Ciuffo Studios

Refinishing

The art of furniture refinishing is sometimes long and arduous. Following the right procedures help minimize the problems in the finish process. The steps your furniture goes through to be refinished are as follows:

Stripping is the first process encountered by your furniture. The existing finish or window as we call it, is chemically removed. The finish is dissolved and removed from the wood surface. Clean stripper is used to remove all finish residue after initial cleaning is complete. The final wash with lacquer thinner removes the last of the unwanted residue.
When the wood surface is dried of stripper it is ready for a light sanding. This sanding process cuts any grain raised by the liquid stripping process. The grain does not always raise but it is still good to sand lightly.
The next process in the operation for refinishing is the minor repair. If any piece has broken parts or veneers that need repairing now is the time for such work to be done. The repair person inspects for such things as loose joints in the piece, missing or broken parts. If the repair is minor in nature we do not charge for this service. Only when major repairs are needed is a charge recorded. A after all repairs are completed the piece is given a vinegar wash to insure good compatibility with the finish which is being applied. The work is allowed to dry thoroughly in preparation for finishing.
Before the finishing process begins the piece is washed again with denatured alcohol to activate residual colors still in the wood. This gives the finisher the opportunity to survey the colors still in the wood, so he may know just how much additional color to add. Sometimes very little color is necessary, sometimes a lot. Once the color background is determined the proper color balance can be achieved through the following process. Dyes may be applied to establish the proper background color. Next a filler or stain is applied to give the finish color some body or density. After the stains are applied a coat of sealer is used to set the colors and hold them fast. If additional color is needed a glaze coat, another coat of stain, is applied by rag and brush to enhance the richness of the color. Once completed the glaze can be sealed in so as not to move when the subsequent coats of color are applied, if needed.
When all color is in place the final coating with lacquer is applied. From two -eight coats are applied to achieve the end result or look that is considered normal for that piece. As the lacquer build as applied and dried, sanding is incorporated in between coats to create a smooth surface for additional coats of lacquer. When sufficient coats have been applied the project is allowed to dry for the 24 hours. At which time the surface is hard enough to sand and rub out.
The rub out phase consists of sanding the surface well enough to receive a steel wool wax rub to achieve a satin look, or to a high gloss machine polish, any of which requires close attention to the details of proper sanding.
The final step in this process is waxing. If the customer requests we can do a complete waxing of each piece to protect it from continued oxidation.

This concludes the complete operation of how to refinish your piece of furniture. If you have a question please feel free to contact us at our office , area code 858-748-8518 or 800-411-5003.