Corsetiere from OHW and WG

[Wackyshack]

glad you made the migration. and love the house....

[Neighmond]

Getting a good start on that wood there! It'll be real pretty!

[phil]

wow the woodwork in that place is to die for. Yes buy your stripper by the pail. I get mine from Mohawk
http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/find-a-distributor.aspx
just like 1886 stuff you can get gel or liquid.

also you have so much to do , maybe think of investing in an air fed mask so you can breathe fresh air rather than filtered contaminated air. It's many hours.

Phil

[Corsetière]

Corsetiere glad you found us. Your new home looks to be a bit of a treasure hidden behind what paint and laminate. I'm sure you'll have it looking grand in now time. If I may be so bold, why did you sell the other home?

I left my partner. Turned out the old house was more stable than the old man!

I really wanted a totally fresh start and I looked at lots of completely move-in ready historic houses but I always found myself grumbling about the finishing choices that were made and none of them captured my imagination the way this one does. I'm really excited about it and feel like I can make a very real and positive impact here.

[Corsetière]

ah yes, now you will be a professional corset maker AND stripper!!
WELCOME to our new place, we're here to help and support you with your old place...
...jade

ps why in the world would someone choose to paint such beautiful wood?

I KNOW, RIGHT!?!? It boggles the mind! It's such yummy woodwork!

I could use some stain and protectant advice. The guy at the paint store recommended this: http://www.myoldmasters.com/products-wiping-stains.htm
And this: http://www.lenmar-coatings.com/product- ... sh-350-voc
Anyone have any experience with them? Do we have an official stain and sealer thread yet? Should I start it?

I wasn't sure what the consensus on polyurethane versus shellac was? Opinions, anyone?

Jade, I think you liked the General Finishes brand? Woodcraft carries it locally here, but they want $67 a gallon.
The local paint shop can get me the Old Masters at $44 a gallon.

[Corsetière]

wow the woodwork in that place is to die for. Yes buy your stripper by the pail. I get mine from Mohawk
http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/find-a-distributor.aspx
just like 1886 stuff you can get gel or liquid.

also you have so much to do , maybe think of investing in an air fed mask so you can breathe fresh air rather than filtered contaminated air. It's many hours.

Phil

Thanks, Phil! I've been using Citristrip (gel), which is pretty pleasant to work with but not cheap. It actually smells nice, like you just cleaned your woodwork. A local paint store is going to order it for me in the half gallons at 20% discount.

Which Mohawk product is the stripper? Your link just went to the find a distributor page. How did you like it and may I ask how much you paid per gallon?

[Al F. Furnituremaker]

As far as stripper is concerned, I use strong chemical strippers. Mainly because I don't have time to wait for the weaker ones to work and/or do it 3-4 times.

Now for finish, in your case, I would use shellac. Poly is very difficult to repair, shellac is very easy to repair. The majority of molding will not see heavy abuse, so I don't think that poly products are needed. Shellac comes in many shades, not just what the junk-in-the-box stores carry. Buy it in flakes and mix with denatured alcohol. Shellac also is period correct, poly is not.

I have a 1930s bungalow, with shellac through out, even on the floors, never been touched. The trim is alligatored, and the floors are worn, but in general the shellac is still there. Right now I have a complete room's worth of trim at my shop and refinishing it all with shellac (garnet tone). Normally I would have cleaned and realmalgamated the original shellac with denatured alcohol and then put a fresh coat on, but there were too many nail and screw holes, and chips to repair, so a complete strip and sand was the best approach for me.

[Don M]

Normally I would have cleaned and realmalgamated the original shellac with denatured alcohol and then put a fresh coat on.

How do you "clean and realmalgamate" the old shellac?

[Al F. Furnituremaker]

What I do is clean first with TSP and lightly sand and wipe down with denatured alcohol. This is to get the surface dirt off. Then using denatured alcohol on a soaked rag (pad), wipe and rub, turning it back to a thick liquid and blend it all back together. Followed by a light sanding after dry, wipe down, and a new fresh coat. Practice first to get your technique down.

[heartwood]

cort, I agree with al's suggestion of shellac...it will adhere to almost any finish and any finish will adhere to it...check this out: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac

I have used 'general finishes' gel stain and finished it with their clear coat product...i'm not an expert at clear finishes and haven't experimented with shellac flakes and pigments...

good luck!
...jade
ps...I would say sorry about separating from your partner but it sounds like it was a good choice for you...