"i'm debating buying a norrebo shelving unit - i love the style, but the pale wood is going to clash horribly with the rest of my (dark, funky, Victorian) decor. i'm wondering whether i could either paint it right over the surface (veneer?) or sand it down and stain it darker. has anyone tried either of these things? thanks. - sarahsarah,
i think the norrebo is solid birch with clear lacquer. you could sand it down to strip off the lacquer and then stain it with a dark glaze, such as the behandla glazing paint. i've never tried it but it should work.
any other ideas?
Has anyone actually tried this with ikea furniture? I have always wondered if it would work, but have zero interest in screwing up a piece of furniture to try. I'd just as soon donate it than waste the time.
ReplyDeleteI have successfully done this! I purchased the Bjorna dining room table, sanded, stained, and sealed it. It was rather easy. I chose the Bjorna table because it was solid wood and able to be sanded down. I would look for a piece that is solid wood, and ask about this before you buy.
ReplyDeleteI bought a Tassa drawer unit, stripped off the finish with lacquer thinner (I think), and then sanded, stained and finished it again. It looks great.
ReplyDeleteI think the lacquer thinner is the way to go if you want to stain. I bought those little ledges for paintings/photos and tried to sand them and it was a pain and the stain never really set well.
ReplyDeleteIf you are wanting to paint them, maybe the Benjamin Moore "Fresh Start" primer is the way to go. Apparently it's really great and can even be used on laminate.
Ikea usually has boards and wood pieces from their furniture in their "As Is" section. You could always try to find a part that matches the furniture you're considering and see how well the sanding/stainding/refinishing works on the part.
ReplyDeleteI've done this! I did this with the lack drawers / benches. We painted them a chocolate brown. Advice would be:
ReplyDelete1. Do not stain it because I am not sure you could ever get the lacquer that is on it completely off.
2. Paint it, but use OIL paint. NOT latex paint. We used latex and regret it everyday. We cannot put anything on these drawers, otherwise the paint sticks eventually and comes off. This is particularly bad for bookshelves.
i'm currently undertaking a project converting some leksvik pieces to a darker color. i had neither the patience nor desire to completely sand the laquer off the things, so i simply applied "liquid sandpaper" (available in any lowe's or home depot). you wipe it on and a few minutes later you're ready to stain. just make sure it's a day you can open all the windows- it's probably insanely carcinogenic. but it beats spending hours with a sander and getting dust all over the house. i'm pleased with the results.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in refinishing my hemnes black/dark brown colored dresser. The finish that comes on it is not very durable - aside from the fact that it is solid pine, a very soft wood. The ikea website says that it is solid pine + stained + clear acrylic. I'd like to either sand or strip that off (preferably sand to repair scratches on the top) then stain and finish (seal) a similar color. Most importantly though, I want to use a very strong/hard finish.. any ideas?
ReplyDeleteThere are brushing lacquer out so it gives some innovative idea which moves to looking the hard pigmentation.
ReplyDelete