I think this set turned out very nice. Your communication with your client helped you navigate this process to the end. Sure did take a lot of work to accomplish but the final result was worth it. I appreciate the dedication you put into your work. 🌲
I’m impressed with all of the work you had to put into this job, especially resending and restaining, etc. Thank you for sharing the ups and downs The final result is quite beautiful. Congratulations!
A friend wants me to do her table and chairs, but after seeing this, the answer is no. Your work was wonderful, and they will love it for a very long time.
@@heidisettles5537 I regularly get requests from past clients, friends, my daughter’s former teacher 😂 to refinish dining sets and I always say no. Even if they agreed to my price of $40/hr + materials it would not be worth the frustration.
I'll redo tables all day long but chairs is a whole different game. Haven't did one yet that wasn't time consuming. Yes definitely charge up on chairs if its an easy chair project than you could always discount a little if it went somewhat easier. Some swear by the bleach doing a good job..never had any luck with that particular application. It either turns very blotchy &/or the wood green in areas. The set turned out really great. You always amaze me with dedication n determination detail with all your project pieces. Have a fantastic week.
I’m impressed that you continue to refinish them! This may be a one and done for me.😆 Painting them would be ok tho. I’m glad to hear that it didn’t seem to be user error on the bleach for me. You just never know when trying something new. Thank you! I appreciate you always watching and commenting! I hope you have a wonderful week!🩷
Paint washing first then staining is a beautiful look. You worked hard and the end results r amazing. Your customer will love it for years. Linda Beals.
Oh Rachel! I feel you in every step here. lol,,, we all need that first set of chairs to know that we never want to do that again.. lol I once scraped a whole (8 seat) table top in one afternoon because that work out was going to leave me a sore back and arms, and i wasn't going to be able to finish the next day. For the oxalic acid I have a 3 inch brush exclusively for it, that I rinse and reuse each time I have to use oxalic acid or bleach, that way I don't have to toss it. Thank you for reminding everyone about your good safety practices I love when you do that!
My goodness, that certainly had to be a workout!🫣 Way to persevere and get it done, tho. Ok I’ll do that next time when using oxalic acid. I often reuse my brushes (like I have a brush I keep in a container for applying stripper) but didn’t think to this time. Thanks!! Glad you appreciate the safety reminders. It’s so important to protect ourselves as much as possible. Like when you shared about your kickback experience. That reminds me I need to circle back and watch the rest of your video! I haven’t watched any lately bc I was using every free minute to work on this set and video.😅
@Restorations.by.Rachel I can tell that set was a challenge. Reusing the stripper brush it is so cool! I do that too! It gets hard, but then with the stripper it gets wets again, and easy to apply.
In my experience when you have a piece with different color wood like this top, what really helps to even out the tone is doing a paint wash with beige paint.
Thanks, Heather. I actually almost did that, but the client opted for just stain bc when I did a trial stain on a chair leg with a paint wash and then stain, they preferred stain only and were afraid it would have ended up looking similar. Appreciate you sharing that!
@@Restorations.by.Rachel wood conditioner would have helped. You apply it before the stain goes on. I have used it and it made a huge difference. There are also toners that you can use after the stain that evens it out a lot but all in all learning as you go is fun too! I will always remember my first projects that came out so much better than I ever imagined.. and way better than when I first got them!
@@riosomathank you! I have used preconditioner before, so I don’t know why I didn’t think to use it this time.🙈 Have you found it to help on maple? A couple places where I was researching said it didn’t seem to help much on maple. Yes, the before and after is so rewarding!!😀
Thank you! Prestain certainly wouldn’t have hurt. From what I’ve read after seeing how the stain took, many said that prestain doesn’t help a whole lot with maple, but it would’ve been good to have at least tried.
if you use 320 or 400 grit paper and sand by hand with no pressure just the weight of the sandingblock you won't sand thru your first layer of top coat .Also alot of your blotchinees is from you starting with a 120 grit sanding pad. Don't jump(skip) grits to get done faster, all that happens is you create more work. Detail sanding Chairs, Chairs all chairs get sanded by hand regardless of how flat areas you have.your starting grit when you begin to sand regardless of what beens done is 80 grit then 100, then 120, then 150, then 180 ,then 220 .tables and chairs take a long time to do properly. My average time to strip and sand a table is around 30 hrsthe chairs require more time. But hey really nice job
Thanks, Geoffrey! Why do you consider starting at 120 skipping a grit? I always go from there to 180 and then 220. I see where you said you go from 120 to 150, so maybe that’s what you’re referring to. My understanding is that you want to go up a max of 50% each time, and going from 120 to 180 doesn’t go over that max. Would love to know your thoughts if you care to elaborate more. Thanks! Also, I’m impressed you hand sand the entire chair!👏
Hi Rachel, with all the time stripping and sanding, how much would you recommend charging for a set like this? I have a client ask if I would be interested in refinishing hers, but after watching your video, I am not sure it's worth what I can charge in my area.
