Refinishing a finish

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jbrewer

John
Corporate Member
I'm still working on getting the correct look on the hope chest I built. I used brich plywood and poplar. Per the advice I received here, I also applied the shellac and then the gel stain and everything turned out beautiful except the front (why couldn't it have been the back:crybaby2: ). The front stain is not even and looks fairly splotchy. I tried another gel stain apllication and it appears not to have made a difference.

Question - can I sand the front and start over? or is their a better solution? Any advice would be appreciated. I'm not sure why the front didn't turn out correctly.

Thanks
 

D L Ames

New User
D L Ames
John, sorry to hear about the trouble with your front panel. If you could add a couple of pix to your post it might help us in making a few suggestions on how you could fix it.

D L
 

jbrewer

John
Corporate Member
Thanks - I'll give it a shot. First I have to figure out how the get the picture to the proper size - I tried to post one earlier and it was too large
 

jbrewer

John
Corporate Member
Here are some pictures (hopefully)
 

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DaveO

New User
DaveO
I would be very cautious about trying to sand the finish off of plywood. The top veneer isn't very thick and there is a good chance of sanding through it. Any chance of switching the hinges???? So the front becomes the back.
I am interested in what the more experienced finisher have to say about this, 'cause I haven't a good idea to offer :eusa_thin
Dave:)
 

jbrewer

John
Corporate Member
Thanks - I'll get some new photos. I was able to hand sand the front this morning and was able to remove most of the stain (except what soaked into the grain). I have a very consistent look now and boy is it smooth!

I am ready to reapply the gel stain to darken it up. Do you think I should put another coat of shellac and then stain or should I just use the stain? My goal is to apply a light coat, work it in and let it dry and then come back again if it needs to be darker.

I believe the original problem was user error. It was my first time using gel stain and I started on the front. By the time I worked my way around I got a better hang of how to apply and the other sides turned out better (not perfect, but livable)
 

jmauldin

New User
Jim
John,
I'm not sure where you are at the moment, but a couple of observations. 1. To try to remove the finish use denatured alcohol (a thinner for shellac). Wipe it down good and take off as much as you need to get the color you want. 2. If you apply shellac before applying the gel stain you will limit even more the amount of stain that can penetrate.
The advice not to try to sand it off was right on.
Jim in Mayberry
 

jbrewer

John
Corporate Member
Thanks veryone for your help. I was able to remove most of the yucky looking stain and have applied one thin coat of gel stain and it is very even and is starting to look as it should. I'll apply another coat tomorrow to darken it up and hope to have some finished pictures for you all tomorrow or Friday.
 
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