Im refinishing/refurbishing an old dresser that has been in the family for as long as I can remember. My son has been using it for the last 6 years and it got pretty beat up... and well chewed on. My son has PICA, which basically means that he eats things he shouldn't, such as the walls, and well the dresser.
I have never stained anything in my life, so Im pretty nervous as what to do about this project. what grit sand paper should I use between coats of stain/poly?
What kind of poly will hold up to someone licking them and not hurt him?
There's also the bit about the chew marks... any ideas on how to make them not look so bad? I have already sanded it with 100 grit to get out a lot of the scratches that was in it and am planning to still sand it with 120, 150 and 220 grit sand paper.
Dresser before -
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/223263_10150186653387141…
note the chew/bite marks on the bottom corners of the dresser as well as the chipping on bottom drawer
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/229286_10150186653512141…
Dresser after varnish is stripped and (hand) sanded with 100 grit sand paper -
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/226402_10150198650587141…
claydowling
Tue, 05/24/2011 - 07:29
Cleaning the dresser up
You might want to investigate the use of a smoothing plane or scraper to take out those marks on the bottom drawer if the drawer front is solid wood. If it's a veneer, there isn't much you can do.
As for finish, try coating everything with a sanding sealer first, to make sure there's no residual stripper left behind to mess with your stain.
The stain I would apply separately from the sealing coat. Get it to the color you want with the stain alone.
For the sealing coat, either a solvent or water based polyurethane should be good. With either one, give the dresser 4 weeks to cure fully, since you know your son is going to chew on it and kick it. Until the finish has fully cured, it's pretty easy to scratch up.
As to which polyurethane is better I can't really say. In either case, use a brushing urethane, possibly cut with an appropriate thinner to a product like floe-trol to help get a smoother finish, and use multiple coats. Of the two the water-based urethanes have seemed like they hold up better for me. They use a different resin, acrylic, to seal the wood, and it seems to be a little harder than the resin in the solvent based polyurethane. At least, my cats have put fewer scratches on my furniture with the water based urethane over the years. We'll see what the grand-daughter does.
aria_dia
Wed, 05/25/2011 - 03:30
Thanks for the advice. Its
Thanks for the advice.
Its a veneer, I was surprised to find that out as when it was dingy it looked like it was solid! lol
What does a sanding sealer do and can it be easily found at orange or blue?
claydowling
Wed, 05/25/2011 - 06:13
Sealing sander
Sealing sander is a clear, dewaxed shellac, and anybody who sells any painting or finishing supplies sells it. I think I purchased mine at Orange, but it's absolutely universal.
Shellacs seal in whatever is under them, such as stripper residue or resin from wood. Finishes applied over shellac adhere uniformly and grip the shellac securely.
It cleans out with denatured alcohol, followed by a rinse with household ammonia. Don't make the mistake of using soap and water, or you'll destroy the brush. Use a brush made for oil paints. It plays heck with nylon bristles.
Shellac also makes a nice finish on its own, for certain purposes. It's soluble in alcohol, so it's a bad finish for a bar, but a few layers of shellac with a coat of wax is an amazing finish for furniture.