I charged $450 for the table and $100 per chair. I think next time I would bid it at $550 for the table and $200 per chair, but it all comes down to how much you would like to make per hour after all your supplies and taxes. I think if you give them an estimate of the time needed per chair and the cost of the materials then that will help them see why you are giving them the price you are. Hopefully that helps!🩷
Ok so good to know! Maybe it was just the brand then. Although I think the second time I was wrapping it I had run out of the Costco brand and was using Sam’s version bc my mom ordered me some while they were here visiting. That would be an interesting thing to see if it varied.
So ,with out sounding like i'm picking on you, first thing get rid of those eco strippers, you're wearing breathing equipment , you might as well use the regular stripper.When you strip furniture you keep applying stripper till 95 % of all the stain and top coat are gone . if you find hard spots they sell scrub pads designed to remove stain and paint they're cheap..Back to acetone put the acetone in a squirt bottle and use the scrub pads .It's alot easier that the paper towels
That’s a really great point. My main issue is that I feel like the fumes linger for a while, at least when I’ve used KleanStrip in the past. My kids are in and out of the garage a lot, so I don’t want them around that. I still may go back to it from time to time bc it is way faster, but I’ve just hated the lingering smell. Really appreciate all the suggestions! I always like knowing how to do something faster and/or better.
Removing mask is really bad advice. These eco strippers still release harmful fumes. My SIL is a pulmonologist and I stupidly did not heed her warning about these. I used Smart Strip without a mask in a huge room (600 sq feet, 12 ft high ceiling and nearly wrap around windows) and I got sick for days. My lungs felt awful, raw, and heavy. Your health is not worth sacrificing because masks are annoying.
@@alexandra_sa_lazerI’m sorry you had such a bad experience after using safe strip. You’re right, you have to do the best you can to protect your lungs. I have a furniture friend who loves that stripper, too, but I have yet to try it. It’s on the list when I run out of my current supply.
It seems to me the blotchiness was in the wood itself, not in what you did with it. Anyhow, I commend your hard work and determination. You did a good job.
You've done a good job, congratulations on the final result. TH-cam recommended your channel to me and I see that you have a lot of followers and good videos - I promise I'll watch some of them soon. Regarding this video and the process itself (I already congratulated you on the result), I want to make some observations and I hope I don't fall into the "hater" category because I'm not, and I'm aware that it's easier to type on a keyboard than to work on a piece of wood, so I'll be careful not to be too critical. First of all, it's good to protect your hands, lungs and eyes, however from the beginning you're working in shorts and a t-shirt while handling acids. Where you buy these items there's also a section for clothes (and shoes) and even if you will not look very sexy in the videos, you'll be protected - I'd give anything to get my feet back and I'm surprised when someone doesn't take care of their own. Secondly, I invite you to work from the natural. Not everything comes in a "kit" as you mention when you have to sand the wood with a special kit. Why didn't you use your hands and sand paper from the start? You save sandpaper, time and effort, especially with the detail areas on the chairs. Why so much paper to clean up? From the work clothes that are left behind (previous point) you cut pieces that you can use again and again in your projects. It is useless to use products with the prefix "Green" if the work waste says the opposite. Third and last. You are breaking the basic rule of safety and effort. Never, never, never, work on a piece that is below your vision area. If you have to bend over for more than five minutes or work sitting on the floor, it is wrong. Not only do you expose yourself to spills of dangerous products on your body, but you also have to work harder to breathe and your energy decays quickly, and you also expose your lungs to more airborne particles due to the increased effort. It is very cheap to build a simple bench that allows you to put the piece at a considerable height and even hold it to work safely. That job would have consumed half of your resources in time and effort, benefiting your income if you had used a workbench to manipulate the pieces safely and quickly.
Appreciate you watching and your concern. I try to be cautious, but we all have different opinions of what that looks like. Regarding the green aspect - yes, I agree that it seems backwards to have so much paper waste but I view the green part as being its composition which is why I buy it. It’s much safer to work with than typical chemical strippers. Thanks again for watching!
