This chair was rescued from a potential bonfire. It is likely 100+ years
old and I want to remove the old paint and start over with bare wood.
Any suggestions on how to remove the old paint? Any suggestions for a
finish? It is my belief that chairs of this vintage were painted rather
than finished with natural wood finish. It appears to have been red then
green. I am thinking green or blue as a finish color.

Walter.

"Walter Johnson" wrote in message
...
This chair was rescued from a potential bonfire. It is likely 100+ years
old and I want to remove the old paint and start over with bare wood.
Any suggestions on how to remove the old paint?

Paint remover. No, really, they sell stuff that you just brush on and then
scrape off the paint.





Any suggestions for a
finish? It is my belief that chairs of this vintage were painted rather
than finished with natural wood finish. It appears to have been red then
green. I am thinking green or blue as a finish color.

If it was painted 100 years ago, it may have been some sort of milk paint.
There are plenty of makers of authentic looking paints for the period.

Hi Walter!
I have rescued many old pieces and loved them back to life.
Here's what I would do.

Get some paint stripper
a gallon or two of paint thinner
and a can of lacquer thinner.
Several disposable paint brushes with natural bristles
an old glass bowl to put stripper in
Nitrile gloves
Several good nylon brushes of varying sizes - from a paint or box store,
solvent resistant. From a 1" to a 3"
You'll likely need about 4 of the 1" size
A package of scotch brite cut into 3" squares
some 0000 steel wool
Two rolls of paper towels
JASC makes a great paint thinner but be sure to get some GOOD nitrile gloves
or it will burn your hands.
Safety glasses
The cheap ones they sell at places like Harbor Freight burn right through.
A good drop cloth or layers of newspaper.

Work from top to bottom and brush the stripper on a small area using the
natural bristle brush and let it loosen the paint. Use it generously for the
best result
Lift the goo off as much as you can with a paper towel and dispose of it. Re
apply the stripper again and then dip your nylon brush into paint thinner
and start scrubbing. Not so hard that it damages the wood.
You will likely have to repeat the process several times.
You can dip a scotch brite into the paint thinner to scrub too. The thinner
causes the paint stripper to ball up making it easier to brush off.
Use the nylon brushes to get into the noks and crannies.

Once you get it all scrubbed up, wash it with the lacquer thinner and a bit
of the 0000 steel wool. The steel wool will help to smooth the surface and
the lacquer thinner will help dissolve any remaining residue.

This is of course a VERY slimmed down outline but it's a good start. It's a
beautiful old chair. I would have rescued it too! Please be sure to post
pictures of it as you go along and when you get it all done.

If the joints are loose, disassembling it before stripping it would be
great. It makes it so much easier.

Once you get it all stripped you'll know if you'll be able to stain it or if
you'll have to repaint it. Sometimes the wood is dyed from the paint and you
have no other choice but to repaint it.

Personally, I like the way it looks now. I would fix the seat, smooth the
rough paint and put a good clear coat over it. I'd toss a nice blanket on it
and put it in a corner next to a book shelf and admire it's "aged to
rejection" look. ;¬D

Kate.


"Walter Johnson" wrote in message
...
This chair was rescued from a potential bonfire. It is likely 100+ years
old and I want to remove the old paint and start over with bare wood.
Any suggestions on how to remove the old paint? Any suggestions for a
finish? It is my belief that chairs of this vintage were painted rather
than finished with natural wood finish. It appears to have been red then
green. I am thinking green or blue as a finish color.

Walter.

Corrections:

JASC makes a great paint STRIPPER

Use the nylon brushes to get into the NOOKS and crannies.

Kate.


"Walter Johnson" wrote in message
...
This chair was rescued from a potential bonfire. It is likely 100+ years
old and I want to remove the old paint and start over with bare wood.
Any suggestions on how to remove the old paint? Any suggestions for a
finish? It is my belief that chairs of this vintage were painted rather
than finished with natural wood finish. It appears to have been red then
green. I am thinking green or blue as a finish color.

Walter.

I would take it completely apart and clean each piece. Then repair
any bad places on each piece before reassembling. The seat is
probably several pieces glued together. Those joints may also need to
be redone. Could be a beautiful chair if restored. Would be even
more beautiful to me if it can be finished with a clear poly to show
the wood.
Attached is a picture of an oak barstool I restored. It had several
layers of paint on it that I stripped off.
On Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:49:15 GMT, Walter Johnson
wrote:

This chair was rescued from a potential bonfire. It is likely 100+ years
old and I want to remove the old paint and start over with bare wood.
Any suggestions on how to remove the old paint? Any suggestions for a
finish? It is my belief that chairs of this vintage were painted rather
than finished with natural wood finish. It appears to have been red then
green. I am thinking green or blue as a finish color.

Walter.

Very nice, but why did you mount it on the wall? ;-)

--
"Once upon a time, The END."
To reply, eat the taco.

Thanks to all the suggestions. I am taking my time on this project as it
will be a non-paying one and I have no plans for its future home. We
don't have a need for it but it was such a beautiful piece of history I
couldn't bear to see it destroyed. A neighbor gave it to me so the cost
of restoration will be minimal. I had not thought of the milk paint but
that sounds like a good idea. Seems like Rockler has that paint. As to
leaving it like it was, that was not an option for me although I know
that is a popular option. (Antiques Roadshow!!!)

W.


Walter Johnson wrote:
This chair was rescued from a potential bonfire. It is likely 100+ years
old and I want to remove the old paint and start over with bare wood.
Any suggestions on how to remove the old paint? Any suggestions for a
finish? It is my belief that chairs of this vintage were painted rather
than finished with natural wood finish. It appears to have been red then
green. I am thinking green or blue as a finish color.

Walter.

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