Hi there:

This furniture has sentimental value to me. I have a few questions:

What kind of wood is it?

I think the markings around the drawer handle is gold spray paint. How can I safely remove this spray paint without damaging the wood finish?

Can I sand and then stain the tops of these pieces of furniture? If not, how else can I retreat the wood to make it look nicer? Just using furniture polish has not solved the problem. On at least one piece of furniture, it looks like someone used some type of stain to address marks that caused discoloration.

Thank you for your advice.

 

In order to make this thing look like new again, I think a full strip and refinish is in order. Whether you want to go that far is up to you but I think the top definitely needs it and likely you will not get that spray paint off without creating the need for it on the front as well.

 

It's possible a solvent might remove the spray paint and not hurt the finish..... but the only way to know would be by trial and error. I'd start by seeing what liquid deglosser does.

I agree with Mitch that the tops can only be fixed by stripping and refinishing. I'd start with a chemical stripper, then sand. You want to make sure you don't sand thru the veneer!!

 

Would the chemical stripper be used to remove the spray paint? Or is the chemical stripper used for another purpose?

How can you tell the there is a veneer on this furniture?

Can you tell the wood type of the veneer and the wood type of the furniture itself?

What does a liquid deglosser do?

Thanks.

 

It is all veneer. Looks to be a mahogany wood veneer. While you are waiting, pull the drawers out and see if there is a burned brand in the back of one of them. If so, post a picture of the brand.

In the absence of a brand take a shot of the side of a drawer showing the drawer front detail. I may be out of focus, but this looks to be Charles Limbert, circa 1922

 

Most of the drawers did not have a label, but I found one that did have an engraved name inside the drawer. It says- Dixie.

 

The chemical stripper is used to remove all the finish. You apply it, let it work and then scrape off the goo. Repeat if necessary and then finish with sanding. The wood should then be ready for new stain/poly.

Liquid deglosser is a hot thinner. It will soften most paints. Used carefully it might allow you to remove the spray paint while not killing the finish under it. Thinners like MEK and lacquer thinner are even stronger but also have a greater potential for harming the finish under and around the spray paint.

 

As Mitch said, if you want it to look new again, you will need to strip all of the finish off, sand gently, and start staining and finishing from what is essentially, raw wood. That process can be more art than science, and is particularly tricky with veneered pieces (the veneer can start to come loose sometimes).

If, OTOH, you just want it to look like well-loved furniture that has been in use for awhile, you can refinish it. To do that, you de-wax and clean it, thoroughly. Then you use a refinishing formula to dissolve the finish that's on it now, and spread that evenly to become the new finish. The best-known commercial refinishing product is probably Formby's. For very discolored areas like the tops, and particularly the top of the small night table(?), You might want to add a bit of a good stain, such as a Danish oil stain, to the clean refinisher.

I've used Formby's and I've made my own. For small areas like furniture I tend to buy the commercial stuff. Way less messy to deal with.

Almost forgot: you're not retreating the wood; you're retreating the finish.

 

Thanks for the explanation. Maybe I will refinish the furniture like you described. What do I use to de-wax it? I will check out Formby's.

 

You are getting good information on refinishing, I just thought I would throw in some history of the furniture. Purely for entertainment.

From 9luf.com




The Dixie Furniture Company began business in 1901 in Lexington, N.C. In 1904 the Dixie factory burned to the ground but later reopened.

During the 1950′s and 60′s the company expanded to form four separate firms, one of which kept the Dixie name and produced moderately priced bedroom furnishings.

In 1987, the Michigan-based Masco Corporation bought and merged the four companies into Lexington Furniture Industries. Known today as Lexington Home Brands.

 

The engraved name in the furniture looks just like the photo that you included.

 

Odorless mineral spirits.