Thank you. I’m not experienced enough with it quite yet to experiment on a client piece. I have done well with it on smaller sections but not large. It was darker stained pieces tho.
That table and chairs looks like a brand that used different woods to build. What a pain to have to deal with. Not worth stripping and redoing. Painting yes, but I have to give you credit for sticking it out.
Yes, they actually bought the chairs and table separately. They knew it wouldn’t be a perfect match, so they had the right expectations. This is my second time trying to match different woods to a certain color someone already has in their house, and I’m learning that it is not my favorite.🙈 I don’t think I’ll do it again unless I know it’s the same wood type.
I definitely undercharged for the chairs. I charged $100 per chair but for a similar chair I think closer to $200 per chair is worth it for the time and materials involved. There may be a faster way to do some of the steps but I think it is a lot of hours no matter what. How about you?
I think this set turned out very nice. Your communication with your client helped you navigate this process to the end. Sure did take a lot of work to accomplish but the final result was worth it. I appreciate the dedication you put into your work. 🌲
Thank you so much, Julie Ann! It sure was a lot of work, but I’m grateful they ended up happy.
I had anxiety watching you!! Lol
You're tough and diligent and the reward was a beautiful end result!!
Ha! Sorry you felt it, too.😅 Thank you!! Glad you liked it!🩷
I’m impressed with all of the work you had to put into this job, especially resending and restaining, etc. Thank you for sharing the ups and downs The final result is quite beautiful. Congratulations!
A friend wants me to do her table and chairs, but after seeing this, the answer is no. Your work was wonderful, and they will love it for a very long time.
Thank you, Heidi! I hope your friend isn’t going to be too disappointed but I’m glad I gave you a fair warning.😅🩷
@@heidisettles5537 I regularly get requests from past clients, friends, my daughter’s former teacher 😂 to refinish dining sets and I always say no. Even if they agreed to my price of $40/hr + materials it would not be worth the frustration.
Tables and chairs always take forever to redo. You did a fantastic job!
It surely did for me.😂 Next time I’ll know. Thanks, Chris!
Experience is a fact of life and very necessary to learn.
So true! It’s the best teacher.
I'll redo tables all day long but chairs is a whole different game. Haven't did one yet that wasn't time consuming. Yes definitely charge up on chairs if its an easy chair project than you could always discount a little if it went somewhat easier.
Some swear by the bleach doing a good job..never had any luck with that particular application. It either turns very blotchy &/or the wood green in areas.
The set turned out really great.
You always amaze me with dedication n determination detail with all your project pieces. Have a fantastic week.
I’m impressed that you continue to refinish them! This may be a one and done for me.😆 Painting them would be ok tho. I’m glad to hear that it didn’t seem to be user error on the bleach for me. You just never know when trying something new.
Thank you! I appreciate you always watching and commenting! I hope you have a wonderful week!🩷
Paint washing first then staining is a beautiful look. You worked hard and the end results r amazing. Your customer will love it for years. Linda Beals.
Yes, I love that look as well! Thanks, Linda! I sure hope they do.
It turned out absolutely beautiful! Table sets are so difficult, and a labor of love! Nice work ❤
They sure are! Thanks so much, Autumn!🩷🩷
Wow. That was A LOT of work! My goodness. You did such a beautiful job. I’m sure your client was THRILLED!
It definitely was a lot of work, but it was well worth it in the end since they were happy. Valuable lessons learned, too!
Thank you btw!🩷🩷
Rachel! What a beautiful job you did and your explanation is so inviting for someone learning!
Thanks, Wendy! I’m so glad to hear that. I always hope it is.🩷
Oh Rachel! I feel you in every step here. lol,,, we all need that first set of chairs to know that we never want to do that again.. lol I once scraped a whole (8 seat) table top in one afternoon because that work out was going to leave me a sore back and arms, and i wasn't going to be able to finish the next day. For the oxalic acid I have a 3 inch brush exclusively for it, that I rinse and reuse each time I have to use oxalic acid or bleach, that way I don't have to toss it. Thank you for reminding everyone about your good safety practices I love when you do that!
My goodness, that certainly had to be a workout!🫣 Way to persevere and get it done, tho.
Ok I’ll do that next time when using oxalic acid. I often reuse my brushes (like I have a brush I keep in a container for applying stripper) but didn’t think to this time. Thanks!!
