Reversing dark stain wood?
Hello. I am purchasing a co-op where the windows and doors are stained an dark almost cherry like color, but the floors are lighter (pine..currently covered by carpet). Is it possible to lighten the stain on the windows to match the floors? If so, is that an expensive undertaking? thanks!
Hello.
I am purchasing a co-op where the windows and doors are stained an dark almost cherry like color, but the floors are lighter (pine..currently covered by carpet). Is it possible to lighten the stain on the windows to match the floors? If so, is that an expensive undertaking?
thanks!
If it is an old coop, before 1910 or 1920, I’d think the moulding would be more likely to be oak than pine. Look at the wood in other units – that will give you a clue as to what you have and what’s possible. And test some with stripper – you’ll find out what sort of wood you are dealing with, as well as how easily the color is removed.
It would be easier to stain the floors dark. Just a thought.
And even with sanding/stripping the doors, there’s no guarantee that the wood itself is light to begin with (although it’s likely pine). If it’s cherry or mahogany, it’s not going to match the floors anyway.
chemical stripping will remove most stains, if they are pigment stains. Dye stains are much harder to remove and would probably require bleaching.
And sometimes the colorant is mostly in the finish, which is the easiest to remove.
Test stripping a small area would tell you what you have.
i hate two tone wood colors as well. its not a fun job but can be worthwhile to get rid of the horrid look. sand to bare wood, if any pieces can be removed during the process it would make it much easier. messy work, the more detail the more work.
note that if this isn’t old growth wood from 100 years ago with intricate detail (i.e. something really worth saving), new wood might be an option. if its postwar builder grade, i wouldn’t hesitate, just a cost consideration at that point.
also might want to make sure the floor species matches the molding species, if the floor is pine (and you’re going to keep it that way) and the other is oak you might as well paint the windows and doors white.
good luck.
Hmmmm, does that really work? Because the stain penetrates pretty deeply, I think.
Would bleach help at all?
Dipping the trim into a lye bath as you would when stripping paint might also work, but of course, it’s pretty impractical and expensive to remove all the trim from the room, then put it back exactly as it was before. Plus the trim can get very spongey.
The only way to accomplish that would be to sand the wood down to the bare wood, removing all the stain (and maybe poly or shellac as well). It’s a tedious job, depending upon the detail in the casings and can get costly.