Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Reddish tinged coffee table.

Hi everyone.

I'm not very handy with wood strippers so I am sanding the finish off a dark-stained cherrywood coffee table.

The wood grain has retained some of the dark stain and the sanded areas have a very reddish tinge to them.

I guess what I need to know is:

1. How do I get the dark stain out of the grain if sanding it will not do it?

2. Can I somehow bleach out the reddish tinge before I stain the light colour I have chosen.

Any help would be appreciated.

binnette

There's very little chance you'll remove the stain by sanding.

Even though you're not 'handy' with strippers, I would suggest one here, namly Kwik Paint and Varnish Remover. It does a good job in removing many stains, especially when you use steel wool to scrub with and assist in the stain removal.

A two-part bleach (look for that description) may also help to some extent.

If the reddish tinge persists beyond what you can live with, come on back and I'll outline some alternative methods for dealing with it.

Thanks George for answering so quickly.

In the morning I will track down the products you mentioned and give it a try.

I'm so glad I found this site.

binnette

Dear George.

The Kwik Stain remover did the trick. I didn't need to use the two-part bleach. I'll save that experience for another time.

I have just finished putting on the first coat of urethane and it is looking great.

I actually left the table the natural colour, it just looked so good.

Thanks for your help.

binnette.