Refinishing woodwork

There's a little-known fact about the beauty of stripped woodwork, and I discovered it the hard way in the spring of 1990. I'd just built and hung an insulated exterior red pine door, but instead of testing the new finish on scrap wood (as I always tell other people to do), I went right to the finely-sanded, bright new door with brush in hand. The first coat looked great. The second coat wasn't so hot. The third, ridiculous. All that work and the new door looked like a toddler's first attempt at faux wood grain finishing.

After a day of trying to convince myself that the door really looked okay, I admitted defeat, slathered on the stripper and began gently scraping off the mess. But as the sheets of soft, new finish fell to the floor, the door looked fantastic. Wherever the embarrassing goop used to be, I found rich, warm, old-looking wood underneath.

I know now that refinished wood looks so good because of the burnishing and polishing that happens in the fight to remove old coatings. And understanding that fact can help you coax the most beauty from old trim, floors, mouldings and furniture. The main thing is to always use the gentlest methods needed to get the job done.

Believe it or not, chemical strippers have become the safest of stripping options because of low-toxicity formulations that soften old coatings while keeping potentially harmful lead-based paint dust out of the air. Two safer, citrus-based alternatives that I've used are Citristrip and Organic Strip. Though both work more slowly than traditional methylene chloride strippers, they continue working longer, without drying out. They also smell great.

With the old finish softened, it's time to remove the goop. And for this you need a gentle scraping action using tools more sophisticated than a dull putty knife. Cabinetmakers have traditionally used the widest range of scrapers of all professional woodworkers, and it's in their toolboxes you'll find the best scrapers for stripping curved surfaces like mouldings and fancy architectural woodwork. All specialty cabinetmaking suppliers carry a wide selection. For stripping large, flat areas, pay the extra money for a carbide tipped, two-handled paint scraper. The reversible carbide blade stays sharp almost forever, and can be replaced inexpensively when the time comes.

After you've removed all the old finish you can with chemicals and gentle scraping, it's time for fine steel wool. Use #000 or #0000 grades. This is especially useful here because it conforms to curved shapes willingly, almost eliminating the danger of rubbing through high spots. And one pad goes a long way because you can turn it over and fluff it up, exposing a fresh surface for more work. Surprisingly, steel wool this fine actually poses a fire hazard in the workshop. Take a little bit outside and put a match to it. You'll see that it burns with glowing hot embers that race around the pad like a dynamite fuse on a road runner cartoon. Always keep steel wool stored in airtight metal cans.

Choosing a successful finishing procedure is a lot like choosing the right methods of stripping. Use the least intrusive products needed to create the required level of protection. In the case of interior trim or primitive antiques, that might mean a penetrating oil only. If more protection is called for, consider applying cabinet wax after allowing the oil to cure for two weeks. If your stripped wood is in a high traffic area, or gets spattered with water from time to time, consider two or three coats of satin or flat urethane.