Glad you appreciate the safety reminders. It’s so important to protect ourselves as much as possible. Like when you shared about your kickback experience. That reminds me I need to circle back and watch the rest of your video! I haven’t watched any lately bc I was using every free minute to work on this set and video.😅
@Restorations.by.Rachel I can tell that set was a challenge. Reusing the stripper brush it is so cool! I do that too! It gets hard, but then with the stripper it gets wets again, and easy to apply.
GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you, Sophia!😊
In my experience when you have a piece with different color wood like this top, what really helps to even out the tone is doing a paint wash with beige paint.
Thanks, Heather. I actually almost did that, but the client opted for just stain bc when I did a trial stain on a chair leg with a paint wash and then stain, they preferred stain only and were afraid it would have ended up looking similar. Appreciate you sharing that!
To easily spread the smart strip on flat surfaces, I use a wide plastic putty knife or bondo spreader. Goes on super fast
So smart - thank you for the tip!!
What'cha mean? You made it beautiful!
Awe, thank you!🩷 My perfectionism coming out I guess. As a whole, I am happy, just wish the stain had absorbed more evenly.
@@Restorations.by.Rachel wood conditioner would have helped. You apply it before the stain goes on. I have used it and it made a huge difference. There are also toners that you can use after the stain that evens it out a lot but all in all learning as you go is fun too! I will always remember my first projects that came out so much better than I ever imagined.. and way better than when I first got them!
@@riosomathank you! I have used preconditioner before, so I don’t know why I didn’t think to use it this time.🙈 Have you found it to help on maple? A couple places where I was researching said it didn’t seem to help much on maple.
Yes, the before and after is so rewarding!!😀
These came out great!!! I give you all the praise in the world for tackling those chairs 😅😅😅😅 those are my absolute least favorite thing to refinish 🙃
Thanks, Andrea!!! They have become that for me, too.😂
Next time use some wood conditioner. It helps stop the bleeding through and the stain is more even.
Thank you! Appreciate the tip!
Nice job
Thanks, Patricia!
Great work ! I’m wondering if you had used prestain would the stain have absorbed more evenly
Thank you! Prestain certainly wouldn’t have hurt. From what I’ve read after seeing how the stain took, many said that prestain doesn’t help a whole lot with maple, but it would’ve been good to have at least tried.
if you use 320 or 400 grit paper and sand by hand with no pressure just the weight of the sandingblock you won't sand thru your first layer of top coat .Also alot of your blotchinees is from you starting with a 120 grit sanding pad. Don't jump(skip) grits to get done faster, all that happens is you create more work. Detail sanding Chairs, Chairs all chairs get sanded by hand regardless of how flat areas you have.your starting grit when you begin to sand regardless of what beens done is 80 grit then 100, then 120, then 150, then 180 ,then 220 .tables and chairs take a long time to do properly. My average time to strip and sand a table is around 30 hrsthe chairs require more time. But hey really nice job
Thanks, Geoffrey! Why do you consider starting at 120 skipping a grit? I always go from there to 180 and then 220. I see where you said you go from 120 to 150, so maybe that’s what you’re referring to. My understanding is that you want to go up a max of 50% each time, and going from 120 to 180 doesn’t go over that max. Would love to know your thoughts if you care to elaborate more. Thanks!
Also, I’m impressed you hand sand the entire chair!👏
re read my comment
I had the green thing happen😅 luckily it was just 2 doors!
Oh goodness! I’m sorry. Lesson learned to test in a small area next time.🙈
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you!!🩷
Hi Rachel, with all the time stripping and sanding, how much would you recommend charging for a set like this? I have a client ask if I would be interested in refinishing hers, but after watching your video, I am not sure it's worth what I can charge in my area.
I charged $450 for the table and $100 per chair. I think next time I would bid it at $550 for the table and $200 per chair, but it all comes down to how much you would like to make per hour after all your supplies and taxes. I think if you give them an estimate of the time needed per chair and the cost of the materials then that will help them see why you are giving them the price you are. Hopefully that helps!🩷
Although I prefer that brand from Costco of cling wrap, for food, it’s the only brand that I’ve seen melt with stripper.
Ok so good to know! Maybe it was just the brand then. Although I think the second time I was wrapping it I had run out of the Costco brand and was using Sam’s version bc my mom ordered me some while they were here visiting. That would be an interesting thing to see if it varied.
Hey dad!
