It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 12:27

making dark Ercol Furniture lighter

This forum is for any general questions, queries or plain old chinwaggery on Woody stuff in general.

making dark Ercol Furniture lighter

Postby oaktree11 » 06 Nov 2016, 21:51

Hi all,

I know that this might be a contentious subject and i have read a good deal of quite confusing (for me anyway!) and often contradictory, stuff online about it.

OK so we have several items of Ercol furniture which is lovely stuff and has been around for ages. Most of it was my mother's. It is very dark - not fashionable and we dont like it so it would be great if it could be stripped and refinished lighter. Not totally blonde would be fine just a lot lighter. Apparently something about Ercol makes it difficult.

Has anyone any experience of actually doing this? If so the help would be appreciated.

John
oaktree11
Seedling
 
Posts: 26
Joined: 04 Nov 2016, 11:47
Location: Cheddar, Somerset
Name: John

Re: making dark Ercol Furniture lighter

Postby Malc2098 » 06 Nov 2016, 22:07

Hi John,

I had an Old Colonial suite many years ago and I don't know what the elm was finished with but it was thick and lovely. I've had goes at trying to remove varnishes from furniture with varying degrees of failure in the past, so I didn't try it and left it the golden brown finish.

From my auto/moto days, I sometimes wondered if 'gentle' sandblasting would work.

Just a thought.
Malcolm
User avatar
Malc2098
Sequoia
 
Posts: 7207
Joined: 03 Jul 2016, 11:10
Location: Tiverton
Name: Malcolm

Re: making dark Ercol Furniture lighter

Postby RogerS » 06 Nov 2016, 22:16

Well, before the good old EU stepped in, I would have said Nitromors. You can get the replacement (paramose) but maybe need to be a bit 'clever' in getting it. Use it with wire wool...no. 4 is a good grade.

http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm ... php?id=382

A quick Google came up with this interesting forum that I'd not come across before

http://www.refinishwizard.com/phpbb/vie ... php?t=3661
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13286
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: making dark Ercol Furniture lighter

Postby Andyp » 07 Nov 2016, 07:26

We had some chairs "dipped and stripped" many years ago. They were old oak chairs and came back very clean, however the dripping had the affect of drying the wood and seemed to leave the pores very open so beware.
I do not think therefore I do not am.

cheers
Andy
User avatar
Andyp
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 11716
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 07:05
Location: 14860 Normandy, France
Name: Andy

Re: making dark Ercol Furniture lighter

Postby RogerS » 07 Nov 2016, 07:53

Andyp wrote:We had some chairs "dipped and stripped" many years ago. They were old oak chairs and came back very clean, however the dripping had the affect of drying the wood and seemed to leave the pores very open so beware.


That was probably a bath of sodium hydroxide and unless it's neutralised properly then the end result (and ongoing prognosis) is dire. Knocks the stuffing out of the glue joints more often than not.
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13286
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: making dark Ercol Furniture lighter

Postby Tusses » 07 Nov 2016, 15:15

Off white paint, and scuff the edges ! .. seems to be popular ! :lol:

I have half a tin of proper nitro .. in my "saved for best" cupboard ! lol
Tusses
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1300
Joined: 08 May 2016, 10:48
Location: in the middle of the middle
Name:

Re: making dark Ercol Furniture lighter

Postby Newbie_Neil » 07 Nov 2016, 17:31

Tusses wrote:I have half a tin of proper nitro .. in my "saved for best" cupboard ! lol


:text-+1:

I have seen an Ercol coffee table stripped with Nitromors and it did an excellent job.

Neil
User avatar
Newbie_Neil
New Shoots
 
Posts: 182
Joined: 27 Jul 2014, 20:02
Location: Nottingham, England
Name: Neil


Return to General Woodworking

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests