Repair for damaged piano finish?

[Phil Thien]

To the finishing pros out there, how will a repair of the spot compare to sanding/restaining/respraying the entire top right to the edges?

Would a pro have a difficult time matching that stain?

[Scott Holmes]

Depends on the finish and finisher. Some repair guys are amazing, others not so much.

[Phil Thien]

Depends on the finish and finisher. Some repair guys are amazing, others not so much.

For someone w/ limited experience repairing damage like that, would someone be better off attempting the repair, or sanding/staining/spraying? That is, what is the average guy w/o a lot of experience going to have a better chance at making look decent?

[Bob Wingard]

I would avoid sanding if at all possible. It looks like the stain might be intact, and any sanding could/would change the color. One might try masking the edges, and "washing" the entire top with lacquer thinner with LOTS of retarder in it. Trying to reamalgamate the finish is about the extent of what I would attempt. If you could soften the finish enough to liquify it ... then remove most of it by simply wiping, you would leave a little bit of it behind to seal in the color, and then re-spray the entire surface. If the procedure failed, at least you would have done no harm, other than to expand the damaged area ... IF ... the stain didn't wash off with the lacquer.

I would only attempt such a repair if I couldn't get a pro finish repair guy to do it, and the only other option was the trash. Most major furniture stores have someone they call in to repair pieces that were damaged in delivery ... most of them are very good ... ask for references and/or try to look at before/after pictures of their work. The cost might surprise you ... it's not as bad as you might think in most cases.

[Phil Thien]

But won't lacquer thinner remove stain, too? That is pretty strong stuff?

[Bob Wingard]

Normally, the stain will not be lifted from the wood with a lacquer thinner wash. When the original lacquer was applied, it may have lifted a small amount of stain from the surface, but left it sealed there by it's very presence. Washing the lacquer MAY remove that tiny amount of color ... maybe not ... only the act of washing it will tell for sure.

The real skill in this procedure is in knowing how long you have to reamalgamate the existing finish, and how to "move" it around without removing any more of it than necessary. If you can imagine a finished surface where the finish is perfectly dry ... then, suddenly, it's wet again, and you have a small window of time to get it how you'd like it. Washing the finish will liquify the old lacquer, and will remove some of it ... you need to be prepared to add more finish, spraying is preferred, in order to level the surface before it dries.

[Harvey Pascoe]

Harvey,
I hope you meant to say varnish WILL leave witness lines!

No, the wrong word I used was "rubbed out". I should have said machine polished. When using a machine you build enough heat to melt the layers together and eliminate the lines. Every single one of my boxes has multiple touch ups and sand-throughs that machine polishing removes completely without a trace. A polishing pad on an electric drill would do the trick with the right compound.