Expert: Eileen Cronk - 6/21/2007

Question
The furniture from my original home has been found(circa 1948). Sligh of Chicago (blond in color,square design.)  It now needs refinishing.  The tables look as though they are parquet veneer.  How do you repair or refinish this material.

Answer
Hi Dora
Nice to hear from you.
How wonderful to get this Dora.
And furniture from the 40's is far superior in construction than todays.
As long as the inlays are sound, not loose, refinishing will be no different than solid wood. Just a bit more care taken thats all.
So before doing anything, check the furniture over carefully and repair anything that needs it.
I am enclosing my standard refinishing instructions, but if you have never tackled this type of work before, be prepared for a time consuming job LOL.
And as this furniture means a great deal to you, perhaps get someone a bit knowledgable to help.
The first thing you must do is assemble the material to do the job.
The stripper is the most important item.
The stripper I use is my Home Hardware house brand, but I think that you would not have Home Hardware if you are in the states.
I am hoping you could have CIRCA brand paint and varnish remover there.

MATERIAL LIST For the stripping stage.
1 gallon stripper
6 boxes of Bull Dog steel wool in medium grade.
One 3 inch oil based paint brush.
Rubber gloves (like you do dishes with)
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
That's all you need to get started…not much is it?

HERES WHAT YOU DO...
Remove any hardware
Work in sections.
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.
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
When the stripping is complete, stain with Minwax stain applied with a rag, then 3 coats of low lustre tung oil also applied with a rag.
Please let me know if anything is not 100% clear.
Good Luck
Eileen