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Remember when everyone said you had to sand down to bare wood for a good finish?
I was fixing a 1950s dresser with a thick, cracked lacquer top. Sanding it all off would have taken a full day. On a whim, I grabbed a random orbital sander and some 150 grit paper, but I just knocked down the high spots and feathered the edges of the old finish. Then I brushed on a coat of shellac as a barrier before the new lacquer. The whole thing was done in about three hours and it's held up for two years now. Has anyone else had luck sealing over an old finish instead of stripping it all?
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uma_webb281mo agoMost Upvoted
Used to think you had to strip everything for it to last. Your post made me try sealing over some old varnish on a table. Worked perfectly and saved me a whole weekend.
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parker_cooper571mo ago
Right? Sometimes the old finish just needs a good lock.
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