1. How do I get rid of an ink stain?
2. How do I get rid of a stain in wood?
3. Can you use wood from my old tree/barn?
4. What is a toned finish?
5. Do you make custom bookcases, desks, chairs, etc.?
6. What if my furniture was left standing in water?
7. How do I care for the surface of my butcher block?
8. Can a damaged finish be "touched-up?"
9. Will refinishing diminish the value of my item?"
10. Can you strip & refinish cabinets, trim, etc. in my home?
11. Why has the finish on my table gotten sticky?
12. What can be done about white/cloudy, water/heat, rings/marks?
13. Do you use polyurethane?
14. What finish would you use at home?
15. Do you dip strip?
16. It's painted now, can you strip and stain?

How do I get rid of an ink stain?
INK STAIN ON OIL FINISH: Any solvent used will likely cause the ink to bleed into the wood grain making it even worse. 1) Contact manufacturer of pen, possibly thru 800 number and ask advice. 2) Get an ink eraser from an office supply store and try erasing. 3) Carefully & slowly try household bleach. Use a Q-tip. Start by testing one small spot. If the blue starts to turn green then yellow, it's working. Color and gloss level would probably have to be rebuilt afterwards. 4) Last resort is careful sanding, realizing veneer is probably thin. Finish work would again be required. If finish is a surface finish like lacquer, then solvent cleaners like lighter fluid and naphtha could probably be tried with more success.

How do I get rid of a stain in the wood?
Sometimes you can use Chlorine Bleach. Chlorine will usually remove some stains, particularly dye stains that Oxalic Acid won't. But chlorine won't penetrate very deeply so if you do much sanding you may sand down to the stain again. Oxalic Acid will usually remove water, alkali and rust stains. Two-Part Wood Bleach will also remove these stains but it also removes the natural color from the wood. Both Oxalic Acid and Two-Part Wood Bleach should be available at most paint stores. The drawback with all these products is that they have to be applied to the entire surface. You can end up with a table, for instance, that has nice brown walnut legs and skirts but a VERY light top. You must also be very careful to remove/rinse off any residue or there could be adverse reactions to any stain/finish you apply.  Be sure to follow directions accurately and fully, both to protect the piece and yourself. It is usually a good idea to do a test on a very small area, an out of the way spot or even on some scrap just to get the feel of the product and see just how much color gets removed.

Can you use wood from my old tree, barn, etc?
Not really. Typically the question is about some family wood. If it's off an old tree, has it been rough milled into slabs? It is unlikely the wood has been properly stacked to air dry. Where was it stacked/stored? Has it collected layers of dirt, grit, bird droppings, etc.? Such wood is not usable until both sides are surface planed smooth. It is usually in random widths with no straight edge to make it readily workable. Such wood can have nails, staples, barbed wire, bullets, gun shot or who knows what imbedded in it. Air-dried wood, if correctly stacked can take upwards of 10 years to properly dry. Surface grit & grime will instantly dull any planer or jointer used on it. Risk of imbedded metal is highly dangerous to work with on machines. Pieces can become like bullets if nicked by saw blades, etc. Air-dried lumber, even if usable tends to develop shrinkage cracks later in the created item. Such wood tends to have wide color and darkness variations, creating finishing nightmares. Check with a local woodcarvers club. They might have some use for it.

What is a toned finish?
Traditionally a stain is applied directly to the wood. Then a clear protective finish is applied on top of that. In a toned finish there is no stain applied directly to the wood. The color pigments are dissolved in the finish and applied with it. If any finish flakes or chips off, the color goes with it. Also this type of finish is less transparent because of the pigments, so the true beauty of the wood grain tends to be dimmed and/or muddied.

Do you make custom bookcases, desks, chairs, etc.?
Yes, we do. We will create a custom, made-to-order, individually designed piece, handmade by our craftsmen, just for you. Quotes will be given based on your specs, sketches, etc. However, you can use the following guideline to get a ballpark idea of the costs involved. Find a mass-produced, factory-made piece comparable in design and quality (wood, not particle board and paper laminates). The cost of a custom piece will likely be about four times that.

