Re-finish a piano?

[Tom Andersen]

Hi Guys,

My daughter has a piano which plays fine, but at some time in its history someone has painted it black and did not do a good job. It looks like old bike paint. Do you think that it would possible to remove the finish and replace it with a new, high-gloss black finish? Any hints on type of finish?

Thanks
Tom

[Vaughn McMillan]

Tom, black lacquer would be be my guess for the finish. It would take some work to rub it out into a high-gloss finish, but I think the results would be worth it.

Removing the old finish should be possible, but it might take some work, depending on what was used and the ornamental details on the piano. You might find real pretty wood hiding underneath that paint, though.

I'm sure some of the more experienced finishing guys will be able to chime in and tell you where I'm wrong in these assumptions. ;)

- Vaughn

[Bob Johnson2]

Try this, might take you in the right direction.

http://www.stevespianoservice.com/52-finis.htm