Re finishing furniture

JC_DCFC

JC_DCFC

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Won a great bit of modern furniture at auction that had some woodworm (its Mango wood) stripped it back which has some colour to it and treated (its all been treated). however im now stuck.
How do i get the wood on top back to the original colour?
I used liberon fine wood stripper to take it back and then treated. The sides are dark and the top matched i believe. when i asked the manufacturers they said it just clear varnished on the top, which is not correct there is some sort of colour that sat in the 'vanish'? but not stained into the wood i dont think.

If i get stain, that soaks into the wood doesnt it? or do i use a coloured varnish? or even a wax then a clear varnish

obviously new at this stuff!
 
I had to go onto a specialist website to look into mango wood - apparently, it's classed as a hardwood, but in reality it's an evergreen. It's supposedly a renewable resource.

In terms of colour it is described as "...most often golden brown, although there are also variations that have a more yellow tint, or feature black or pink streaks across the surface.". The timber is subject to spalting (fungal attack) which can result in streaks of darker or lighter colour. "When unstained and finished only in clear wax, this wood is generally slightly darker than oak with a more pronounced grain pattern, similar to oak and mahogany. Mango wood also takes wood stain really well, which can produce a rich deep brown colour."

You can often get a good idea of the colour of clear lacquered timber when finished by simply wetting a small area with a damp cloth. You won't see the gloss level, but you get a good idea of the finished colour. If you need a more golden colour I'd suggest staining the timber to the desired colour using a water-based stain. For a more yellow hue try golden oak or antique pine stain. By using a weakened stain the tint can be built-up over several applications, unlike spirit-based stains which can be a bit of a gamble and are very difficult to control. Between applications the timber will need to be denibbed with something like 320 or 400 grit paper (water raises the grain), as well as after the final staining. Finally a clear lacquer can be used to seal the timber. Beware blotchiness in the staining - this generally indicates that your original stripping wasn't up to scratch.

Furniture manufacturers often specify a clear lacquer with a particular tint added (or rather several, which the spray finisher selects to match a colour card). This isn't really an option for a home finisher, hence my suggestion of staining the timber then clear finishing
 
opps said:
@JobAndKnock might be able to advise you. I have never worked with mango wood.
Click to expand...
I haven't, either, but according to my source it is something like rubber wood in terms of grain, but is supposed to be better at absorbing stains
 
JobAndKnock said:
Furniture manufacturers often specify a clear lacquer with a particular tint (or rather several, which the spray finisher selects to match a colour card). This isn't really an option for a home finisher, hence my suggestion of staining the timber then clear finishing
Click to expand...

A while back, a customer with a stupidly expensive (and old) German kitchen asked me to sand out burn marks in the hardwood (ply) worktop. I used a 2K worktop (clear) lacquer. He also wanted me to sand a large draw front. I had to stain that to match the other draws before spraying it.

7 years later, the built in 5 burner hob failed, he got the same manufacturer to fit a completely stainless steel top with the sink and hob built in. From memory, the worktop cost about £18k (approximately 3.5m long).
 
opps said:
7 years later, the built in 5 burner hob failed, he got the same manufacturer to fit a completely stainless steel top with the sink and hob built in. From memory, the worktop cost about £18k (approximately 3.5m long).
Click to expand...
Ridiculous. A good steel fabricator with experience of stainless would have done the job for a fraction of that. Locally we have two fabs who regularly do stainless steel for the pharma trade, so they are well versed in welded and polished s/steel to a high standard. One of them made an odd shaped stainless steel bath for a guy a couple of years who'd been quoted about £10k by a London "specialist". The end price was under £2k. Installed
 
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JobAndKnock said:
I had to go onto a specialist website to look into mango wood - apparently, it's classed as a hardwood, but in reality it's an evergreen. It's supposedly a renewable resource.

In terms of colour it is described as "...most often golden brown, although there are also variations that have a more yellow tint, or feature black or pink streaks across the surface.". The timber is subject to spalting (fungal attack) which can result in streaks of darker or lighter colour. "When unstained and finished only in clear wax, this wood is generally slightly darker than oak with a more pronounced grain pattern, similar to oak and mahogany. Mango wood also takes wood stain really well, which can produce a rich deep brown colour."

You can often get a good idea of the colour of clear lacquered timber when finished by simply wetting a small area with a damp cloth. You won't see the gloss level, but you get a good idea of the finished colour. If you need a more golden colour I'd suggest staining the timber to the desired colour using a water-based stain. For a more yellow hue try golden oak or antique pine stain. By using a weakened stain the tint can be built-up over several applications, unlike spirit-based stains which can be a bit of a gamble and are very difficult to control. Between applications the timber will need to be denibbed with something like 320 or 400 grit paper (water raises the grain), as well as after the final staining. Finally a clear lacquer can be used to seal the timber. Beware blotchiness in the staining - this generally indicates that your original stripping wasn't up to scratch.

Furniture manufacturers often specify a clear lacquer with a particular tint added (or rather several, which the spray finisher selects to match a colour card). This isn't really an option for a home finisher, hence my suggestion of staining the timber then clear finishing
Click to expand...
Thank you!
 
Mango wood furniture we had was almost black in colour .
www.tradefurniturecompany.co.uk

Mango Wood Small Shelves and Rattan Basket - In Stock

Our Mango Wood Small Shelves and Rattan Basket set is the perfect storage feature for homeowners who require extra storage but are tight on space. Each set comes with a single bookcase made from the finest Natural Mango Wood, complete with 2 roomy shelves
www.tradefurniturecompany.co.uk www.tradefurniturecompany.co.uk
 
JobAndKnock said:
Ridiculous. A good steel fabricator with experience of stainless would have done the job for a fraction of that. Locally we have two fabs who regularly do stainless steel for the pharma trade, so they are well versed in welded and polished s/steel to a high standard. One of them made an odd shaped stainless steel bath for a guy a couple of years who'd been quoted about £10k by a London "specialist". The end price was under £2k. Installed
Click to expand...

Good point about a steel fabricator. I would add however that the 5 burner hob wasn't just an off the shelf one plonked on top, it was completely seamless.

Strange hinges though. From memory, they only had front/back, in/out adjustment, no up or down.
 
Traditionally teak and to a lesser extent iroko were used for outdoors furniture - both are naturally oily timbers and highly resistant to insect and fungal attack. In the UK oak has also been used for at least a couple of centuries. Whilst not as durable as teak it is long lasting

One of the things which makes furniture suitable for exterior use is the joints used in its' construction. Dowel jointing is obviously a no-no, whereas a combination of traditional wedged or pegged mortise and tenon joints and possible bolted M&T (not butt jointed) would be more durable
 
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