I have a 60 year old Willet cherry wood dresser. I can sand most of it down to the bare wood. Before I apply a gel stain, do I need to prep the wood any? Also after 60 years, will this wood age and get darker like most cherry wood does?


Thanks


Jim

If I were you, I would still use a finish remover to remove the old finish. Then, I would use lacquer thinner as a wipe to get any residual remover and finish out of it. You may need to repeat the steps concerning the lacquer thinner as a wipe.

Do the sanding after you have removed the existing finish. I would try to retain any of the wood that is there. Sanding is removing the wood.

I am not sure about the wood getting darker with age. But, I do know, that if it is exposed to the sun, that the color should get lighter and not darker.

You do not need to prep the wood if all of the old finish has been removed.

But, it does depend on if you want a "open coat" finish or a "closed coat" finish in the end.

An open coat finish means that you do not have to fill the pores of the wood and the finish that you apply will have some grain feeling to the touch of it. A closed coat finish means that you will not have any grain feel to the touch and the finish will be like that of glass - perfectly smooth.

If you want a closed coat finish, then you will need to apply a sanding sealer and very lightly sand the sealer after it is applied.

That is my opinion, anyway. It is based upon over 30 years experience of refinishing pianos as well as furniture.

Clough,

I just returned from the Wood Working Store. I got the finish remover and thinner. What a combination. Leaves the surface a mild bright red that will sand easily. I must ask one final question though. The GEL stain the man picked when applied to a small sanded area is still lacking in that deep rich red cherry look. I saw on the WEB an image of a " Mahogany Red " on cherry wood. I could see the red color in the image.

The GEL he picked was GEORGIA CHERRY and that red is just not there. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated


JIM

Depending on the type and cut of the wood, sometimes you have to test on small areas, different colors of gel stains, or any type of stain for that matter, to get the shade that you want. With whatever color, if you are wanting a darker shade, then you let the stain sit on the wood longer to give it more time to penetrate the wood.

Just some sanding tips for you. Be sure to sand in the direction of the grain. Also, sand large surfaces evenly using the same pressure throughout the entire surface. Remember, the more wood that you take off by sanding, the less of a grain there will be for a stain to penetrate, if you are wanting a darker color.

I forgot to mention in my first post to you, that I like to also use a #0 steel wool to work the lacquer thinner around to get that residual residue out of the finish. Another thing that I forgot to mention, is that I like to use paper towels folded in quarters to wipe away the lacquer thinner after working it with steel wool. Then I use even more lacquer thinner either poured onto the wood surface or onto the paper towel to give that final clean wipe.

Please be sure to follow all safety precautions on the labels of your finishing products - adequate ventilation, masks, gloves, goggles, etc. Also, please read the information on the label concerning the application of the product. Even though I have been doing this type of thing for a long time, I still need to read the labels to remind myself of things and also because each product will usually have different requirements for it's usage.

For more information, I would suggest checking out the excellent information on the following site.

I wish you much success in your project!

Gel Stain Finish Application

Clough, I had to come back and tell you again, how much time you saved me and at the same time, I am not having to sand near as much. One thing I learned is the WILLET line of Cherry wood products were all done in a wax stain. That may explain the deep deep rich color that was on the dresser. I have finished the drawers and when I applied the top coat, then I could see the cherry red I was looking for. They are stunning, but do lack that deep rich color. Hope that makes sense and thanks again.


Jim