Tiger Oak Chair Refinished

Tiger Oak Chair Refinished

Tiger Oak Chair Before

This very old chair was one of the most unusual chairs I had ever refinished. I nicknamed it “The Bulky Chair,” because it has very manly characteristics, with wide armrests and a sturdy frame. The original caning was still intact, so I left it alone. Hidden under man-years of oxidation which causes the finish to darken, was a beautiful tiger oak finish, waiting to be visible.

I began by painstakingly removing the old stain and varnish (always a messy job) which took almost a week with a few hours per day dedicated strictly to this chair among other ongoing projects. The right armrest had a large ring stain on it which took a lot of patient sanding to remove as the stain had penetrated into the fibers of the wood.

It looked like a black paint can had been left there and had soaked into the armrest, thus leaving a dark ring which would not come off after stripping alone. After tedious sanding, starting with 80 grit and working up to 220 grit, I was able to remove the unsightly ring. I simply couldn’t leave it there, as it would have been visible even after the new stain was applied. It’s always best to remove marks that have been left whenever possible because it makes for a much cleaner finish. The hard work paid off!

The nature of chairs, with various sizes and surfaces, generally require a lot of hand sanding, especially when there are spindles. Because of the spiral legs on this chair, I used sandpaper exclusively, since curves such as these could not be sanded with a power sander. As you could imagine, this took a great deal of time.

I chose chestnut gel stain, which proved to be a great choice as it brought out the gorgeous tones of the wood. I let it dry for a day, then finished it off with two coats of satin polyurethane, waiting a day between each coat. So after about ten days, the chair was completely refinished.

Made of a unique style of tiger oak, this chair was a great candidate for refinishing. The seat was easily removable and made of black leather, adding to the “manly” style and size of the chair’s design. I believe this is a one-of-a-kind chair, much like the German Rocking Chair I had refinished many years ago. You can read about that chair by clicking on this link: https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2012/06/antique-secretary-desk-german-rocking.html