If it truly is "gorgeous" and has any age, the heavy sanding will have
reduced its value, possibly by half.

The nicks, dings and surface below the paint are part of the patina that is
irreplaceable.

However, continued local application of paint stripper, allowing the "gunk"
or whatever you use, to soak in, followed by a careful probe into the grain
with a fine needle, followed by a rinse with white spirit and a rub with
fine wire wool is the best treatment. Any that resists all of your efforts
should be left as honourable scars and a reminder on the history of the
piece.

Refinishing is a matter of taste. A stain (at least one shade lighter than
you hope to end up) followed by an application of a good hard-wax furniture
polish with loads of elbow grease should leave the grain visible and an
overall pleasant appearance. Since you are down to bare wood, I suggest
several applications applied with fine wire wool rather than a cloth. That
should be sufficient to fill the grain.

Oxalic acid (poisonous - handle with care in a ventilated space and use
gloves) is good for removing stains (it does bleach the wood). It is pretty
powerful and dries to a white powder - to stop the action, wash off with
white vinegar.

There are lots of books on antiques restoration - and advice on the
Internet.

Sadly I feel you may just end up with a "new" piece, albeit made from
"second-hand" timber.

--
Roy Dennis
Stay up to date in The Deepings, visit
www.deepingsnews.org.uk
wrote in message
oups.com...
All,

I'd be grateful for some input. I've read around a bit and want to
clarify a few things.

I picked up a gorgeous oak & maple dresser with a hideous white paint
job. I've stripped it completely (some white paint remains in some
deep grain on the top) and have sanded it fairly heavily (it had a lot
of dings & stains, etc).

I'm a bit confused about the need for and the differences between
`grain filler,' 'sanding sealer,' etc. I'm also not sure in what order
to proceed.

Does one, after sanding, use a sealer, then a filler, then a stain? Is
the filler even necessary?

Also, as I mentioned above, there is some white paint that I can not
remove. I've tried steel wool, I've even tried toothpicks. Will a
grain filler hide that white paint? Should I just keep sanding? The
top (the only place with the white paint left over) is a thick solid
piece of oak, so I definitely have the material to keep sanding.

Thank you,
D. Hill.