Mike Halmarack wrote:

Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if necessary, would be appreciated.

I don't know what strippers still work with their new eco formulation,
but oxalic acid for lightening ...

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On 20/03/2025 16:22, Andy Burns wrote:

Mike Halmarack wrote:

Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if
necessary, would be appreciated.

I don't know what strippers still work with their new eco formulation,
but oxalic acid for lightening ...

Buy it or boil down some rhubarb leaves.

--
Max Demian

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Mike Halmarack wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Mike Halmarack wrote:

Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if
necessary, would be appreciated.

I don't know what strippers still work with their new eco formulation,
but oxalic acid for lightening ...

They are second hand, so I don't know if they fall within the "new eco formulation" range.

I meant the available DIY strippers are "eco"

Thanks for the oxalic acid tip.

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Mike Halmarack wrote:

I did a web search for bedside cabinets that were within my price
range. They ones I found seemed pretty shoddy. So, I looked around
locally and found a couple of nice sturdy looking pre-owned G-Plan
cabinets for £100.

The cabinets are a bit dark in comparison to the other bedroom
furniture so I want to remove the finish and lighten them up.

I've dismantled G-Plan furniture before and while they're not solid
wood they've got a very thick veneer over composite boards.
So, I think they wont disintegrate under a vigorous stripping.
Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if necessary, would be appreciated.

Best approach is to find an area that is normally out of sight and
experiment. Paint stripper, acetone or hot air gun might do something.
However, if it's a 2-pack lacquer you'll need an appropriate stripper,
or to sand.

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No mail wrote:

Mike Halmarack wrote:

I did a web search for bedside cabinets that were within my price
range. They ones I found seemed pretty shoddy. So, I looked around
locally and found a couple of nice sturdy looking pre-owned G-Plan
cabinets for £100.

The cabinets are a bit dark in comparison to the other bedroom
furniture so I want to remove the finish and lighten them up.

I've dismantled G-Plan furniture before and while they're not solid
wood they've got a very thick veneer over composite boards.
So, I think they wont disintegrate under a vigorous stripping.
Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if
necessary, would be appreciated.

Best approach is to find an area that is normally out of sight and experiment. Paint stripper, acetone or hot air gun might do something. However, if it's a 2-pack lacquer you'll need an appropriate stripper,
or to sand.

Just to add: a search for "what is the finish on g-plan furniture" will enlighten your darkness.
Here's the start of the AI response: "G-Plan furniture, particularly
their iconic mid-century pieces, often feature a durable two-pack
polyurethane finish. This finish, known for its hardness and resistance
to wear, is a hallmark of the brand's quality. "

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On 20/03/2025 18:39, No mail wrote:

Mike Halmarack wrote:

I did a web search for bedside cabinets that were within my price
range. They ones I found seemed pretty shoddy. So, I looked around
locally and found a couple of nice sturdy looking pre-owned G-Plan
cabinets for £100.

The cabinets are a bit dark in comparison to the other bedroom
furniture so I want to remove the finish and lighten them up.

I've dismantled G-Plan furniture before and while they're not solid
wood they've got a very thick veneer over composite boards.
So, I think they wont disintegrate under a vigorous stripping.
Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if
necessary, would be appreciated.

Best approach is to find an area that is normally out of sight and experiment. Paint stripper, acetone or hot air gun might do something. However, if it's a 2-pack lacquer you'll need an appropriate stripper,
or to sand.

Sanding good. The new strippers will strip acrylics OK

But hmm.

Depends what the finish is?? Acetone will remove some stuff

If its hard try using a scraper and then sand


--
WOKE is an acronym... Without Originality, Knowledge or Education.

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On 20/03/2025 18:44, No mail wrote:

No mail wrote:

Mike Halmarack wrote:

I did a web search for bedside cabinets that were within my price
range. They ones I found seemed pretty shoddy. So, I looked around
locally and found a couple of nice sturdy looking pre-owned G-Plan
cabinets for £100.

The cabinets are a bit dark in comparison to the other bedroom
furniture so I want to remove the finish and lighten them up.

I've dismantled G-Plan furniture before and while they're not solid
wood they've got a very thick veneer over composite boards.
So, I think they wont disintegrate under a vigorous stripping.
Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if
necessary, would be appreciated.

