Rattan Refinishing Question

Hi, I just found rattan stools for my tiki bar after much looking! Very happy as they were a real bargain but were stained a darker shade than my bar is. I would like to try to get them to a similar shade as the rattan on my bar and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. My bar is a golden tone, not super-light but definitely not dark like these stools. A more natural color. It looks as though the stain was applied in the polyurethane. Should I use a stripper to take the stain off, sand it or is it a lost cause? Also if you have recommendations of your favorite finishes for rattan or polyurethanes. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

The only way you'll ever get that stuff off of a surface like rattan is to use CITRUSTRIP (water based, low-odor stripper), applied liberally. Let it do it's work about 30 minutes and then take the stools to the local coin car wash and hit them on SOAP then RINSE with the pressure wand until clean. Sounds harsh but is fairly harmless when you dry them quickly, and makes getting all of the goo out of the cracks and crevices a cinch as well as making cleanup painless. (old antique dealer trick for stripping high-relief furniture; gets it on the sales floor fast and clean!). Sanding is the road to ruin, period. I have seen more furniture completely shot than I care to talk about because someone decided to sand the old finish off instead of using the homo sapiens method (a good liquid stripper till clean and dry, a 0000 light steel wooling, a quality Cabot or Minwax stain, and a durable finish).

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-06-15 18:49 ]

Thanks for the advice Kahuna.
I also scored some rattan bar stools which had been defaced a long while back. I tried stripping the paint off of one but didn't have much luck. The paint seemed to have really absorbed into the rattan. Perhaps I didn't show enough paitence.
Anyway, I ended up getting a can of light yellow paint mixed up and gave 2 of the stools a light coat. The beige paint underneath shows through a bit and gives a good effect. After that I rubbed on a darker stain and then rubbed it off. The faux rattan effect is passable and recovering the seats made a HUGE difference.
I still have 2 more stools so I will take your advice and try stripping them and then blasting them at the carwash.
Also, I've heard that Boiled Linseed Oil is a great finish for rattan. It absorbs in and keeps the fibers from drying out and keeps them looking shiny and golden. True?
Aloha,
:tiki:

[ Edited by: Tiki Royale on 2003-06-15 22:04 ]

BK-Could I invade your brain for just a few hours. I obviously would be a better human being (if not a better furniture refinisher) for it. It's like that sci-fi film with Raquel Welch in the tight suit and the hemoglobins attacking. Please don't let your hemoglobins or white cells attack me.

[ Edited by: tikifille on 2003-06-15 22:09 ]

TF...Awww, bullsheeut. LAVA- Boiled linseed oil will work but will take about two days to dry. It does have a great lustre. Dry outside for safety.

Fille-You're talking about The Fantastic Voyage, aren't you? Seems like I found a game or something in my travels related to that movie..

BK-Thanks for the info! Very much appreciated! Tiki Royale, thanks also for bringing up the linseed option. I have heard that before and didn't know if it worked.

On a related refinishing issue,I have two old Witco pieces: a tiki and a wahine carving. Both have lost their protective finishes (the wood is bare).
The tiki was very dryed out and cracked when I found her, so I applied liberal amounts of lemon oil. That worked for awhile, but she is drying out again.
The wahine carving was painted, but her color has faded. I have done nothing to preserve her for fear of damaging the paint that is left.
I would appreciate any suggestios on how best to preserve both objects.
Also, -- this question is mainly for Basement Kahuna -- the varnish on one side of the tiki I have from the Imperial Luau is milky. Any ideas on how to treat the finish so I get a look that is consitent with the rest of the piece?
Mahalo,
KG

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-06-17 08:09 ]

You can re-amalgamate the finish by sort of "melting" it with denatured alcohol and a fine steel wool pad or a good bristle paint brush, but I'd say if you do one spot do the whole thing. Watch for brush marks. What this does is essentially "re-melt" the lacquers back to liquid form, after which (only when thoroughly dry) you should apply orange or lemon oil, let dry then Bre-Wax. Both of mine are carefully refinished to reflect their original look and look cherry good; the finish on those tikis had degraded mainly due to millions of patting and rubbing hands with their oils and perspiration, which actually can have a caustic effect on modern (I.E. 1950's) finishes.

Be aware of one thing - some rattan is burned (rather than stained) to achieve its dark coloration. I don't know enough to tellyou how to spot the difference, but I've seen it done this way and it seems to me it could be pretty tough to lighten the rattan if it was finished this way...

I just wanted to check back in and let y'all know that I used the linseed oil on some bar stools this weekend and... Wow!
I found a pair of stools that needed some TLC. They hadn't been painted or anything, just DIRTY and a bit dried out. I scrubbed them down with a scrubbie sponge and let 'em dry then rubbed them down real well with the boiled linseed oil. They now have a beautiful golden lustre, and smell nice too!
Aloha,
:tiki:

[ Edited by: Tiki Royale on 2003-07-14 12:30 ]

I've got a related question: My daughter has a Rattan table & chairs that have been left out in the elements on her patio and need to be refinished & protected against the sun & rain. I'm going to suggest that she try the Boiled Linseed Oil, but are there any other suggestions for protecting the Rattan against getting dried out again? Should she try a Marine Varnish or other serious protective coating, or just stick with the Linseed Oil & just reapply it every year or so?

