Time to refinish my companionway ladder. The steps are made of veneer covered plywood.
I will definitely refinish onboard as its too much trouble to disassemble. I plan to strip the existing coating, sand lightly, stain, and reseal with polyurethane. Finally, new non skid strips will be applied to prevent slips if the step surface is wet. I am really not interested in covering the steps with vinyl.
So, here is my question. What is the best method of stripping the old sealer from the surface of the steps? .
1. Sand--- I have a random orbital sander and can attach a vacuum. I don't want to
get too aggressive because the surface is a thin veneer. Also, want to keep
the dust to a minimum.
2. Heat & Scrape--- I don't have a lot of experience using a heat gun. My concern
is overheating the veneer that might cause cracking or delamination.
3. Chemical Peel--- My concern is that the chemical would penetrate into the veneer
causing delamination.
If the steps were fabricated of solid wood, I would have no concerns whatsoever; however,
because of the plywood veneer, I am somewhat tentative about best method of removing the old sealer. Any thoughts / suggestions?
I will definitely refinish onboard as its too much trouble to disassemble. I plan to strip the existing coating, sand lightly, stain, and reseal with polyurethane. Finally, new non skid strips will be applied to prevent slips if the step surface is wet. I am really not interested in covering the steps with vinyl.
So, here is my question. What is the best method of stripping the old sealer from the surface of the steps? .
1. Sand--- I have a random orbital sander and can attach a vacuum. I don't want to
get too aggressive because the surface is a thin veneer. Also, want to keep
the dust to a minimum.
2. Heat & Scrape--- I don't have a lot of experience using a heat gun. My concern
is overheating the veneer that might cause cracking or delamination.
3. Chemical Peel--- My concern is that the chemical would penetrate into the veneer
causing delamination.
If the steps were fabricated of solid wood, I would have no concerns whatsoever; however,
because of the plywood veneer, I am somewhat tentative about best method of removing the old sealer. Any thoughts / suggestions?
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