# Need Help Refinishing a MCM Rosewood Table



## dottyw (Jun 20, 2019)

after several failed attempts in refinishing this large rosewood veneer dining table, hubby is ready to look for expert advice….he just learned the hard way that rosewood is oily and requires special treatment. What I gathered so far is that he has to start off with a sealer coat such as dewaxed shellac. Unfortunately he has to work on the colour too as the leaves don't quite match the grain nor the colour of the rest of the table. Is there an approach that is not too steep a learning curve ? His confidence level has really shrunk by now. Since polyurethane is not advised on rosewood, I suspect that General Finishes wiping stain won't work as it has poly in it. How about a water based stain ? Would it cover the unevenness in the wood grain better ? And would the sealer coat prevent the raising of wood grain? Also, varnish as finishing applications would not work as they are not available any more in Canada…and things that dry quickly are problematic as it is presently hot and humid here and he is working on an 8 foot table, a large area to cover quickly…....
Any suggestions please for someone new at rosewood ?


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

What does the Rosewood table your working on look like. Can you post a pic .
There's about a million different woods called Rosewood. Maybe it will help if we can narrow it down to what you have. 
I done some finishing on Coco bolo and it was a pain. 
Good Luck


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

You say you are refinishing. Any idea what type of finish it had on it before? How old is this piece?


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## dottyw (Jun 20, 2019)

I cannot pin down the date exactly, all I know is that it is a mid century modern design, presumably made from 1970' to 1990''s. It was a very difficult finish to strip, we have had tables from Europe that were equally difficult to strip off. The table is presently stripped, I will take a picture tomorrow and post it.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Shellac will probably be the easiest finish. I've refinished several mid-century Lane coffee tables that had just a shellac finish and in some cases, the finish was in such good shape (after 50-60 years) that I was able to simply clean the finish and apply a new topcoat of shellac followed by some paste wax and they look great. With stripped wood, you will want to apply several very thin coats, lightly sanding between coats. I have recently found that applying the shellac with a fine, lint free rag is easier than using a brush but if you decide to use a brush, buy the best quality brush you can find and never back brush. The shellac starts to dry almost immediately and going over it again will mess it up. Apply the shellac in one continuous stroke. If there is a flaw, sanding and the next coat will fix it because the shellac dissolves part of the previous coats and blends in.

But if you want more protection, a seal coat of dewaxed shellac and spray a lacquer or apply a non-poly resin varnish, though I've never used lacquer so I can't provide any advice on the best way to apply. To be doubly sure you might want more than one seal coat of the shellac before the top coat.

EDIT: Another nice thing about shellac is that is really easy to strip if you mess it up. You can simply use denatured alcohol (DNA) to remove it so you don't have to risk sanding through your veneer or use harsh stippers to remove it. I've have even used DNA with an abrasive pad to relevel the finish without completely stripping off the entire finish before applying a couple of top coats of shellac.


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## dottyw (Jun 20, 2019)

Thank you Lazyman. The main problem is that we have do deal with the color issue as I pointed out in my first post. without this the table would be finished and sold twice by now.


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## dottyw (Jun 20, 2019)




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## dottyw (Jun 20, 2019)

1st pic shows both leaves, arrows indicate areas where one can see light lines going across that get accentuated when finished without stain. In the 2nd and 3rd pics we wetted the wood with alcohol that evaporated while shooting. But one can see the pronounced grain pattern, vs. the leaves…. last pic shows the table in the very first attempt using stain and varathane, oh so close to being finished, except a bit rough, the next coat of varathane was even rougher, going downhill from there….


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Did you wash the table really good after the chemical stripper. 
Or did you remove the old finish by sanding 
It looks like mahogany but I'm pretty sure it's something else.
If that were in my shop I would prepare to be sprayed with Water based lacquer. Generals satin finish.
Sanding sealer first.
I don't see the need for Shellac
I only use Generals finishes but there are plenty others just as good or better.
Good Luck


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

That looks more like teak to me. Rosewood is usually much darker naturally. So it sounds like you are trying to stain it to a rosewood color? I would probably go with an oil based stain without any varnish or poly in it and then apply an oil based varnish over it. If you really cannot get varnish in Canada, you may be stuck with shellac or lacquer.


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## dottyw (Jun 20, 2019)

The table was chemically stripped, then sanded lightly with 220 G. Then he probably wiped with a dry or damp rag. He usually does not wash the wood down. Aj, he also has to deal with the stain ….and one coat won't hide the unappealing issue on the leaves…
Nathan, teak? Hmmmm. ...there are two already finished teak tables right beside it, and another one that is a darker one in African teak, still, all were much lighter than the "rosewood" one when stripped, different grain, and no problem refinishing them…. This wood IS darker, but the flash light made it look lighter. Not saying it is rosewood because we never had rosewood before (and this is probably the first and last), just that we bought it as rosewood and it was stained rosewood. 
Defenitely no more traditional oil based varnish for sale in Canada. There is natural varnish oil which is a linseed oil and pine resin formula which he often uses on teak, but I am sure that's not what you mean.
Having had to stain this table, I suggested that maybe the 220 G does not allow enough stain to seep into the wood and he should try a courser grit, but he said he already sanded it twice, and who knows how much it was sanded originally, and dares not to sand again or else he might go through the veneer…


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Well the only thing I can recommend is try a different stain. If your using water based try oil based.
Sounds like your husband has done good preparation.
And is dealing with a unfortunate situation where part of the cells are closed out. 
I just don't really know. My gut tells me your going to have to build the colors in pale areas in a artistic way.
Good Luck


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

There are rosewoods have the more reddish hue of your table so it could be. Most people do not stain rosewood but they may have stained it to achieve the more sought after brownish hues. Other than a really dark stain, I am not sure that there is much else you can do deal with the differences in the grain between the leaf and the top

220 grit should be fine for any unfinished wood. If the stain is not soaking into the wood that would tell me that you have not removed all of the finish. I find that mineral spirits are better than alcohol for wiping down to look for any places that will repel the finish, possibly because it doesn't evaporate quite as quickly, and it also does a better job of removing the stripper residues in my experience. Acetone is sometimes recommended to help remove some of the natural oils and may help clean off stripper residues as well. I would not sand it much more since it sounds like you have already sanded it quite a bit. You risk sanding through the veneer and ruining the table. Since it looks like it doesn't have any edge strips you can may be able see just how thick the veneer is so that may help you determine how much more you can sand. I would only sand areas that have any sort of sheen left after stripping or repel the MS as these may still have some finish there. Definitely do not use a power sander for any remaining sanding. Hand sand only.

Definitely stain first with an oil based stain (with no finish in it) to get your the desired color. Be patient and make sure that it fully dries before you proceed. It could take a few days. Then I would apply a seal coat of dewaxed shellac. Mix your own with extra blond shellac flakes to minimize an amber shift in the color. I think that a natural resin varnish would be your best bet and perhaps you may find one other than the one you mentioned above. If not, lacquer or shellac are probably your only option.

I am a little surprised that some of the finishing experts on LJ have not chimed it (I am not one) but that may be an indication of just how tough this is.


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## dottyw (Jun 20, 2019)

The stain he uses is solvent based and from a local company that many professionals use and recommend. It is stronger, i.e has way more pigment than for example minwax, and does soak in O.K. and would be totally acceptable for the table top, but it does not cover the irregularities on the leaves. If it were not for these problems, the table would be finished and sold by now. He has used the mahogany stain by the same company for many mahogany pieces with great results. 
With most other pieces the goal is to highlight the beauty of the grain.
However with this table the goal is to hide some of it, have more of an opaque finish.


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