What if my furniture was left in standing water?
TAKE PROMPT ACTION:
The first step is to clean with a disinfectant cleaner to prevent mold and mildew from starting. Any anti-bacterial soap will do, such as anti-bacterial dish or hand soap. Do this while it's still wet to avoid redampening it later. Then get it thoroughly dried out as soon as possible. Force dry with fans on it and let them blow for 3 to 4 days. Get items off of any damp surfaces. Turn chairs upside down on top of tables; put out in sunlight while weather permits. It can take up to thirty days for the full effects to be seen. The most common damage is to leg tips which are often a toned finish that will flake and lift from water damage. Also, glue seams tend to split or seep glue.

How do I care for the surface of my butcher block?
CARE INSTRUCTIONS: Assuming your block has a finish on it, clean it like you would any wood surface, not allowing water to remain on the block for any length of time. DO NOT put it in a dishwasher! To help preserve your block if used as a cutting surface it would be advisable to periodically reseal ONLY the area in which you have cut. Mineral oil or vegetable oil can be used. If your block becomes necessary to refinish due to usage, we suggest sanding the finish off and applying either an oil finish as mentioned above.

Can a damaged finish be "touched-up"?
There are many levels of touch up that can be used on any specific blemish. When the gloss level is low, the problem is simply in the finish, and there is no indentation, gouge or void in the actual surface, the least expensive solution is to just color the area with a special marker so that the damage doesn't jump out at you. These markers are usually available in Home Centers in light, medium and dark for the Do-It-Yourselfer. We have hundreds of colors and lots of experience. This enables us to do a much more accurate color match and blending job. This kind of "Touch Up" can be quite satisfactory in those situations. Minor nicks and dings can sometimes be filled with a colored wax stick. The next level of "Touch Up" is called a burn-in. A solid stick of colored lacquer is melted into the area. It then has to be smoothed out and the whole surface rubbed out. This approach addresses level, color and gloss. The repair is much less noticeable, but can still be seen from certain angles. The next, more expensive approach, usually used in areas of where chunks are missing, is to fill the area with an epoxy putty. The area then has to be sanded, opening a larger wound in the finish. This area then has to be colored, blending into the surrounding areas. A finish (gloss level) then has to be applied. Lastly, if the wound is large, or in a location where filler would not adhere well or be strong enough, a new piece of wood would be spliced in. Sanding, color blending and finish would be required. Obviously, when anything but the color only approach is used, it doesn't take a very great number of individual blemishes requiring touch up before the costs can start approaching that of stripping and refinishing. Stripping and refinishing is, of course, the most comprehensive, effective and expensive blemish correction solution. The rule of thumb usually sought in cases of "Touch Up" is that the repair will not be noticeable to the casual observer. Anyone who knows it is there however, will be able to find it if they look for it.

Will refinishing diminish the value of my item?
If your item is a true antique of high value and in good condition, "a museum quality piece" as we would say, refinishing it would likely decrease it's value. However, 99% of what we see does not fit that category.Most of what we see are not  "true antiques" but simply old furniture. Most of it is post-industrial, twentieth century, factory produced and not hand made, hand crafted items. Most of what we see has no special value in that it was neither designed nor made nor used by someone of historic significance. We recognize that it might be precious to you though, because it is your family's heirloom.However, even an old garage sale item can have value in that it is undoubtedly much better made and more durable than today's particle board and paper-laminate disposable furniture. Old furniture, properly protected and cared for should last at least another lifetime. But, realistically it has no value other than it's usefulness, comparable replacement cost or sentimental value.Most pertinent though, the furniture we see is usually not in "good condition." It ranges from fair, to endangered, to unusable, to a basket case. Old finishes DO DIE. Not only can they become black and opaque, hiding the beauty and character of the item. They can fade, blister, peel, prune and otherwise deteriorate to the point where they no longer serve their PRIMARY function of protecting the wood. Moisture starts splitting the grain. Old glue dries out and gives up. Veneer starts lifting or splitting,  joints loosen and break. Lumber warps and splits. All these problems can be dealt with effectively if addressed soon enough.  However, as much as we hate to write off a piece, we have seen furniture neglected so long, that it is simply not salvageable.

