Odd finish

[Sp@Z]

Hello,

Could someone please help identify this finish? Its from a housee that is 133 years old. The finish is on the trim around the window. I can not for the life of me figure out how to remove it. Im not even sure if the trim is wood. It almost sounds plastic when i knock it.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to woodworking.

Thanks,
Adam

[jteneyck]

Hello,

Could someone please help identify this finish? Its from a housee that is 133 years old. The finish is on the trim around the window. I can not for the life of me figure out how to remove it. Im not even sure if the trim is wood. It almost sounds plastic when i knock it.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to woodworking.

Thanks,
Adam

If it's 133 years old the finish is almost certainly shellac.  Could be varnish, but I'll bet it's not.  The photo on the left looks like some shellac finishes I've seen that had been exposed to lots of sun. I assume the photo on the right is of an undamaged area?  If so, it's either oak, or it's a faux finish made to look like oak.  In any case, chemical stripper will take it off.  I really like KleanStrip Premium.  It's fairly nasty stuff but it works really well and very quickly on shellac and varnish.  

If the wood underneath really is oak you're golden.  You'll have some beautiful wood to refinish.  If it's a faux finish, however, the wood underneath could be anything, but it certainly won't be pretty.  In that case, paint is likely your best course of action.  So test on a small area to find out what you have and to know what you are getting into.  

John

[Sp@Z]

If it's 133 years old the finish is almost certainly shellac.  Could be varnish, but I'll bet it's not.  The photo on the left looks like some shellac finishes I've seen that had been exposed to lots of sun. I assume the photo on the right is of an undamaged area?  If so, it's either oak, or it's a faux finish made to look like oak.  In any case, chemical stripper will take it off.  I really like KleanStrip Premium.  It's fairly nasty stuff but it works really well and very quickly on shellac and varnish.  

If the wood underneath really is oak you're golden.  You'll have some beautiful wood to refinish.  If it's a faux finish, however, the wood underneath could be anything, but it certainly won't be pretty.  In that case, paint is likely your best course of action.  So test on a small area to find out what you have and to know what you are getting into.  

John

Thanks John!

I have a suspicion that it is a faux finish, at least around the windows. The sill seems more solid. But I will give the kleanstrip a shot! Fingers crossed its oak. Is a faux finish something thar was done 133 years ago? Or would that have been done more recently?

[jteneyck]

Thanks John!

I have a suspicion that it is a faux finish, at least around the windows. The sill seems more solid. But I will give the kleanstrip a shot! Fingers crossed its oak. Is a faux finish something thar was done 133 years ago? Or would that have been done more recently?

Faux finishes have been around for hundreds of years.  I was in a church in Germany and admired the marble columns.  I walked up closer and realized they were painted wood.  Since that revelation I've come to realize faux finishing was used extensively to make wood look like stone and cheap wood to look like expensive wood.  

John

[Cooler]

A quick test with a rag and some denatured alcohol should give you some direction.  

Wet the rag and rub it on the finish.  Alcohol should make quick work of the finish.

If it were just a small area you could use the alcohol to smooth over the damage.  But this looks like it will have be removed.  

If the alcohol works, it is almost certainly shellac.

[Sp@Z]

A quick test with a rag and some denatured alcohol should give you some direction.  

Wet the rag and rub it on the finish.  Alcohol should make quick work of the finish.

If it were just a small area you could use the alcohol to smooth over the damage.  But this looks like it will have be removed.  

If the alcohol works, it is almost certainly shellac.

Thanks Cooler!

I will definitely give that a try!

[Sp@Z]

Some additional phots of the finish that is also on the pocket doors! Im thinking its a faux finish, which would be a bummer, but I am extremely excited about these floors!

[tomsteve]

i would be surprised if the doors had a fake finish.

[Snipe Hunter]

Quarter sawn oak faux finish? Kinda doubt it. Nice materials there. Love those doors and window frames.

[Sp@Z]

Quarter sawn oak faux finish? Kinda doubt it. Nice materials there. Love those doors and window frames.

Thanks! We are very excited, to start fixing er up! The house is a fixer upper, and those doors, floors and window frames were one of the biggest reasons we bought the house.