Staining wood veneer units

catnap53

Over 25 years ago we bought some Beaver and Tapley wall units to fit in the alcoves. They cost about 700 pounds IIRC, (we had more money then, only one child who had just started school, so used 3 months saved nursery fees)

We liked the burgundy oak finish as it looked like mahogany that was popular at the time but without the fancy bits of mahogany units.

Anyway, I am bored with the colour and it is very restrictive as we want to put a wooden floor down, (the carpet is dead) and nothing goes with it. It is also a bit faded where the sun shines in (not this summer though). :think: I was thinking of trying to sand and stain it, but don't know if it would work.

If I make a mess of it it would cost almost 4,000 pounds to replace (just checked the website) so that is definitely out of the question and we would be reduced to the Ikea stuff we have in the other room._pale_

Can anyone advise whether it could be done, as DIY or get a man in! Or our normal option "Do nothing"

TIA

Zzzz

misgrace

catnap53 wrote: »

Over 25 years ago we bought some Beaver and Tapley wall units to fit in the alcoves. They cost about 700 pounds IIRC, (we had more money then, only one child who had just started school, so used 3 months saved nursery fees)

We liked the burgundy oak finish as it looked like mahogany that was popular at the time but without the fancy bits of mahogany units.

Anyway, I am bored with the colour and it is very restrictive as we want to put a wooden floor down, (the carpet is dead) and nothing goes with it. It is also a bit faded where the sun shines in (not this summer though). :think: I was thinking of trying to sand and stain it, but don't know if it would work.

If I make a mess of it it would cost almost 4,000 pounds to replace (just checked the website) so that is definitely out of the question and we would be reduced to the Ikea stuff we have in the other room._pale_

Can anyone advise whether it could be done, as DIY or get a man in! Or our normal option "Do nothing"

TIA

Zzzz

Unfortunately, you cant stain it lighter, you can go darker than the original colour, and even sanding wouldnt be of much help.

Sorry I couldnt give you any good news.

Peartree

I'm not that clear on what finish you want to end up with - are you wanting something 'woodlike'? If not, you could sand and paint it in exactly the same colours as the walls behind it (using a colour matching service). If you have period home this would be quite authentic and you could use some 'distressing' techniques to make it blend in.

catnap53

Thanks for the replies. I am not sure what I want. Being oak veneer there is a very strong grain. I have removed the old polish off the tops, it was never meant to be polished but my mother always used to use a spray polish (on the horizontal surfaces only) when she came to babysit. I used to hide it, and she would go out and buy some more.

I think my last option of do nothing will probably win, but I really do need to do the flooring. Looks like it will be carpet again.

Zzzz

misgrace

Like Peartree says you could just paint it, say for example a nice cream,and can look really good if done right.

Being veneered and varnished, I would suggest you use a product called 'Dulux supergrip', its waterbased, but is excellent to cover varnished wood, and actually grips the varnish so your subsequents coats of your oilbased will stay and not peel/flake off.:D