Is this stand ruined ?

[AquariGod]

Hey everyone. I'm pretty upset, my stand appears to be ruined. My dad stained it with some polyurethane stuff, and he decided to stop halfway through, then apply another layer on top of it without sanding it before. Now it's bubbled up and some of it has peeled off. He's tried sanding it, but the stuff will NOT come off.. and he won't answer me the slightest bit when I ask him if it's ruined, or what we can do about it. What do you guys think ?

 

[Eric B]

Can you power sand it all the way back to bare wood and start over? Other then that I don't know what to tell you. Good luck with it!

 

[AquariGod]

Thank you. We used an electronic sander and it barely left a dent in the paint.

 

[Finnaddict]

At this point your going to have to strip it down completely and start over or just give it a good sanding and paint it. If you want to stain it again try a belt sander with some 100 or 80 and that should get you back to bare wood.

 

[AquariGod]

Thank you for the advice. I want to do everything I can to fix it, we paid 175 for it. Plus 50 for the stain.

 

[coralcouple]

Get some zip-strip it will remove the polyurethane. Then sand and start over.

 

[AquariGod]

Thank you, I'll try that

 

[fixedwing]

Here are a few options from the easiest to hardest:

Option 1: (Only if you don't mind a dark stand)

- Purchase General Finishes Gel Stain in the JAVA color. If you have a Woodcraft nearby they sell it or you can get it online. (Pic Below)
- Lightly sand the entire stand with 220 sandpaper to scuff the surface.
- Apply one to two coats of the Java stain per manufacturing instructions.
- LIGHTLY sand the entire stand with 220 or higher and apply a top coat of poly. I'd suggest using General Finishes GEL TOP COAT. (Pic Below)

NOTE: APPLY BOTH THE GEL STAIN AND TOP COAT USING AN OLD T-SHIRT. IT'S VERY EASY.

Buy General Finishes, Java Gel Stain, Pint at Woodcraft.com

Buy General Finishes, Clear Satin Topcoat Gel, Quart at Woodcraft.com

Option 2: (If you would like a lighter colored stand)

- Purchase a medium - dark colored GEL stain. Any manufacture will be fine.
- You'll have to sand the entire stand using 80grit sandpaper removing most of the current finish. Once the old finish is removed sand up to 150 grit to remove sanding lines.
- Follow steps 3 and 4 above.

Option 3:

- Follow what is suggested from others and use a stripper and start completely over.

All options are fine, but the first one will be pretty easy and should only take a few hours. GEL stains do not penetrate the wood and they sit on top just like a clear coat. This will give you a consistent look throughout as long as your gel stain is darker that what is underneath.

I've been in your exact shoes and I've saved the projects using the first option. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions.

Todd

 

[erk]

I'd say take some 80 grit on a belt sander and that will remove most of the old finish, then use some thinner and wipe it down to remove anything that is left. Is this plywood or solid wood? If plywood, I'd paint it because unless it's expensive veneered plywood, no one wants to see it. If its solid wood, a good danish oil finish will make it look awesome unless it's an open pore type wood. If its open pore, you can apply dewaxed shellac to seal the pores then apply poly over that. Always wipe on with a rag or something, let sit, then wipe the excess off.