Upright Piano refinishing
The exercise of upright piano refinishing is one that entails a great deal of patience to achieve the desired results. It has to be carried out by a qualified piano technician or somebody who has previously handled such a task because the stages involved may prove tricky to a layman. Proper preparation is needed to ensure durability and added elegance after refinishing the upright piano. Following the right steps in upright piano refinishing is also crucially important if the piano is to reclaim its former beauty.
The first step in upright piano refinishing entails disassembling the piano. The boards should be dismantled as much as possible to achieve maximum results on the final product. Here, a piano owner’s booklet can come in handy to assist in the process of dismantling. All the hardware should be clearly labeled and put in plastic bags to prevent a mix-up or possible loss of essential parts. The top, which may be screwed down using two fasteners concealed under the two bumpers, needs to be removed first in the process of upright piano refinishing.
The second step in upright piano refinishing entails stripping off the piano in a spacious well-ventilated area. A thick coat of stripper should be applied using a paintbrush. However, an old toothbrush should be used to apply the stripper to cracks. The stripper should then be scrapped off once the finish has softened using a putty knife. This should be done along the grain of the board and repeated until all the finish has been removed if the process of upright piano refinishing is to succeed. The next step involves light cleaning the wood using a 50-50 mixture of denatured alcohol to get rid of any residue varnish or stripper. The solution should be mixed with lacquer thinner for maximum results. It should be applied using steel wool, and the finish wiped off using paper towels. This should be done repeatedly until all the varnish has been removed.
The next step in upright piano refinishing entails rubbing all the surfaces that are intended for refinishing using steel wool, wiping off the dust using paper towels dampened with denatured alcohol. This should be done after the boards have completely dried up. The next step in upright piano refinishing should be to make any necessary repairs required like gluing loose veneer back into position .Water stains should also be checked and cleared by carefully painting the watermarks with a stain that matches the wood and buffing them off using a cotton swab once the board has dried up.
If need be, a filler must then be applied to open grain woods in readiness for the painting process. Spraying the wood always works better in upright piano refinishing than using paintbrushes. To add that extra sparkle, gloss-tung oil can be rubbed onto the surface of the boards. The finish should then be allowed to dry completly before gently buffing again with steel wool or extra fine sandpaper to apply additional coats. Once the wood has completely dried up, the pieces should be fastened back to place. Extra care is needed to ensure that the new finish is protected from bangs and scratches. If the above procedures are carefully followed in upright piano refinishing, then your old piano should be as sparkling as new.