned into whatever you choose. I was inspired to make ...
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| Painting oak cabinets | 1/7/2007 |
Q: my wife and I have decided to update our kitchen and I would like to paint our oak cabinets. I was ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It will not be necessary to strip these cabinets before painting. Nor will ...
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| refinish kitchen cabinets | 1/5/2007 |
Q: sorry if this has been addressed, but I could not find what I am looking for. I have 30 yr old oak ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I would come and help you if I could LOL..I have helped friends with this ...
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| Painting furniture | 1/3/2007 |
Q: I inherited several gothic pieces of furniture from my Grandmother. I began refinishing one ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am glad to hear you are thinking ahead with this Amanda. If you paint over ...
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| refinishing oak coffee table | 1/3/2007 |
Q: If it is a laquer finish, it seems like a professional job is needed here. How do I know whether it ...
A: Heres what I know...or think I do LOL Laquer will dissolve in laquer thinner. Laquer thinner is ...
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| refinishing oak coffee table | 1/1/2007 |
Q: What is the best way to repair/refinsih? Thank you- Charlotte
A: Nice to hear from you. Without seeing your table, I think it would have a laquer finish. The finish ...
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| Refinishing dresser | 12/27/2006 |
Q: I am wanting to refinish my daughters dresser. The wood is a oak med. dark oak. I am wanting to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Of course it sounds like you know that the dresser will need to be stripped ...
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| Shellac & gelstain - reaction | 12/21/2006 |
Q: So what do you do if you have an ugly/uneven grain. Paint??I see. I am applying the stain pretty ...
A: Lovina the only solution is a colored spray laquer. Its like a stain and top coat all in one. They ...
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| Shellac & gelstain - reaction | 12/21/2006 |
Q: I see. I am applying the stain pretty thickly as I want to cover the grain. ie not wiping off by ...
A: About the only way to "set" the stain would be with a spray poly. If you wipe anything over a stain ...
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| Shellac & gelstain - reaction | 12/20/2006 |
Q: I am stripping, staining and finishing the fir trim in my 1914 house. I have just added put on the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have had this happen when too much stain has been applied and not properly ...
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| Refinish dresser with laminate | 12/18/2006 |
Q: Can you tell me what to do with a dresser that looks like a wood base, but has a laminate cover over ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes you can fill all the scratches and gouges with filler then sand smooth. ...
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| oak bed | 12/16/2006 |
Q: We have an old solid oak headboard we recently found in the barn. It has been there for many years ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If this headboard is solid oak its certainly worth trying to save. First try ...
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| Paint stripping | 12/16/2006 |
Q: I recently purchased an older home built in 1948. Everything is updated and/or replaced. All of ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh what a job you face but it sounds like you are very keen so you will get ...
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| Table Clamps? | 12/15/2006 |
Q: I have two wooden tables I'd like to clamp together so their edges abut and I'm thinking there must ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I've got my thinking cap on for this one LOL Do you want to make the join ...
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| determining type of wood | 12/14/2006 |
Q: I have just inherited my great grandmother's dining room set (buffet, china cabinet and table) and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Of course I cannot tell you what kind of wood your dining set is made from ...
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| stain is bubbleing | 12/14/2006 |
Q: I have an old oak table that I have sanded the finish off of. When I stained (min-wax stain) the top ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have ran accross this problem on occasion and read somewhere this is called ...
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| warped table top | 12/14/2006 |
Q: Eileen, I just remembered that that forecast for the next several days is 60 degrees or so. Would ...
A: Sorry but 60 will not do it. At least 75 or the hotter the better. I usually but my warped pieces ...
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| "blond" furniture refinishing | 12/13/2006 |
Q: Is there anything that can be done to update "blond" furniture? I have an upright piano that I ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If the wood is nice in the blond piano, it can certainly be stripped, stained ...
