Expert: Eileen Cronk - 4/29/2007

Question
I was in the process of refinishing a nightstand, when I found that the front of the door is made of plastic, while the entire rest of the nightstand is made of wood.  It seems to have a waxy coating on it, and when I received it, it was stained the same color and looked just like the real wood.  Is there any way to remove the waxy coating, and after that is done, how do I get the plastic front to look like the rest of the piece?

Answer
Hi Christine
Nice to hear from you.
This fake stuff has fooled me too on occasion.
Being plastic, there is no way to remove the coating without harming the door other than you could try soaking it in warm water...it may or may not remove it.
If you get the coating off this way you could try some stain to see if you can get it the same color.
Better yet get a real wood door made for the nightstand.
Should not be a big expense.
Good luck
Eileen