Dilly22

I have been looking for a workstation desk for my room. I finally found one that I really like however it is not the right color to match the rest of the furniture in my bedroom. Can this type of wood be sanded, stained (cherry wood color) and lacquered without damaging it?

This is what the desk looks like.
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shopp...roductID=30170

Please let me know what I should do so I can start this project correctly i.e. renting a hand sander, brand of stain that would be appropriate, if i need shellac, explaining what the heck shellac is and does, kind of sand paper with how many grains per sheet, how do I sand/stain evenly.....

If you can't tell, I need all the help i can get! I really don't know squat about woodworking but I figure this would be a great project for me to do and learn.

Please help! Thank you!!!!

Big Dave

Is the desk already coated with a clearcoat? If the desk already has a finish on it then I would steer clear and find one that is close to or an exact match.

That is a plywood desk. THere is nothing wrong with that but if you try to sand the finish off of it your likely to sand through to the underlying layers of plywood and then it will look like crap.

If it is unfinished then just go over it with a Random Orbit Sander and some 220 grit sandpaper. Stain and apply the finish of your choice. Your local paint store should be able to help you pick a finish that is easy to apply and give you pointers.

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edp

Forget about all that sanding and get a can of polyshades in the color you like. Lightly scuff the surfaces to be coated using a scotchbrite pad in medium or fine and coat away. If the color is not dark enough with the first coat, add another until you get the color you like (scuffing between coats).

Ed