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| warped table top | 12/13/2006 |
Q: I have a child's maple table with a painted decoration on the table top. The table top is warped ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Take the top off the table and place it on the grass with the warped side up. ...
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| childs chair repair | 12/12/2006 |
Q: eileen....i have been given a childs`chair to repair. it has a broken dowel that connects the outer ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes the glue joint can be taken apart without breaking the tenon. And with ...
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| refinishing older wooden cabinets | 12/12/2006 |
Q: Our kitchen has dark cherry finished solid wood cabinets. The finish is like a painted on finish ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In this case you must listen to the painter..He's right on target with this ...
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| painting a wood table | 12/11/2006 |
Q: I have just remodeled my kitchen and dining room and have a nice large wooden table that no longer ...
A: Nice to hear from you. OK..sounds like a great idea to do the table black and it makes no difference ...
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| warped veneer | 12/4/2006 |
Q: the wood panel (top half side of one wood panel) is warped. although I can get glue inside it or if ...
A: Now I understand what you are up against. Not just lifted veneer but buckled. And yes be concerned ...
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| warped veneer | 12/3/2006 |
Q: I have an old radio (about 60 years old) that I bought and whose wood was fine. No seperation, etc. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This type of veneer damage is caused from humidity and dry conditions back ...
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| adding color to a piece of furniture | 12/1/2006 |
Q: I put two coats of poly on a non stained poplar coffee table but do not like the blond look. What ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The stain added to the poly will look like heck...in my opinion. And if you ...
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| refreshing oak roll top desk | 11/22/2006 |
Q: I have an old oak roll top desk. I need to clean it up and put a new finish. I think it has an oil ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My wish list has always had an oak roll top desk on it LOL, but I have never ...
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| Re: Teak coffee table | 11/16/2006 |
Q: I would like to refinish ( if necessary ) my teak coffee table. My main concerns are the rings that ...
A: Nice to hear from you If the rings have penetrated the finish into the wood you have no alternative ...
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| Table | 11/16/2006 |
Q: We have a light oak dinning table and the color has changed underneath where we had a table runner. ...
A: Nice to hear from you.Here are my thoughts The only way short of refinishing would be to leave the ...
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| Finishing Maple Kitchen Cabinets | 11/16/2006 |
Q: My questions sort of fall between two experts so I have asked you both (also asked Jamie). My ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I am so happy for you getting a new kitchen and I appreciate the fact that ...
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| refinishing oak table top | 11/13/2006 |
Q: I've stripped and sanded an oak table top. The oak serface has a lot of small pores. 1. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In my opinion (for what its worth), if the table top is old I would never ...
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| veneer covered doors | 10/9/2006 |
Q: Why do people generally put veneer sheets only inside cabinet doors and not outside? What are the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Usually veneer is applied on the outside because its costly. You usually see ...
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| can you stain a butcher block | 10/7/2006 |
Q: I have been working on a very old butcher block that has always been used for food prep. I have used ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I would not use stain on a food grade surface as you would have to use oil ...
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| cigar smoke smell removed from wooden chairs | 9/28/2006 |
Q: I recently purchased 4 Drexel Heritage dining chairs with upholstered seats and oval cane backs. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I find it hard to believe that your chairs still smell of cigar smoke after a ...
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| painting awood bedroom suite | 9/21/2006 |
Q: I have been asked to paint a light wood not raw wood it has a clear finish on it. and they want it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First I would wash the entire set with a TSP solution and use a steel wool ...
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| Piano, old musky smell | 9/21/2006 |
Q: My piano had mold inside of it and I have clean it out, but it still smells stongly of an old, musky ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Usually I recommend a wash with a mild bleach and dish soap solution to get ...
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| Stripping & Refinishing | 9/20/2006 |
Q: To make a long story short- I took a player piano in to be fixed, part of the deal was stripping and ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It should be fairly easy to tell if this piano has been completely stripped ...
