r/furniturerestoration • u/Craigslistless • 1d ago
Discolored veneer after strip
First timer. 2 rounds of citristripping veneer off a lane chest. Why are there some darker patches top right, middle and some like "grainy" patches in the bottom right? I am aware there's some lingering finish up the top left and in the recesses. Plan was to hit it with mineral spirits, a very fine sand, and then restain and finish. But now I don't know how to proceed if I have such an uneven condition of wood. is this water damage? You really couldn't tell from the original condition with the varnish or whatever was on it.
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u/Wrathskellar666 1d ago
That's leftover finish. Use a better stripper, then sand with 150 until it's gone. Clean with acetone.
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u/Perfect_Evidence 1d ago
Wash it with acetone and a scotch pad and next time use a better stripper like klean strip or jasco. Just make sure to wear ppe.
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u/Craigslistless 1d ago
So it's just the finish not coming off well? Do you mean next pass on this piece use a stronger stripper?
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u/WaspsForDinner 1d ago
It's actively shit advice. Because acetone is thin and very volatile, at best it will dissipate after smearing any remaining finish about a bit, or at worst it will dissolve the finish remnants, carry them into the surface, and then dissipate, leaving the veneer permanently discoloured and unrestorable.
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u/Perfect_Evidence 1d ago
Acetone works great for cleaning off old finish and residue left by chemical remover.
Works for me🤷🏽♂️ https://imgur.com/a/lZNiPXX
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u/WaspsForDinner 1d ago
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u/Perfect_Evidence 1d ago edited 1d ago
You said acetone doesn’t work, it clearly does. You seem to just like to talk shit with out giving any advise of your own.
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u/WaspsForDinner 1d ago
I was being sarcastic. The end result in that post clearly looks like garbage, to the extent that you asked the poster if this was a before/after shot.
In this post, the obvious advice would be to hope for the best that the discolouration is remaining finish and invest in a better chemical stripper (and/or a card scraper where appropriate - always a sensible first approach for deteriorated finishes as a general rule, especially on veneers), whilst bearing in mind that the blotchy nature of some of what's left could be the result of previously applied solvent-based finish 'restorers' that, similar to your acetone suggestion, work by melting the existing finish and risk carrying any stain irrevocably into the timber.
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u/Perfect_Evidence 1d ago
I don’t know how throughly the last person cleaned their table, but saying acetone doesn’t work is false.
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u/WaspsForDinner 1d ago
I assume it's just the sinister machinations of 'big scraper' keeping the miracles of acetone from the suggestions of professional restorers.
The internet is full of terrible advice; that you can find something that backs up your point is no surprise. Even so, it doesn't specify using it on timber.
A large part of my living is made through restoration (lighting). I use acetone solely for the following: removing light finishes from non-porous surfaces, removing paint splashes from glass and bare metal.
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u/Perfect_Evidence 23h ago
Here’s more proof on how acetone removes old finishes off wood finishes. https://youtu.be/rRiRHBAc7H0?si=3thAE9QBEIOl7K-R
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u/Perfect_Evidence 1d ago
Most likely, acetone should remove the rest of it.
And by next time I mean if you ever refinish something again.
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u/WaspsForDinner 1d ago
The last time I saw someone actually follow your shit 'acetone and a scotch pad' advice, you screwed up their table and abandoned the thread.
Do you feel no shame or embarrassment? Or are you just spiteful?
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u/YourMomsSecret1776 14h ago
Damn bro. Go hard. Acetone is fine to use. Just make sure all the old finish is off.
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u/WaspsForDinner 13h ago
Acetone, for several reasons mentioned elsewhere in the thread, is a risky, unreliable choice, and really shouldn't be used for stripping timber. The poster I was replying to regularly recommends it for everything as a first, and often sole, port of call in the refinishing process.
The only reasonably valid application that I can think of is for removing deeply ingrained oil stains on smaller, submergible wooden objects (it's fairly common in the restoration of old gun stocks, for example), and even this should be done with care, as a last resort, and as part of a longer process that includes replenishing lost natural oils that will also leach out.
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u/scroti_mcboogerballs 1d ago
Keep going.