Thread: Restoring Painted Silky Oak plywood

A pic would be handy here

But i have what may be a silly question for you
How do know that what's under the paint is silky oak?

I've seen some old veneered panels that only have silky
oak visible on the inside, the outside was another timber
deemed more suitable at the time.

the other question i have is Do you think you'd be able
pull the frames apart, remove the ply to take the paint
off, or simply reverse it?

As for actually getting the paint off, you might get lucky
if there's an original laquer underneath the paint, it may
literally peel off, however if it was sanded, then applied
the paint will probably have gotten into the grain, which
means you'll probably never get all of it off.

Bit more info needed

regards
col.

Hi Col, thanks for the reply, Im only going of by the person who sold it. Heres a couple of pics if it helps.

So is paint stripper the best use if I dont want to pull it apart? Or will it warp the silky oak ply wood?

Ok, now i can see what we're talking about, it looks like
a worthwhile project.

My advice for the door is, remove the ply.
It will be sitting inside grooves cut into the sides of the
door, it wont be glued but the paint will be holding it in.
What you can do is remove the bead from the inside of
the door. If you know someone who owns a router and
is profient in it's use they could cut the bead out easily.
The other option is to break it out with a chisel, but it
can look messy if not cleaned up properly.

This way you can clean up the door frame, remove the paint
sand etc. Reverse the ply and replace the beading with the appropriate
sized quad. I would be tempted to explore other possibilities
with what you put back in that door. Glass would be one option.
perforated metal another (like the old meatsafes) even metal flywire
just some options to add character to the cupboard.

The fittings look to be in good condition and match so that's
a good thing.

Paint removal can vary a lot, there's heatguns, scrapers, sanding
liquid strippers (caustic and non-caustic). I suggest take the door
or a drawer down to your local paint store, or hardware, or even
furniture restorer (if you feel comfortable approaching them) for
advice. There will be many threads dealing with the subject on this
forum also. You can do a search. Keep in mind there's probably
another finish type under the paint and may require a different
approach.

It would be great to see how you progress with this project
Good luck
col.

Thanks col

Thats brilliant, great idea for the door panel. I was talking to my Mum last night and she even suggested material (calico, etc..), but i like your idea of the mesh.

I will definitely take heed on all that you have written.

Cheers again

p.s. will keep you posted on the success/failure

The drawer unit will come up a charm.
I like this type of furniture as it is satisfying to see what lays beneath.
Check out the examples in my album. Click on this link.

A few more suggestions...

Stripping Paint: Method of stripping I use...

• I find the best stripper is the methyl chloride variety (any brand)
• Paint on stripper and leave until paint softens.
• Strip off using a paint scrapper.
• Apply another coat of stripper.
• If more paint is to be stripped then use a paint scraper OR
• If majority of paint has been removed then use coarse steel wool to remove residue.
• Finally wash the surface with metho and steel wool. (This should remove all the paint on timber, but if oak and open grain then some paint remains in the grain.)
• I suggest leaving the door until last. Get the skill required first on drawers. The paint in the corners of the door panel can be removed with a point or sharp knife.

Cleaning timber surface:

• What sort of sander do you have?
• If you need to buy a sander, consider purchasing a 125mm random orbital sander. (It will do the majority of sanding tasks.)
• Sand all exterior surfaces with 80 or 120 grit.
• Fill all holes and gaps with wood stop. (If new handles are used the screw pitch could be different!)

Finish:

• A clear finish will look attractive.
• If the cabinet is to be painted, then do it in enamel, undercoat and top coat.
• What finish do you intend to use?

Hilton

G'day Hilton
I like that green one (last pic)
So you wouldn't remove the ply panels to strip them?

Some people do remove the panel, but I have never found it necessary. The paint can generally be scratched out of the corners. I generally try to remove every spot of paint. The finish looks better.
Also stain to even out any blemishes and paint in grain. Feast Watson "Old Baltic Pine" is good, but any Wattyl stain is suitable.

hey hap

thanks for that, you guys have been a great help.

I have a straight sander, only a small black and decker with and iron (triangle) shaped head, will this do? Otherwise ill just use old fashion arm technique.

I was thinking of finishing it with just shelac as french polishing seems a bit beyond me. But Ill have a look at those stains you suggested and have a think. What do you think shelac or stain?

Thanks

If I where to buy another sander would a random orbital, 430 Watt, Variable Speed 6000 to 13000 rpm be ok?

I remove the panels and sand with belt/ros to remove all trace of paint on all pieces. While I have things apart I repair or re-glue dowels and so forth. Takes longer but the results are stunning.

cheers
conwood

Silky often has open pores so bear in mind Col's warning.

And it's easy to go through veneer with machine sanding unfortunately.

I prefer to avoid chemicals when possible and suggest you get yourself a simple card type scraper and see how you go scraping the paint off. Properly sharpened these work quick and well and the first few swipes will tell you if you have a paint in pores problem.

As for refinishing, if there's a sound base of shellac much of this will still be there after mechanical paint stripping and you can build up some coats of shellac on it with a paint brush.

Good luck.

Sander
Any random orbital sander is fine, it would be similar to this Bosch one. Click Link.
The triangular ones are for more detailed or corner work.
If you have a random orbital, try using it on the paint (80 grit or finer), it may come off easier than stripping, however the paint may clog the paper, so resort to stripper. Stripper is needed on corners like the door panel.

Finish.
Stain colours the wood, and requires a clear protective finish.
Shellac, is a finish on its own, but also gives a colour. Do not use shellac, unless you want to try it out and see how french polishing works.
A better alternative is to finish with a semi-gloss polyurathane finish, such as Wattyl Estapol or Feast Watsons SatinProof (marginally better!)

hap

Originally Posted by rsser

Silky often has open pores so bear in mind Col's warning.

And it's easy to go through veneer with machine sanding unfortunately.


Good luck.

If you do sand through I had a good supply of Silky Veneers if you want some.
I'm on the Gold Coast.


Cheers


Steve

I have removed all the paint but dark areas remain on the plywood on top and a bit on the sides. Im worried if i continue to sand I will sand away the grain. Ive been using 80 sandpaper. (By the way the silky oak plywood is looking great as is)

Should I just metho/steel wool and persistence to get the rest off? or get as much as I can of and then finish it?

p.s. Im going to go for a clear finish feast watsons satin proof (any opions?). Will I need to use some sort of filler first or will multiple coats have the same effect?

Thanks guys