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| Refinishing Trim/ Woodwork | 9/5/2006 |
Q: Eileen, My house was built in 1915 and has lots of woodwork. The current finish is a dark brown ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I would remove the trim if possible. The process is no different for ...
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| fix wobbly bed frame | 9/4/2006 |
Q: My daughter has a rather old (but not quite antique) poster bed that she received from her aunt. it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. My guest bed does exactly that LOL..its very annoying. What I did was cut ...
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| Identifying what I have found | 9/4/2006 |
Q: I recently came across a dresser that I am in the process of refinishing. It is quite unique - ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If this is an old set there could be publications about the companys ...
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| Dull and Cracked Cabinets - Follow Up | 9/4/2006 |
Q: I'll use point form so as not to turn this into a novel (I also wasn't quite sure how to post a ...
A: Point form back to you. 1) When using the steal wool and TSP should I scrub to the point that the ...
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| Dull and Cracked Cabinets | 9/3/2006 |
Q: I have seen and read similar questions/posts here, but none which seem to completely answer my ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I'm with you on not stripping these 30 cabinets..my gosh what a job. And I ...
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| Dining room table | 9/2/2006 |
Q: After I strip it down to bare wood, what kind of paint or stain should I use to get the effect I ...
A: Minwax makes a black stain that I have used in the past. If you do not want to go black then Minwax ...
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| stripping wood | 9/1/2006 |
Q: I'm trying to strip wooden window frames. they are old and hove some intricate patterns. I used peel ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Without seeing this brown gooey paste I am going to suggest that this layer ...
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| Dining room table | 9/1/2006 |
Q: I have a great table. I've stripped and stained it once. It's dark oak stain. I would like to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to stain your table a different color Carol you will have to strip ...
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| repair | 8/31/2006 |
Q: My dining room table is not antique but I had set a can od deorderizer on it and it took the finish ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Short of refinishing the entire table top Cindy, the only other thing you ...
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| Painting wood 7 drawer dresser | 8/31/2006 |
Q: I'm looking for some ideas of how to paint my 7 drawer dresser. I purchased the dresser from ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry the chest turned out bad the first time. There are thousands of sites ...
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| clear coating | 8/30/2006 |
Q: Is it easier to clean a wood surface that has been clear coated? And if so, after clear-coating, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Carla there is just no need to clear coat over todays paints. The clear coat ...
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| heat blush | 8/30/2006 |
Q: I PRAY THAT YOU CAN HELP ME. I RECENTLY DAMAGED MY WOODEN DINING ROOM TABLE WITH A HOT CASSEROLE, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh I am so sorry this has happened to your table. The mayo often works if the ...
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| Kitchen Cabinets | 8/29/2006 |
Q: We have prefab wood cabinets (cheap wood) but they do have a finish on them. We painted the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. There is no way to remove the paint and leave the underlying finish ...
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| mahoghany chairs | 8/29/2006 |
Q: I had two 30s mahoghany barrell chairs refinished. The lacquer was gone from the wood at the top. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Oh I am sorry they did this to your chairs but I feel it was a lack of ...
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| Discolouration of Kitchen Cabinets | 8/29/2006 |
Q: Our kitchen is "pickled maple" and about 10 years old. It's still in good condition except that it ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I appreciate where you are coming from with your cupboards. Certainly a shame ...
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| Formal dining room chair glue joint repair | 8/28/2006 |
Q: We have six dining room chairs, two with arms, four without. The rear legs on all the chairs have ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have fixed literally hundreds of chairs in my time, and have ran accross ...
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| Repairing the rails on an old table | 8/28/2006 |
Q: It lacks rails but had a leaf. It had metal plates that the breaks in the table sit in so put all ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This is a simple fix but you need some table slides. Here is a link where ...
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| Exterior Oak Wood Trim Stains | 8/27/2006 |
Q: We have oak wood trim and oak wood mullian's around our front entry door that appear to have small ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sounds to me like the wood needs re staining. I would clean with mineral ...
