Refinishing bedroom set - question

[Charles Wilson]

I am going to be refinishing a bedroom set for my son. I appears if the finish is "worn off" in some areas. I took a sharpened scraper to a section and the finish flaked right off into a dust and I can see the unfinished wood underneath.

I have tested for lead and it came back negative.

Question - What kind of finish do you think that it is? I was thinking laquer or something of the sort?

Question - How do I proceed with the refinshing process in terms of removing the rest of the finish?

Pictures available upon request to help me solve the problem.

Thanks,
Chuck

[Phil Phelps]

...what was used. Furniture companies use all kinds of things. To refinish, you will strip the entire piece. If the top coat scrapes easily, it sounds like it's brittle and will come off with paint and varnish remover. Messy job though. Read all precautions and wear rubber gloves. Did I mention it was messy? Are you painting the set or staining it? Painting, strip top coat, wash with denatured alcohol, prime and paint. Staining, ugh. Strip, and sand to bare wood. Lotta' work, good luck.

[Howard Acheson]

Unless the furniture is very old (prior to 1920) or very new (since mid 1980's) the finish is most likely NC lacquer if it was commercially made.

The best way to remove an old finish is to use chemical stripper. On that contains methylene chloride will work the fastest and do the most complete job. Do not attempt to sand or scrape it off if you plan to stain as part of your refinishing. Sanding and scraping does not get the finish off that is deep into the pores of the wood and attempts to stain will lead to uneven coloring.

Strip it and give it a 2-4 coats of a wipe on varnish for a durable finish. I strongly recommend a non-poly varnish as it will give you a much nicer looking end result.