Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - removing wood stain
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01-19-01, 01:37 PM
I bought a medium walnut china closet
also a maple table and four chairs, I would like to remove the old stain and all pieces and refinish all piece in maple
suggestions - also where may I buy oxalic acid
thank you
also a maple table and four chairs, I would like to remove the old stain and all pieces and refinish all piece in maple
suggestions - also where may I buy oxalic acid
thank you
George
01-19-01, 04:57 PM
Last question first - you can buy oxalic acid at many hardware stores and most paint stores - but that's not the product you need for this project.
What is needed is a 2-part bleach. Oxalic acid will remove watermarks, etc, but it doesn't lighten the wood much, if any. 2-part bleaches are designed to lighten the wood and remove applied stain - that's what you'll need here for the walnut in order to get it light enough to go with the maple.
Be advised that the same stain applied to maple and walnut will NOT yield the same color. Maple is a very close grained wood and does not readily accept a standard oil based pigmented stain. Walnut will. To get the same shade on both pieces you're going to have to go lighter on the walnut than you would the maple - I would suggest thinning the stain for the walnut by 50% with paint thinner.
Work on getting the color right on the maple first - then do the walnut. You'll be able to see how far you need to go to get where you want to be.
If the maple proves difficult to get dark enough (whatever the color) try a gel-type stain. It goes on heavier and is less prone to leave streaks. If you use it, however, let the piece dry 48 hours before attempting any further work.
What is needed is a 2-part bleach. Oxalic acid will remove watermarks, etc, but it doesn't lighten the wood much, if any. 2-part bleaches are designed to lighten the wood and remove applied stain - that's what you'll need here for the walnut in order to get it light enough to go with the maple.
Be advised that the same stain applied to maple and walnut will NOT yield the same color. Maple is a very close grained wood and does not readily accept a standard oil based pigmented stain. Walnut will. To get the same shade on both pieces you're going to have to go lighter on the walnut than you would the maple - I would suggest thinning the stain for the walnut by 50% with paint thinner.
Work on getting the color right on the maple first - then do the walnut. You'll be able to see how far you need to go to get where you want to be.
If the maple proves difficult to get dark enough (whatever the color) try a gel-type stain. It goes on heavier and is less prone to leave streaks. If you use it, however, let the piece dry 48 hours before attempting any further work.