👋👋
So ,with out sounding like i'm picking on you, first thing get rid of those eco strippers, you're wearing breathing equipment , you might as well use the regular stripper.When you strip furniture you keep applying stripper till 95 % of all the stain and top coat are gone . if you find hard spots they sell scrub pads designed to remove stain and paint they're cheap..Back to acetone put the acetone in a squirt bottle and use the scrub pads .It's alot easier that the paper towels
That’s a really great point. My main issue is that I feel like the fumes linger for a while, at least when I’ve used KleanStrip in the past. My kids are in and out of the garage a lot, so I don’t want them around that. I still may go back to it from time to time bc it is way faster, but I’ve just hated the lingering smell.
Really appreciate all the suggestions! I always like knowing how to do something faster and/or better.
Removing mask is really bad advice. These eco strippers still release harmful fumes. My SIL is a pulmonologist and I stupidly did not heed her warning about these. I used Smart Strip without a mask in a huge room (600 sq feet, 12 ft high ceiling and nearly wrap around windows) and I got sick for days. My lungs felt awful, raw, and heavy. Your health is not worth sacrificing because masks are annoying.
Minimizing risk is always good practice. I personally use Safenol by Blue Bear and find it works even better than Klean Strip
@@alexandra_sa_lazerI’m sorry you had such a bad experience after using safe strip. You’re right, you have to do the best you can to protect your lungs. I have a furniture friend who loves that stripper, too, but I have yet to try it. It’s on the list when I run out of my current supply.
try stripping using co2 sand blaster
I’ve seen people use those but I don’t know that I’d like dealing with the mess. Have you used one before?
It seems to me the blotchiness was in the wood itself, not in what you did with it. Anyhow, I commend your hard work and determination. You did a good job.
Thank you so much! I think that was the case, too.
You've done a good job, congratulations on the final result. TH-cam recommended your channel to me and I see that you have a lot of followers and good videos - I promise I'll watch some of them soon. Regarding this video and the process itself (I already congratulated you on the result), I want to make some observations and I hope I don't fall into the "hater" category because I'm not, and I'm aware that it's easier to type on a keyboard than to work on a piece of wood, so I'll be careful not to be too critical.
First of all, it's good to protect your hands, lungs and eyes, however from the beginning you're working in shorts and a t-shirt while handling acids. Where you buy these items there's also a section for clothes (and shoes) and even if you will not look very sexy in the videos, you'll be protected - I'd give anything to get my feet back and I'm surprised when someone doesn't take care of their own.
Secondly, I invite you to work from the natural. Not everything comes in a "kit" as you mention when you have to sand the wood with a special kit. Why didn't you use your hands and sand paper from the start? You save sandpaper, time and effort, especially with the detail areas on the chairs. Why so much paper to clean up? From the work clothes that are left behind (previous point) you cut pieces that you can use again and again in your projects. It is useless to use products with the prefix "Green" if the work waste says the opposite.
Third and last. You are breaking the basic rule of safety and effort. Never, never, never, work on a piece that is below your vision area. If you have to bend over for more than five minutes or work sitting on the floor, it is wrong. Not only do you expose yourself to spills of dangerous products on your body, but you also have to work harder to breathe and your energy decays quickly, and you also expose your lungs to more airborne particles due to the increased effort. It is very cheap to build a simple bench that allows you to put the piece at a considerable height and even hold it to work safely. That job would have consumed half of your resources in time and effort, benefiting your income if you had used a workbench to manipulate the pieces safely and quickly.
Appreciate you watching and your concern. I try to be cautious, but we all have different opinions of what that looks like. Regarding the green aspect - yes, I agree that it seems backwards to have so much paper waste but I view the green part as being its composition which is why I buy it. It’s much safer to work with than typical chemical strippers. Thanks again for watching!
Toner
Thank you. I’m not experienced enough with it quite yet to experiment on a client piece. I have done well with it on smaller sections but not large. It was darker stained pieces tho.
That table and chairs looks like a brand that used different woods to build. What a pain to have to deal with. Not worth stripping and redoing. Painting yes, but I have to give you credit for sticking it out.
Yes, they actually bought the chairs and table separately. They knew it wouldn’t be a perfect match, so they had the right expectations. This is my second time trying to match different woods to a certain color someone already has in their house, and I’m learning that it is not my favorite.🙈 I don’t think I’ll do it again unless I know it’s the same wood type.
So much sanding! 😅
So.Much.😂
I hope you changed your work on the chairs! Chairs are a nightmare!
I definitely undercharged for the chairs. I charged $100 per chair but for a similar chair I think closer to $200 per chair is worth it for the time and materials involved. There may be a faster way to do some of the steps but I think it is a lot of hours no matter what. How about you?