Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - lightening wood to match antique table

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bkapp
04-15-03, 08:52 AM
I've just had an extra leaf made for an antique English walnut table. The wood that was used is American walnut and it is a little darker than the table. Can I bleach it to make it lighter before refinishing it? If so, is there anything special made for this purpose or do I just use household bleach?

chfite
04-21-03, 06:48 PM
Wood bleach or Oxalic Acid would be the first choice. It works less vigorously and quickly than chlorine bleach. Some say that Oxygen bleach such as Oxy-Clean will work. I have never used oxygen bleach.
Gary52
04-24-03, 02:46 PM
You want to sneak up on the color match so use a very dilute mixture to start and be sure to wash Oxy acid away after it has worked for perhaps 10 minutes. Let the wood dry in between attempts to check for color. Keep your expectations real as getting the two woods to match perfectly will be next to impossible.