Is the black finish on a 1930's piece of furniture stain or paint?

Question

i am refinishing an old dressing table with birdseye maple, mahogany and some black trim? keeping it as original as possible, should I paint the black trim?

Answer 1

Familiar w/ the style & black lacquer trim was not uncommon on pieces of that vintage.

If it is intact , might be best to leave it alone since stripping black paint can leave  a mess.

If the black lacquer is in recesses between panels . easy enough to mask & repaint if necessary....your call.

Almost certainly a veneered piece , so go easy removing the old finish & avoid sanding .

These pieces usually had a clear lacquer  high ,finish which can be duplicated w/ decent spraycans if applied in several thin coats w/ rubbing out in between.

Just an opinion & not  exactly original, but an oil finish will really show off the birdseye maple & the mahogany.

Best regards

Answer 2

If the black finish is in good condition leave it as is, which might be hard if you refinish the other. Maybe you should tape it off to be safe. If you do have to refinish, maybe black with just a hint of brown in it would be a little softer and not look so brand new.  How this helps you. I would guess that the black might be a dark stain on 1930's piece.

Answer 3

It's usually lacquer/stain.  Leave it but touch up with a bit of black spirit stain if necessary. Modern black paint is unlikely to be suitable.

Answer 4

It could be either. If it is stain it would be alcohol base stain and was often used where the wood was from a lesser grade or type of wood from the other. The mahogany is most likely to be a thin layer of veneer. If maple it could be solid lumber.

Assuming you are using a paint stripper, I would strip the entire piece, then use mineral spirits to wash and kill all the stripper when finished, (before refinish).  It the trim doesn't look good then paint it black again.