Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - dye vs. pigment
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04-22-01, 09:54 PM
How can you tell if wood furniture has a dye or a pigment stain? And is there anything you can do to refinish wood with a dye finish?
George
04-23-01, 03:28 PM
Lee:
There's no way to tell by observation which stain/dye was used - only chemical analysis of the wood itself will reveal that.
If the piece is dyed, bleach may lighten very dark colors some - but not much. Your only real recourse is to try (notice I said try) to sand out the old color. On flat surfaces this isn't too bad, especially if you're not dealing with veneer. On carvings and decorations, however, it can be close to impossible.
There's no way to tell by observation which stain/dye was used - only chemical analysis of the wood itself will reveal that.
If the piece is dyed, bleach may lighten very dark colors some - but not much. Your only real recourse is to try (notice I said try) to sand out the old color. On flat surfaces this isn't too bad, especially if you're not dealing with veneer. On carvings and decorations, however, it can be close to impossible.