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Cleaning Lacquer Finish

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Hi, this isn't a wood turning question but a question on finishes. Our church pews are oak with a lacquer finish. We've been wiping them frequently to disinfect but it's ruining the finish. It's mainly a 2" section along the tops of the seat backs. Any suggestions? Even if we don't disinfect, I'd like to be able to clean them frequently. I was considering using Howards Feed-N-Wax on a weekly basis.
 
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Joined
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I've also concluded that I don't want any wax on it - especially the open grain oak. It could preclude any future finishes without a complete sanding to bare wood. I think we should put 3 coats of poly over the lacquer just on the tops of the seat backs. Then it will be impervious to disinfectants.
 

john lucas

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not sure poly is compatible with lacquer. It may just flake off in a few years. Probably just needs a thicker coat of lacquer. Your dissenfectant would probably remove any wax anyway so that would be useless,
 
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Reapplying lacquer would also be my suggestion for a fix.

You can apply poly over lacquer, but the bond is mechanical only and will not be a long lasting solution. If you want to do that, it is recommended to clean area first with TSP (or similar) to remove dirt and grunge, then wipe down with naptha to remove any wax that may have been applied in the past, then sand before applying the poly. Do not sand before cleaning the pews, that will only embed dirt and wax in the scratches.

If you do apply poly over the lacquer, be aware that in a few more years, you will probably start seeing poly peeling up, and need to do a complete refinishing.
 
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Another question may be how heavy are you applying the disinfectant. We are using a fine mist sprayer and it dries almost right away, so no damage yet.

Also is the finish old and had a buildup of crude already and show handprints? Our old pews were like that and the finish was expiring.
 
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My suspicion is that the damage was done with hand oils and wear. I've seen antique chairs that are so sticky on the back of the chair that you can peal off goo with your fingernail. Even had my shirt stick to a chair on a warm/humid day. Add disinfectant with a hard wipe down and that goo was wiped off exposing the damage.
 
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The pews are only 10 years old. I spoke with the manufacturer and they told me it was a lacquer finish. We are investigating using a fine mist sprayer (electrostatic). I think if we avoid wiping we'll minimize damage.
 
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