I just scored a great love seat and chair for dirt cheap with the same problem. Someone left them out and didn't bother protecting them. Freddie, have you tried oil yet? If so how did it turn out?

It's my daughter's table & chairs, and she hasn't tried it yet. She may not at all, the chairs' cushions are falling apart & it needs some structural repairs, too. It's pretty much the cat's table & chairs now.

Found soume pretty messed up rattan stuff and want to save it. So, how did everyone's projects turn out?

Here are a couple of questions:

What is a scrubbie sponge? Is it something special for refinishing or what?

"take them to the car wash and hit them on SOAP then RINSE with the pressure wand until clean" - After using CITRUSTRIP I'd rather not haul the stuff to a car wash in my Miata...I'll get goo all over the car. how much success will I have with my hose and a good nozzle at home? Or should I really find a way to get stuff to the car wash? Are there cheap pressure washer kind of things out there that would work well?

"0000 light steel wool" - Is this to get the extra crud off after stripping? Does it smooth out imperfections? How should I fill nicks and dings?

"a quality Cabot or Minwax stain, and a durable finish)" - What is the concencus on finishes? Is the boiled linseed oil the favorite? How do various finishes hold up? Sorry if this is stupid, but do I have to boil the linseed oil or does it just come that way?

One last question. That wrapping stuff. I know you have to soak it for a day or two. Are there any tricks to getting it to hold on well and look good?

Thanks for any info!

Spy,
I haven't moved forward on my rattan resto as of yet. The rains have kept me doing anything since they always seem to fall on the weekends. However, I can answer a few of your questions.

*What is a scrubbie sponge? Is it something special for refinishing or what? *

You know those yellow sponges with the green "rough" back to them? You can buy these as just the green "rough" portion. I think thats the kind of sponge being mentioned. You can also buy refinishing brushes at Home Depot in the stain/finishing supplies section.

After using CITRUSTRIP I'd rather not haul the stuff to a car wash in my Miata...I'll get goo all over the car. how much success will I have with my hose and a good nozzle at home? Or should I really find a way to get stuff to the car wash? Are there cheap pressure washer kind of things out there that would work well?

I wondered the same thing. And hopefully next weekend, I'll get a chance to give it a try and find out.

What is the concencus on finishes? Is the boiled linseed oil the favorite? How do various finishes hold up? Sorry if this is stupid, but do I have to boil the linseed oil or does it just come that way?

I've used Polyshades many times on other pieces of furniture before and I think thats the way I'm going to go with my resto. Never used boiled linseed oil and because of that, don't want to "experiment" with it with this set. And no, boiled linseed oil is not boiled - it is simply treated to dry faster (yes it comes that way).

One last question. That wrapping stuff. I know you have to soak it for a day or two. Are there any tricks to getting it to hold on well and look good?

I've been told that generally, anyway you can get it to stay is acceptable as long as it looks good since its cosmetic and not structural. I stripped all the old binding off of my resto project and plan to rewrap it all. If the natural binding gives me problems, I'm willing to try using a vinyl substitute. I think the biggest challenge for me will be figuring out the wrapping pattern.

Here is a link to the resto project I'm working on. There's some good info there that may be of use to you. Good luck and post pics of the progress!

My rattan score and resto project.

for that wrapping stuff...

I usually put a liberal amount of wood glue (tight bond) both on the beginning portion of the wrapping and the piece being wrapped (rattan or bamboo). Place the end of the wrapping down, do one full wrap and overlap the end. Keep the wrapping pulled tight throughtout the entire process. ONce you have a wrapping or two done, and you keep it tight, it will stay. Complete the wrapping the same way, leaving the last wrap a little loose, then tuck the end through and pull tight. I usually apply the wood glue to the wrapping throughout the wrapping process. It can get a little messy, but you can wipe away the excess when you're done. Believe it or not, it will hold very tight, and you don't need to mess with tiny nails or anything that might split the wrapping. Good luck and have fun - the wrapping process is my favorite part. Feel free to email or PM if I wasn't clear enough.

Thanks Poly-pop & Polynesiac,

Great tips. That other thread was very helpful as well. I'm gonna go out and start with the warm soap and water and my new scrubbie sponge today since the sun is out. (whoever had it screwed a no parking sign on the table for a top!)

Reading through the other post I get the idea that the boiled linseed oil is something to "bring back" (I heard them say that on TV) the rattan, but not to seal and finish it. Is that right? I don't think I have the patience for the 12 month plan, but was wondering if rubbing on one of those other wood oil things would be a good idea? I sauppose it would. Do you do that before or after staining...does it affect the stain...seems like Minwax is the favorite finish, right?

P.S. I'm a little jealous of your sofa and chair find.