A Naked Chair (After Stripping!)
Once the finish is removed, the piece is rinsed off (the stripper blocks water from penetrating the wood). If we need to change the color, or remove stains like rust, we apply a color remover and rinse that off too. Sometimes, though, the color will not come off, and in that case either we leave it alone and finish it like it is or apply a complementary color.
Right is after stripping and color removal (as much as possible - even using 12% straight bleach) and extensive sanding. You can see the areas of the curves still have a lot of color. Can you also see the 'tiger stripping' effect on the front horizontal piece in particular? This is because the pores are like soda straws and suck up a lot of color when applied. We decided to work with what we had, and apply a stain that was compatible with the color that wouldn't come out.