Thread: Why Not Sandpaper

Originally Posted by boxers

I have a couple of tallboys covered with a veneer. Generally in good condition just scratches that need to be refinished. All the advice seems to be to strip with a quality stripper then refinish.
Why not sand the old finish off instead of stripping with a paint remover.

reason 1 -- the old finish has probably penetrated into the veneer. so sanding will remove some (possibly most) of the already thin veneer with a high risk of sanding through it in places.

reason 2 -- If the piece is valuable enough to refinish, you'll probably want to refinish more than once. Sanding is typically a once only option.

reason 3 -- the veneer might be attached with hide glue, so their is a risk that heat from sanding will soften the glue resulting in lifted veneer

reason 4 -- the old finish is likely alchol based so can often be cleaned by washing the surface with meths

reason 5 -- usually any light scratches can be repaired with a shellac stick

Thank you Ian a most complete answer
Boxers