How do you go about stripping a piece of wooden furniture that has been painted

A.� Every week thousands of us either find some old wooden furniture in the attic or uncover something at a junk shop or sale, but the true character of the piece is disguised by an often tatty covering of paint. How you get rid of it and uncover the true wood underneath all depends on how much paint is on it, how old it is, and how easy it is going to be to get rid of it.

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A.� It is almost always essential to treat the newly exposed food if you want it to last and look good. Untreated wood takes up moisture from the air and then expels it in dry weather. This process caused the wood to expand and contract sometimes causing cracking, weakening joints and causing doors to fit poorly.

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A.� The first thing to look at it where in the house the piece is going to go. What kind of finish will compliment what is around it, matt or shiny, light or dark. The second is to consider how much, if any, wear it is going to get.

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A.� Often stripping wood, particularly dipping it, takes some of the natural oils out of the wood so although they will alter the colour slightly, it is often a good idea to oil or wax the wood. There are also transparent varnishes available.

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A.� Stains and dyes are changed the colour of the wood by enhancing the grain in it. Bear in mind that they can only darken the wood, not lighten it. To lighten wood you have to bleached it and then treat it, which is not an easy process.

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Although they may seem to do the same job stains and dyes actually work differently, stains sitting mainly on the top of the wood, making it easier to remove, dyes actually penetrating deep into the wood.

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A.� It is a technique that has been around since the 16th century, but got its name when a French cabinet maker developed it in the 1820s.

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It basically involves a material called shellac, which is actually a by-product of an encrustation that surrounds a parasitic insect in India. The shellac is dissolved in alcohol and ten applied with a cloth and cotton wool. The alcohol evaporates and leaves the shellac hard on the wood. It can be buffed up to a fine shine.

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French polishing is a costly, specialised business and is only really worth doing for fine, expensive pieces of furniture. It won't resist heat marks or household chemicals.

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