How to repair lacquer finish on Stickley chair?

[overland]

About twelve years ago, before I had gotten much into woodworking, we bought a Morris chair from the Stickley Co. in upstate New York. It's made out of cherry and has a fairly matte lacquer finish. Now the lacquer is beginning to wear away on the arms, and I don't know what to do. I wish we had asked for an oil finish, which would have been easier to repair, but I didn't know it at the time. I'm thinking I need to remove the finish from the arms and completely re-do them, but how? How can I remove lacquer? Should I replace it with a different finish, such as BLO or shellac? Or would that clash with the lacquer finish on the rest of the chair? Should I try to remove the lacquer from the whole chair, or is that too big a job?
  The Stickley Company unfortunately hasn't been much help with this except to say I can bring the chair to a furniture restoration expert. I have to say it didn't give very good advice on the original finish, either.

[giradman]

About twelve years ago, before I had gotten much into woodworking, we bought a Morris chair from the Stickley Co. in upstate New York. It's made out of cherry and has a fairly matte lacquer finish. Now the lacquer is beginning to wear away on the arms, and I don't know what to do. I wish we had asked for an oil finish, which would have been easier to repair, but I didn't know it at the time. I'm thinking I need to remove the finish from the arms and completely re-do them, but how? How can I remove lacquer? Should I replace it with a different finish, such as BLO or shellac? Or would that clash with the lacquer finish on the rest of the chair? Should I try to remove the lacquer from the whole chair, or is that too big a job?
  The Stickley Company unfortunately hasn't been much help with this except to say I can bring the chair to a furniture restoration expert. I have to say it didn't give very good advice on the original finish, either.

Hi Overland - I'll just get your thread started and hopefully our more experienced finishers/restorers will 'chime in' -


First are you sure that the finish is indeed a lacquer - if not then look at this LINK, and test in a hidden area.  Second, can you post a pic or two to show us the damage area - how to guess whether you need just the arms addressed vs re-doing the whole chair?  Dave

[overland]

Well, when you buy the chair you can choose the finish, and we chose lacquer, though not glossy. (I'm guessing it's a fairly thin coat.) As I say, I think that was a mistake. In any case, I'll try to post a photo or two. The finish has worn where you might expect: on top where the hands rest and along the edge. It's obvious though not terrible.

[overland]

Here's some photos:






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[giradman]

Hi Overland - thanks for the photos - looks like you'll need to redo the front halves of the tops (+ sides) of those armrests - I'd probably refinish the entire tops for consistent appearances - are the armrests removable?  Just would make the process easier - if not you will need to strip the old finish, sand, and then try to match a 'new' finish to the rest of the chairs, and you might want to consider a film finish other that lacquer?  I'll just stop there and hopefully some of our 'professional' finishers and restorers will comment.  Dave

[jteneyck]

The photos are a big help.  I would tape off where the arms meet whatever touches them and cover the rest of the chair with plastic to keep stripper spatter off it.  Then I would strip the arms, at least the top and sides, the bottoms if you are really motivated by I wouldn't if they can't be seen.  I would NOT sand them before or after stripping.  If you do, you will cut through the color change that has happened and the refinished arms will end up much lighter than the rest.  I really like KleanStrip Premium stripper.  Easy to use and very effective.  It will take lacquer off in a few minutes.  After stripping be sure to neutralize with their "After Wash" or mineral spirits or Naptha. 

After stripping I would use a wiping varnish for the new finish.  Varnish is a lot more durable than lacquer, and it's super easy to apply.  Just wipe it on with a lint free rag (if there is such a thing) or a blue shop paper towel.  Scuff sand between coats with 400 grit.  I'd apply at least 3 coats. 

John

[Stwood_]

Scuff sand the complete top and sides of the arms. Go find some brushing lacquer.
Apply one coat, scuff sand again when dry with 320 and apply another coat. 
Watco makes a fine brushing lacquer. You probably need a satin

[overland]

What about a mixture of BLO, varnish, and mineral spirits, which I've applied with a rag to my dining table and other furniture? Wouldn't that be easier to repair in the future? Or would it not go well with the lacquer on other parts of the chair?

[clockman]

I suppose you could also try a rattle can of lacquer to touch it up.

[giradman]

What about a mixture of BLO, varnish, and mineral spirits, which I've applied with a rag to my dining table and other furniture? Wouldn't that be easier to repair in the future? Or would it not go well with the lacquer on other parts of the chair?

Hi again - now, you are obviously getting plenty of responses and many w/ different options, so not an easy decision.  Regarding your choice of using the 'classic thirds' formula above, the problem is matching the color - if you stripped the armrests, then there are many choices but do you want the look to be similar to the rest of the chair?  If so, then that is the 'rub'.

What would I do (and not being that experienced in furniture restoration - so a caveat!)?  I would first strip the lacquer finish off the tops and sides of the armrests; then would do some sanding; next, apply a coat of shellac (a rattle can would be fine w/ me); then pick a clear finish like polyurethane (sheen to match the other portions of the chair) - finally, I'd add some tint colors to small samples of the final finish and apply in small spots, let dry completely, and then see which one is the closest to the rest of the finish - pick one and apply.  Now there is a little effort here but will at least achieve a uniform appearance.  

Finally, if you want some more advice and own an iPad or other tablet, purchase Bob Flexner's book off Amazon - only $10 - he discusses all of these finishing possibilities - this is an opportunity to learn which will likely be helpful in future projects.  Dave

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