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| gold leaf table | 8/26/2006 |
Q: I purchased a new endtable about 2.5 years ago with a distressed mirror top edged in 14K gold leaf. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I'm with you on this one. Gold leaf is applied with glue and should be a lot ...
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| refinishing oak/cherry cabinets | 8/18/2006 |
Q: Yes, you did not suggest mixing with mineral spirits. I got that advice from someone else. The ...
A: Yes please try just one door my way. And I was really glad to hear the doors were not laquered. Now ...
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| refinishing oak/cherry cabinets | 8/17/2006 |
Q: I found some of your advice on refinishing kitchen cabinets, but it's not working so well. Mine are ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry, but no where on this or any site have I ever said to mix the first ...
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| Refinishing an old table | 8/17/2006 |
Q: My husband just brought me a new "project" to work on. It's a small table with legs about 2 and a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like you have a diamond in the rough here LOL. The black paint will ...
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| Refinishing cedar trunk | 8/15/2006 |
Q: ------------------------- Followup To Yes I need help with the refinishing process too. Thank ...
A: This should be a fairly easy project for you to attempt. The first thing you must do is assemble the ...
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| TEAK WOOD | 8/13/2006 |
Q: My teak wood had a greenish tone which i read was mold. So I used clorox bleach cleaner,with a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It sounds like you will need to apply a stain on this bleached teak wood. You ...
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| Refinishing cedar trunk | 8/13/2006 |
Q: I too acquired a cedar trunk that needs refinishing and I don't know where to start as this will be ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You can leave the hardware on your trunk if you feel you will damage the wood ...
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| Furniture suit | 8/11/2006 |
Q: Yes, there is lots of grain showing...so, how would someone who has never done this before even know ...
A: Stripping furniture is a time consuming process and you have to know what your doing. So why not ...
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| Polyurethane discolored paint | 8/10/2006 |
Q: I took my old dresser and night stand; and after sanding it, gave it a fresh coat of white milk ...
A: Sorry about this happening, but the pieces will have to be stripped down. There is no other way. And ...
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| refinishing stair case | 8/9/2006 |
Q: Good morning.... I have taken carpet off of a staircase, and am now in the process of wanting to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. It will make absolutely no difference the type of wood you have as far as the ...
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| Help! Wooden Rocking Chair | 8/9/2006 |
Q: I thank you for responding back to me so fast! I feel sorry for me, but I'm willing to learn from ...
A: I could not access the pics. send to ecronk@sympatico.ca Make sure they are no larger than 7 x 5 ...
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| Refinishing antique cupboard burned in fire | 8/8/2006 |
Q: My pine Welsh cupboard, 100 years old, survived a house fire. Upper half--with shelves and scalloped ...
A: Oh I am so sorry this has happened. Certainly a very interesting question. I have never been asked ...
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| Help! Wooden Rocking Chair | 8/8/2006 |
Q: "Hi, let me tell you a little bit about what I'm working on, so you know what I'm talking about! ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What a great question and I will help you with your chair..not because I feel ...
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| Repaint new white furniture piece | 8/8/2006 |
Q: I recently got a rail to attach to my son's convertible crib to convert it to a toddler bed. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What I would do is slightly sand the rail, but certainly not all those ...
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| Re-staining Kitchen Cabinets | 8/7/2006 |
Q: I'm in the process of re-doing my new to me apartment and I want to refinish the kitchen cabinets. ...
A: Nice to hear from you.You are so right not to attempt to sand this laminate. My only suggestion ...
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| sicky drawers | 8/6/2006 |
Q: I have refinished an old dresser, but now as I try to put the drawers back in plcae they dont fit. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I have had this problem many many times. If you think about it, these old ...
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| refinish oak cabinets | 8/6/2006 |
Q: Most of the products are unavailable here, but I will just use what is available and cross my ...
A: Most of the hard work will be the same for painting or stripping with one exception....if you paint ...
