AboutGreg Scholl Expertise Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects,Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings of all kinds.
Experience Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Sold, built, serviced, setup Home,Industrial and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools, and offered instruction on use and care as well.I even have some Trade show Demo experience.
Organizations none at this time.
Publications Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how"), local newspapers as well
Education/Credentials Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field.Seminars by Major tool manufacturers, Delta, Powermatic, Performax, Porter Cable, Skil/Bosch to name a few.
Past/Present Clients Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT.(the Antiques capital of CT.) Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.), local Museums and Historical Societies.
Question Hi, I recently picked up a table and chairs in very nice condition but we want to re-Stain them the color of the China closet (Rock Maple).
Im not sure what type of wood it is on the table but it has a wonderful joined wood look to it. If we were to re color it to see this I would need to completely sand off the polyurethane coating correct ? The Windsor chairs would be alot of work as well to stain them nicely.
Any advise would be appreciated along with type, method of stain to use. And any idea of where to purchase it.
Thanks
Jay
Answer Hi Jay, you don't want to sand off a finish, you'll want to strip it., It could be poly, lacquer, or even an acrylic urethane over the stain, as furniture is usually finished with a multi part finishing schedule. It's important to get down to clean, bare wood in order to be able to do any staining and refinishing. Also, the same stain will look very different on different woods, and I bet you'll have several in this project. Windsor chairs can have 2-4 different woods in the same chair. For these reasons, I can't possibly tell you what stains or types of stains to use. Staining to match and color manipulation is an art, and takes a fair bit of experience to master, as well as knowledge and materials to color shift stains and to work with the accompanying finishing materials, and that's not something that's easy to teach. Stripping and refinishing Windsor chairs and a dining table is definitely a lot of work, and properly stripping the old finish and prepping the wood is 85% of the job. Sorry if I'm discouraging you, but this is a big job to do well, and if you've never tackled something of this magnitude, I'd definitely suggest starting with a smaller project to learn the basics of the required skills. Hope that helps a little- post back if need be- regards- Greg