Can you strip & refinish cabinets, trim, etc. in my home?
Because of environmental and OSHA regulations we do not do stripping and refinishing in the home. The best choice for items that cannot be brought to the shop is to use a painter who handles interiors, wood staining and finishing.

Why has the finish on my table gotten sticky?
Acids can do this. The acid can come from perspiration and body oils. Some cleaners can do this. Be cautious of using any alkali cleaner, like many window cleaners. Plastic table clothes and placemats can be a culprit. They contain softening agents that prevent the plastic from cracking. These softening agents can migrate to the finish if left on the surface for extended periods.

What about white/cloudy, water/heat, rings/marks?
Water gets under the finish and creates microscopic voids between the wood and finish. This traps light and creates a white or milky look. First try thorough cleaning, the problem may be in wax coat, not finish. If that doesn't help: 1) Wipe lemon oil or petroleum jelly, and let sit overnight. It may fill voids. and improve look but not eliminate problem. 2) Wipe gently with cloth slightly dampened with denatured alcohol. Start with quick light strokes. Go slower and use more alcohol/pressure until it works. 3) Heat area carefully with blow dryer to warm finish and re-fuse to wood. CAUTION: BE VERY CAREFUL. Too little does nothing, too much blisters finish. 4) Use four aught "0000" steel wool with an oily lubricant (lemon oil will do) and wipe gently. 5) ONLY IF IT'S LACQUER: spray fine mist of lacquer retarder on area. This will soften the finish and allow it to fuse back together. If the finish is not lacquer THIS CAN CAUSE BLISTERING. 5) In our shop we can sometimes apply other procedures that might help. If nothing else works then stripping and refinishing is required.

Do you use polyurethane?
Currently a popular finish because it's brushable for Do-It-Yourselfers. It's supposed to be waterproof & super hard. Problems are: it's thick, frequently showing brush marks, it turns yellow with age, it's brittle so it flakes, scratches & chips easily, and it is not repairable. It is rigid so it does not flex with the wood underneath which is always expanding & contracting. This can allow moisture underneath, creating white areas and finish lifting. It is very difficult to ever strip again if it does deteriorate. We do not recommend it. We use acrylic lacquer. It is a finish that must be sprayed and is widely used by manufacturers and refinishers. It is water clear and never changes color. It is repairable. With the acrylic additive that we use, it is flexible, naturally expanding and contracting as the wood does. It becomes the most moisture, alcohol, chip and scratch resistant finish you can use. GLOSS levels are Flat, Satin, Semi-Gloss and Gloss.

What finish would you use at home?
There is a product by DEFT brand called "CLEAR WOOD FINISH." It is the only brushable lacquer that that we are aware of.  It is what we recommend to the Do-It-Yourselfer. The secret is to use a very good brush and apply thin coats. We use at least three coats.  BE FOREWARNED: It smells  terrible while curing.

Do you dip strip?
We do not dip. That can be potentially harmful to fine furniture, attacking the wood and glue. We use what is essentially a commercial version of a hand-stripping process, called the overflow method. Because of environmental and OSHA regulations we only strip in batches when we have a full day's worth of items to process. That usually means we strip every 2 to 3 weeks.

It's painted now, can you strip and stain?
With PAINTED ITEMS, you can't absolutely know if they will be suitable for staining until AFTER they are stripped. There may be blemishes or stains in the wood. If it was originally painted by the manufacturer there may actually be different specie of woods in the piece. The wood may be an inferior grade. Also, it may be impossible to get the paint off thoroughly enough to make staining suitable. If the surface was well-prepared it may not come out of the grain. If the paint was applied on top of an old finish, it may come off easily. We typically recommend a minimal strip attempt to start. We can then usually tell if it is worth continuing. If questionable we will call the customer and have them come in and review the piece before continuing.