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| refinishing pickled oak cabinets | 8/6/2006 |
Q: My cabinets are of a white wash sort of finish with wood grain showing. I was told this is ...
A: I would certainly not go to all the work of stripping your cupboards or sanding before attempting to ...
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| Old coffee table | 8/5/2006 |
Q: I have an old rectangular coffee table that has molding around the edge to give it that "sunken" ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This will be a great project. Just apply the ceramic mastic over the wood. No ...
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| Painting over an old finish | 8/5/2006 |
Q: My name is Allene, but it got nicknamed in the 60's to Al, my namesake and my father, Allen. Many ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes I agree that this can be fixed as you are thinking. Very simple to do ...
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| cracked cedar chest | 8/5/2006 |
Q: I have a cedar chest that the lid and on one side has cracked/separated where two of the boards ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This can certainly can be fixed but it will have to be taken apart and the ...
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| refinishing pickled oak cabinets | 8/5/2006 |
Q: I just moved into a 10 year old house. The kitchen counters need to be replaced and I want the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You should be able to touch up these areas, but without seeing the cupboards ...
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| refinish oak cabinets | 8/5/2006 |
Q: Eileen, yes, unfortunately, i do need "dummy directions" for the stripping process, and please ...
A: Hey that was fast Lisa OK here we go....... The first thing you must do is assemble the material to ...
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| paint | 8/4/2006 |
Q: I have a chest of drawers that I sripped. The bottom 2 drawers have a plastic insert. ( I can send ...
A: Nice to hear from you. They make a solid color stain, but it will end up looking like paint on ...
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| refinish oak cabinets | 8/4/2006 |
Q: We can't afford to replace our 10 year old oak kitchen cabinets, but we would like to stain them a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to stain your cupboards another color, they will have to be entirely ...
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| Teak Diningroom table | 8/4/2006 |
Q: Eileen, I have a teak diningroom table that was made in the Phillipines about 40 years ago, It has ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I'm sorry this has happened to your lovely table. I fear the waterstain may ...
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| furniture refinishing problem | 8/4/2006 |
Q: I have an oak table that had a plant on it that had run over. It was purchased in 1992. It is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Sorry but this cannot be fixed. Under the veneer is fibreboard and the water ...
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| Exterior wood door, refinishing | 8/3/2006 |
Q: I installed an oak exterior door 15 years ago. It has southern exposure and is in direct sunlight. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The door will have to be totally stripped with paint stripper, then bleached ...
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| refinish bathroom formica countertop | 8/3/2006 |
Q: We just purchased a 30 year old home and plan on completely gutting and replacing our bathroom- ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This can be done. I have painted a counter top myself. Simple sand down, and ...
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| Cedar chest refinish | 8/2/2006 |
Q: I have stripped and am refinishing a 100 plus year old cedar chest. I have had to remake the corner ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Its very important that I know the kind of wood you made the new pieces from. ...
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| finishing an old table | 8/2/2006 |
Q: I sanded down a wood table that was given to me, (don't worry it wasn't great quality that I was ...
A: I am in Canada its its often hard to match names, but tung oil here comes in low lustre and high ...
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| Furniture | 8/2/2006 |
Q: I have a teak dressing table. My current bedroom furniture is deep reddish mahogany. I would like ...
A: Nice to hear from you. In order to get the table the same color, it will have to be completely ...
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| finishing an old table | 8/1/2006 |
Q: I sanded down a wood table that was given to me, (don't worry it wasn't great quality that I was ...
A: Nice to hear from you. LOL..this is the first time I have had such a question. As you know now I'm ...
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| Painting fiberboard furniture | 7/30/2006 |
Q: I have an already-finished fiberboard chest that I'd like to paint, but I'm concerned that the paint ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Surface prep is the deciding factor in wether your paint sticks. I would use ...
