Dining Room Pieces

I recently purchased several old dining room pieces (buffet, table, and china cupboard) and I want to refinish them.

My problem is that they have some veneer finish on them. I want to chemically strip the old stain, but what can I do with the veneer? Should I sand it down and then apply stain - or will I have to have it replaced?

Any advice you could give would be of help.

 

If the veneer is mechanically sound, you don't really have a problem. If it's loose in spots, let me know and we can go into procedures for repair. Stripping and replacing veneer is normally (in my shop, at least) a last resort.

Any good commercial stripper will remove the remaining finish without harming the veneer. If the piece is still too dark for your taste, you'll need a 2-part bleach, available from many home centers and paint stores.

Remember, as thin and fragile as it looks, veneer is nothing more than wood, and may be treated like any other piece of wood furniture. The only exception is sanding - it's very easy, in a burst of enthusiasm, to sand through the veneer - this is a whole other problem and one you don't want to have to deal with.