I’m assuming a number of folks here are handier than I, so am asking for advice on staining a desk.
Have a room with bright walls that don’t really go with a dark brown furniture colour. Bought a nice used desk for that room. It has an attractive wood grain covered in a glossy veneer. If I had a magic wand it might be used to make the wood paler without changing much else.
Is there any way to stain a piece of furniture whitish while still keeping the basic appearance of the grain? Or is the likely result after sanding and staining going to be that the nice wood is obscured? Must one use primer?
I’m not an expert on this, but what kind of wood is it. Could it be stained pine? In that case, you could simply sand it down to the bare wood. I used to finish the oak furniture I built with something called clear sealer. But that was banned as polluting the air and I am not sure what it can be replaced with, but I am sure there is something.
Well, it you really want it whitish as opposed to lightish, you could pickle it with a watered down white paint (or glaze). If it’s been sanded well enough the grain will still show through.
There is clear varnish and urethane (both oil-based) and water-based polyurethane.
What kind of wood it is will be the real key. If it’s walnut or mahogany or something like that, the final color will usually never be lighter than “medium.” Most soft woods like pine or fir will be light, and so will some hardwoods.
Also, it would probably be faster and easier to clean off the old finish with a remover (do it outdoors, they are usually fairly toxic). I haven’t done this for a number of years so I’m out of touch with the details, there are probably better products around than there were when I last removed a finish. If you have a non-big-box hardware store anywhere around, they might be able to advise you; or someone on here will chime in. Especially if you want to refinish the whole desk instead of just the top, a remover can get into the crannies where it is difficult to sand. Consider checking if you can easily remove the top of the desk (usually requires turning it upside down) which will make everything easier.
That much sanding can put a lot of potentially toxic sawdust in the air so be sure to wear a quality dust mask if you are going to sand.
When I was a boy, I had a special talent for staining furniture. However, I believe you’re looking for the kind where the whole piece of furniture ends up the same color.
You won’t be able to stain it with the glossy finish still on it. The finish won’t let stain penetrate the wood. You’ll most likely have to strip off the finish and see what’s left. Ideally the current stain will come off with the stripping, but that’s unlikely. You’ll probably need to sand the stain that’s on there off. That’ll be a challenge, getting into corners and such. Maybe a lighter stain after removing the finish. Test a spot on the underside first.
A lot depends on whether it is real wood or something with a veneer. The veneer probably won’t sand clean, they tend to take the stain differently than real wood, and you’ll end up going through a veneer before it is clear.
I suppose you could scuff it up so something would stick, apply a thin coat of watered down light paint and re-seal. Or just pick a color of paint you like and make it a solid color (probably the best choice, if you’re not handy)