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| Restoring Henredon mid-century table | 7/30/2006 |
Q: I have a very nice flip-top dining room table. It is walnut, with walnut veneer in stripes. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. When you say a mid century table I am assuming a 1950 table. First a good ...
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| Lacquered Deco cocktail table revisited | 7/29/2006 |
Q: Remember me?-I cleaned off the highly lacquered table with spirits and then gave a coat of English ...
A: Of course I remember you. In my humble opinion, the only way these fine scratches will come out is ...
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| refinishing | 7/26/2006 |
Q: I am refinishing an old dresser that had been stored in a attic for many years. How do I get the ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This "smell" goes hand in hand with old furniture. What I have been doing for ...
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| painting mdf cabnits | 7/26/2006 |
Q: i have some mdf cabnits and doors ide like to paint. what is your suggestion.
A: Nice to hear from you. MDF paints up like a dream. Make sure the doors are dust free, prime then ...
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| refinishing a formica piece | 7/26/2006 |
Q: I have a formica hutch that was my grandmothers and it is ugly, i would like to paint it and not ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This should be a fun easy project. You can paint virtually anything as long ...
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| material stuck to tabletop | 7/25/2006 |
Q: Eileen: Thank you for your responses. I will try it as soon as I can get to a store for the ...
A: Varsol, paint thinner, mineral spirits are all basically the same thing and varsol is not a trade ...
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| type of paint to use for antique furniture | 7/25/2006 |
Q: I am unsure if I should use a milk paint, glaze, or latex paint to repaint distressed wood ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I would use a mix of glaze and latex paint. The glaze will thin ...
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| smoke damaged wood furniture | 7/23/2006 |
Q: Have a bed that was in a house fire but only recieved smoke damage. Want to rid the smoke smell. ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This will require a special chemical (sold under different trade names ) to ...
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| material stuck to tabletop | 7/23/2006 |
Q: The flannel backing from a tablecloth has stuck to a few small spots of my dining room table. The ...
A: Well I just cleaned my table top. I used the superfine steel wool and varsol like I said. The ...
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| Flannel backing stuck to tabletop | 7/23/2006 |
Q: The flannel backing from a tablecloth has stuck to a few small spots of my dining room table. The ...
A: Nice to hear from you. As I am writing this, I have exactly the same problem. I always use a flannel ...
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| warping | 7/23/2006 |
Q: I have an old oak writng desk which has a drop down lid which is warped can you help. Brian
A: Nice to hear from you. Help is on the way LOL This can be easily straightened in most cases. First ...
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| teak refinishing | 7/22/2006 |
Q: I have a 20 year old teak table (veneer) that has been cleaned too many times with pledge or other ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You are right not to sand this desk. The fix is simple. Get a small can of ...
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| Bathroom vanity w/ no backsplash | 7/22/2006 |
Q: Eileen. I'm not sure if you can answer my question or not. I am awaiting the arrival of my new ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You know Robin, with todays paint being so durable, there should be no worry ...
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| wooden footboard repair | 7/18/2006 |
Q: I need to know how to repair a wooden antique bed footboard that is coming apart where the bedpost ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes this can be glued back together as it once was. Take the loose pieces ...
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| Painting Oak Cabinets...sorry! | 7/17/2006 |
Q: Eileen Looking to paint our 25+ yr old cabinets. They a custom, good quality with partial inset ...
A: Nice to hear from you. First prep the easy way. Get a box of TSP powder and a couple of boxes of ...
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| REFINISH OLD HUTCH | 7/16/2006 |
Q: i have an old hutch (maple ) i want to paint black with an dull soft natural look- i do not want a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Personally I would paint a flat black, then apply a coat of wax over that. ...
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| Care of teak Wood | 7/15/2006 |
Q: I was given a outdoor table and chairs of Teak Wood. It is worn gray.. with some green mold.. What ...
A: Nice to hear from you. If this was my set, I would first give the entire set a good scrub with ...
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| Match Formby's heritage cherry stain | 7/15/2006 |
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