I use a 150 grit sand paper prior to staining and then go to a finer grit if needed. I only use steel wool after I have stained the piece, I usually stain three times, tack cloth after using steel wool and sanding.

Then seal with satin finish product. I like General Finishes, to seal, probably 3 coats. I only use General Finishes.

Sid

I think it would be difficult to make the loveseat match the red-brown patina of the rocker at this point. Have you thought about a gel stain? Gen stain made by General Finishes is highly recommended on the Home Decorating forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gel stain user's guide

I know nothing about what you want to do, but just wanted to say what a great find you got and it's cool that you are bringing them back to life! Good for you!

I love the set and also know nothing about how to do that type of thing. We have several family antiques that we have taken to a shop and had them done~~DH will paint something from an unpainted furniture shop, but nothing else.

I was going to say gel stain like graywings.
Turn the loveseat upside down to try a couple test spots.

cool furniture!

You might turn the loveseat upside down & experiment on an area that won't show.

Thank you so much everyone!

sidnee, thanks for letting me know the proper grit and usage on the sandpaper, steel wool, staining, etc!

graywings, I've never heard of gel stain and after following your link and then doing some research I think it's *exactly* what I want!

murraysmom, the sellers told me it's been for sale for two years and they were waiting for the right person. lol!

yogalady, I am such a sucker for wood that I won't even paint the cheap unfinished stuff. :p

salgal and sylvia, that's a great idea to test on the underside of the loveseat... will do.

At the moment I'm researching all the different gel stains and trying to find the closest color match from the on-line samples... then I'll see where I can buy what I need.

I'm a sucker for old furniture. :) Thanks again!

Envision having an real antique, perhaps valued at $10,000 had you NOT chosen to strip the original finish.

Don't forget that we want to see a picture of the finished pieces!

OF, I bought it that way. And, phyllis, I won't forget! lol!

For those who have used the General Finishes gel stains, would you agree that Java is the color that's closest to the existing finish on the rocker? :)

EDIT: IOW, if I layer some Java onto the loveseat, do you think I can achieve a color/finish that is similar to the existing finish on the rocker? I'm not sure what the wood is, but I don't think it's a very hard wood. The raw wood does seem to show strong red tones when I wet it with a rag, so I thought Java might be the very thing to use!

This post was edited by party_music50 on Fri, Jun 13, 14 at 9:00

Java is black. I don't think there are any red tones in it. You might want to post the photos on the Home Decorating forum or the Woodworking forum and see if anyone can advise you on colors.

This is just a idea off the top of my head, but maybe you could do one coat of gel stain in one color and then a second coat of another color with some red in it.

Thanks, graywings. I was hoping it was a deep dark coffee color w/ black/brown tones, like the name suggests! :( You responded while I was editing my post to note the red tone I see in the wood. I wish I could see these GF color swatches LARGER and in person. It's difficult to know what you'll get when looking at a 1/2" blurry swatch on a computer monitor. LOL!

In any case, I am *SO* excited about the prospects of using a gel stain to help "recover" this set. :)

I found this before/after vanity done in Java and to me it looks almost exactly like my rocker finish, but other Java projects I found do look black to me.

I don't see any other GF gel stain sample color that looks like it could ever be dark enough to match the rocker, so I guess color mixing/layering w/ Java is the answer.

EDIT: I've ordered some Java and will see what it does to the loveseat, then I'll proceed from there. lol! and, yeah, I got a quart. I have other "projects" that need doing. ;^)

Thanks, everyone!

Here is a link that might be useful: vanity project pic

This post was edited by party_music50 on Fri, Jun 13, 14 at 9:36

Too bad you can't mix 2 parts Java to 1 part Georgian Cherry.

Maybe the reddish color now on the loveseat will come through the Java gel stain.

Good luck and be sure to show us pictures!!

I agree, you need some red undertones and you can mix several stains together.

Here's a piece I did, the red tone is easily snuffed with black....the shine is optional

Well, I just finished my first coat with Java gel stain on the stripped loveseat. It's still slightly wet in the pic but so far the match to the rocker looks great to me!

BTW: gel stain is THE messiest product I have ever worked with!!! I usually do this kind of thing without gloves or a drop-cloth... I'm so glad I believed the guy who said it's MESSY!

I wish I had seen this sooner. The best product for that task is Formbys furniture refinisher. It is very easy to use and restores the original finish beautifully
We have used it on many projects and swear by it.
So next time try Formbys here's a link to the products.

Here is a link that might be useful: Formbys

The gel stain looks nice in your picture, but my experience with it was not so great. It really made the wood look "muddy". I regretted using it. Yours does look nice though!!
Gorgeous pieces - I bet they were stuffed with horse hair when new!

Looks exact to me! I'd be happy with that!!!!!

What a find! Your finish is stunning. Lucky, lucky you. Can't wait to see the set with cushions.