Best approach is to find an area that is normally out of sight and
experiment. Paint stripper, acetone or hot air gun might do something.
However, if it's a 2-pack lacquer you'll need an appropriate stripper,
or to sand.

Just to add: a search for "what is the finish on g-plan furniture" will enlighten your darkness.
Here's the start of the AI response: "G-Plan furniture, particularly
their iconic mid-century pieces, often feature a durable two-pack polyurethane finish. This finish, known for its hardness and resistance
to

Scraper that and sand it. No modern stripper will touch it


--
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to
rule.
– H. L. Mencken, American journalist, 1880-1956

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Mike Halmarack wrote:

I've previously used carefully broken sheets of glass for cabinet
scraping, but I don't think my wrists would hold out long enough
these days.

Skarsten scrapers used to be good, until replacement blades became
unavailable ... I notice some "compatible" blades are available again, meanwhile I've bought a couple of bahco scrapers.

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Mike Halmarack wrote:

Bahco range looks good. I'll give them a try.

If you've used sharp glass edges in the past, you'll know that some
types of paint/varnish that have totally dried over years are brittle
enough that they are easy to remove by scraping.

Not sure if that applies to two-pack finish, or whether it needs heat to soften?

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Mike Halmarack wrote:

On Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:44:49 +0000, No mail <[email protected]> wrote:

No mail wrote:

Mike Halmarack wrote:

I did a web search for bedside cabinets that were within my price
range. They ones I found seemed pretty shoddy. So, I looked around
locally and found a couple of nice sturdy looking pre-owned G-Plan
cabinets for £100.

The cabinets are a bit dark in comparison to the other bedroom
furniture so I want to remove the finish and lighten them up.

I've dismantled G-Plan furniture before and while they're not solid
wood they've got a very thick veneer over composite boards.
So, I think they wont disintegrate under a vigorous stripping.
Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if
necessary, would be appreciated.

Best approach is to find an area that is normally out of sight and
experiment. Paint stripper, acetone or hot air gun might do something.
However, if it's a 2-pack lacquer you'll need an appropriate stripper,
or to sand.

Just to add: a search for "what is the finish on g-plan furniture" will
enlighten your darkness.
Here's the start of the AI response: "G-Plan furniture, particularly
their iconic mid-century pieces, often feature a durable two-pack
polyurethane finish. This finish, known for its hardness and resistance
to wear, is a hallmark of the brand's quality. "

Thanks for the details. I must start using AI more.

Just use a search - Google usually being the "go to".
You don't need to interact directly with the AI, although it's great fun
to play with ChatGpt. Try going to chatgpt.com and typing: "create image
of diyers trying to give advice" or "create limerick about bad diy" or
"how to strip g-plan furniture" into it.

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On Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:16:39 +0000, Mike Halmarack <[email protected]> wrote:

I did a web search for bedside cabinets that were within my price
range. They ones I found seemed pretty shoddy. So, I looked around
locally and found a couple of nice sturdy looking pre-owned G-Plan
cabinets for £100.

The cabinets are a bit dark in comparison to the other bedroom
furniture so I want to remove the finish and lighten them up.

I've dismantled G-Plan furniture before and while they're not solid
wood they've got a very thick veneer over composite boards.
So, I think they wont disintegrate under a vigorous stripping.
Any advice on the best way to strip and then bleach the surfaces, if >necessary, would be appreciated.

I have done this: chemical strip on the varnish. Then bleaching: oxalic acid solution was not particularly effective. Laundry bleach (sodium hypochlorite) diluted and brushed on worked well. (This was on stained beech, YMMV.)

I have also seen hydrogen peroxide and lye used -- mix and brush on; recipes on the internet. Or brush the lye on, let dry, then brush the h. peroxide on. Beware: the mix will release oxygen, burst sealed bottles, which would spray reactive fluid around.

It's important to do all the bits the same at the same time. I used the wooden knobs as test pieces to see how the wood reacts, and later replaced them with nicer ones on the final piece.

Let dry very well before further finishing... the wood gets pretty wet.


Thomas Prufer

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