Expert: Eileen Cronk - 1/24/2010

Question
Hello Eileen, I am planning on refinishing an old mahogany desk. How old? I wish I knew. But I am concerned about not damaging the piece. Could you advise me on what to do and what not to do? And if possible what would help me expedite the process so I'm not working on this for years.

Answer
Hi Ray
Nice to hear from you.
Most of the damage I see when folks attempt to do it themselves comes not from the finish they apply (it can be removed), but from aggressive sanding.
A lot of folks expect the stripped wood should look like new after the finish is removed and proceed to sand the heck out of a wonderful old piece. That damage is irreversible.
Sanding removes all the woods wonderful patina and it cannot be replaced.
Ray this job will not take you years.
Mahogany is the best furniture wood going in my opinion.
It strips and refinishes beautifully.
You need the right stripper and materials.
Here is the process.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STRIPPING RAYS DESK
The first thing you must do is assemble the material to do the job.
The stripper is the most important item.  
I am hoping you can get "CIRCA 1850" brand paint and varnish remover in your area.
Here is a link
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=1694&familyN...
Ray if you cannot get this brand, ask at the hardware for an Methylene chloride stripper.
They come in different brand names. Home Hardware has a good house brand.


MATERIAL LIST For the stripping stage.
1 gallon stripper
3 boxes of Bull Dog steel wool in medium grade.
One 3 inch oil based paint brush.
Rubber gloves (like you do dishes with), and a pair of cotton gloves inside the rubber ones.
People react differently to stripper. A lot of people feel heat through the rubber gloves, but I feel cold. Have no idea why.
You could invest in a 75 dollar pair of chemical gloves but there is no way you could work with the darn things.
An empty large coffee can. (for the stripper)
A couple of old tooth brushes.
Lots of old rags (I like t-shirts or cotton but for this first stage whatever you have)
Lots of newspaper to protect the garage floor
LOTS OF VENTILATION..A MUST
That's all you need to get started.
HERES WHAT YOU DO...
Remove all hardware.
Work in sections. Start with the drawers. Then do one side at a time. The top last.  
Brush on the stripper with the brush. Stripper will quit working if it dries, so keep it wet till the finish softens.
Then take a rag and wipe this mess off.
Then another coat of stripper, rag off again, then while the wood is still wet, take the steel wool and rub with the grain till the wood is nice and clean.
Depending on the material (Ray you did not say if its paint or original finish), so the amount of coats of stripper will depend on that. So another coat of stripper is often needed but you will know this as you progress into the job.
Use the toothbrush in crevices.
Thats all there is to it ...move to another section and continue.
No other prep is necessary...and DO NOT SAND
Circa remover requires no after wash. Leave the stripped piece overnight then apply your stain.
Leave that overnight and apply your finish.
When the stripping is complete, stain with Minwax oil stain applied with a rag, then 3 or 4 coats of low lustre tung oil also applied with a rag.
Ray tung oil is a fool proof finish for us do it yourselfers.
Please let me know if anything is not 100% clear or if you run into problems.
Regards
Eileen