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Wood Finish Restoration


ChandraB

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I am in need of some information or advice on how to proceed with my current project. We recently purchased a 1961 mid-century modern home designed by a local architect. The previous owners applied Minwax Black Penetrating Stain to all the woodwork in the main room. Fortunately, they had not properly prepared the wood surface so I was able to remove the black stain from the wood around the windows and the beams using Citristrip gel.

 

After removing the black I discovered that the wood used to frame the center two columns of windows was different from all the other windows. The architectural plans show they had originally intended on using the same custom window frames found on all the other windows in the house. For whatever reason during the build these six windows were framed using a lesser quality wood that was ripped to fit. Based on old photographs, I conclude that the original finishing technique masked the fact that there were two different types of wood used along this wall of windows. 

 

The wood trim throughout the rest of the house still has the original finish and it has held up quite well over the last 60 years. There is some minor fading around a few windows that receive the most sunlight and a couple areas of minor flaking. When I applied denatured alcohol to the finish using a cotton swab not much happened at first. But with continued rubbing the cotton swab did get some brown on it. Acetone had no affect and neither did lacquer remover.

 

I am attaching pictures of the wood in the main room before stripping and after. I am also including some close ups of the original finish still on the other windows and some of the flaking. My question now is how to finish the wood around the windows so as to mask the two different types of wood around the windows.  It would be nice to mimic the original technique but not necessary. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

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It's hard to tell if the fifth and sixth photos are before or after.  But if after, they appear to be walnut.   The rest of the wood is not, being too light (and probably too expensive to do all the room).    Poplar, a cheaper wood than walnut or cherry. is often colored to mimic them because it has a similar grain structure.   The chipping off of the old finish indicates it was pretty thick.

 

Depending upon the skill, experience, and budget of the finishers (some are just painters) any number of methods could have been done.  A stain (pigment or dye), toner (finish with added color) or glaze (color wiped or brushed on between coats of finish), or a combination of all the above could have been used.   But based on the "peeling finish" photos, it appears that the color is mostly in the finish and not in the wood.   So that leads to the latter two.  And I'm guessing it's probably a toner.   Toners are not difficult to apply but they are best sprayed to avoid brush marks (unless you are looking to add faux grain lines) and must be applied in light coats because you can go from not quite there to too much and an opaque finish in one application.    Toners are often used in factory furniture because they are fast to apply and when lacquer-based, dry quickly.   A couple of shots, half an hour to dry and pack it up in the box.

The only good answer is to run some trials on some wood of the same species that's up there.  If indeed it's another wood that you want to look like walnut, I've found that Gilsonite (asphaltum, tar) is a good colorant that I can usually get close.  You can make your own from roofing tar, but it's available via Deft or Watco Danish Oil in the two walnut colored finishes.   I'd put another finish on top of the Danish Oil, preferably a non-poly varnish.  Some examples of those are Pratt & Lambert #38, Sherwin Williams Fast Dry Varnish, Cabot 8000 series, or about any varnish that does not say urethane or polyurethane.   Urethanes have less UV resistance.   You may need to add more color with a glaze (easiest) or toner.  Van Dyke Brown or Burnt Umber glaze would be my choices for darkening.   If you find a paint store that has sold finishes for a long time, and sells Valspar, they probably also have the formula for the Guardsman Warm Brown that is no longer made.   

 

When it comes to color matching there is no substitute for experience, and experience will be helped with sample boards and color theory -- Jeff Jewitt.

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2 hours ago, kmealy said:

It's hard to tell if the fifth and sixth photos are before or after.  But if after, they appear to be walnut.   The rest of the wood is not, being too light (and probably too expensive to do all the room).    Poplar, a cheaper wood than walnut or cherry. is often colored to mimic them because it has a similar grain structure.   The chipping off of the old finish indicates it was pretty thick.

 

Depending upon the skill, experience, and budget of the finishers (some are just painters) any number of methods could have been done.  A stain (pigment or dye), toner (finish with added color) or glaze (color wiped or brushed on between coats of finish), or a combination of all the above could have been used.   But based on the "peeling finish" photos, it appears that the color is mostly in the finish and not in the wood.   So that leads to the latter two.  And I'm guessing it's probably a toner.   Toners are not difficult to apply but they are best sprayed to avoid brush marks (unless you are looking to add faux grain lines) and must be applied in light coats because you can go from not quite there to too much and an opaque finish in one application.    Toners are often used in factory furniture because they are fast to apply and when lacquer-based, dry quickly.   A couple of shots, half an hour to dry and pack it up in the box.

The only good answer is to run some trials on some wood of the same species that's up there.  If indeed it's another wood that you want to look like walnut, I've found that Gilsonite (asphaltum, tar) is a good colorant that I can usually get close.  You can make your own from roofing tar, but it's available via Deft or Watco Danish Oil in the two walnut colored finishes.   I'd put another finish on top of the Danish Oil, preferably a non-poly varnish.  Some examples of those are Pratt & Lambert #38, Sherwin Williams Fast Dry Varnish, Cabot 8000 series, or about any varnish that does not say urethane or polyurethane.   Urethanes have less UV resistance.   You may need to add more color with a glaze (easiest) or toner.  Van Dyke Brown or Burnt Umber glaze would be my choices for darkening.   If you find a paint store that has sold finishes for a long time, and sells Valspar, they probably also have the formula for the Guardsman Warm Brown that is no longer made.   

 

When it comes to color matching there is no substitute for experience, and experience will be helped with sample boards and color theory -- Jeff Jewitt.

Thank you so much, I appreciate your thorough answer to my post! The information you provided has given me some answers and much needed direction.  The last photos are from windows in another room with the original finish.  I do believe the wood is most likely poplar.  I will look into the products you suggested and start experimenting on some sample pieces.  Fortunately, I live close enough to Houston and should be able to find someone with the experience necessary to help with color matching.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to help!

Chandra

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