Lloyd Loom chair

[jocelyn plummer]

I am fairly sure we have discussed this before and I wondered who had the most successful result. I have just purchased a little '50's LL chair, the shape is lovely. I beat the dealer down by about £20 because it has been covered in EGGSHELL paint :shock: :shock: and it is a horrible colour.

Anyway, what hope do I have of getting rid of the eggshell finish. The chair was originally that dull goldish colour, then somebody sprayed it silver, then it was eggshelled. If I can get rid of the shine, i hope to find a very chalky off white emulsion to spray on, (i'll probably use Francesca's chalky emulsion, sample pot size will be more than enough). Any other suggestions?

 

[JoceAndChris]

That sounds tricky Joss- good luck. Will you use sandpaper to provide a key on the eggshell for your new paint? Awkward getting in all those little gaps - but I fear chemicals might be too drastic.

Do you think a chalky emulsion will be a long lasting finish?

 

[Moo]

Do you think a chalky emulsion will be a long lasting finish?

Really, Joce! What are you thinking of? A chair like that isn't for sitting on!

 

[Pford75]

I'd be inclined to try a chemical stripper and then a pressure washer (on a relatively low pressure setting) or perhaps start with a bowl of warm water and work up from there. I'm sure that you could get most of the paint off that way.

Klingstrip has worked well for me in similar cases...it can be squeezed into small gaps, doesn't run off and then dissolves in water

 

[lordmulberry]

I think that most Lloyd Loom chairs and similar are made of rolled paper around a wire centre. Not as some people believe, thin willow. So the action any stripping technique must be considered carefully.

 

[Flyfisher]

The following is from the "care and cleaning" FAQ on the Lloyd Loom website: http://www.lloydloom.com/faq

# Vacuum cleaning is a quick and efficient way to remove loose particles.
# Stubborn or dried –on particles can be removed by using a soft brush (soft nail brush) then cleaned with a vacuum.
# A damp cloth, NOT WATER –LADEN, may be used every so often to remove surface residue. The cloth should be of the non-dyed type as dyes can be transferred to the natural fibre.
# In the event of a major spillage, lightly wipe the affected area with a dry cloth or kitchen towel immediately to remove excess, then allow chair to dry naturally. Never vigorously rub the woven fibre when wet.
# Occasionally, the legs can be scuffed by footwear, these scuffs can be removed using a damp cloth and soapy water, do not over rub.
# If the coated woven natural fibre is damaged and exposed, it is recommended that the area be re-coated using the touch-up pot supplied and a small paint brush to re-seal the damaged area.
# Do not leave or store outside in a damp atmosphere.
# Do not use cleaning solvents/stain removers or chemicals, as they will harm the natural fibre.
# Do not soak whilst cleaning

As lordmulberry and Joce cautioned, chemicals and a good soaking may do more harm than good.

If you're planning to spray it with emulsion anyway then do you really need to strip it ? I think I'd favour Joce's idea of just a light sandpapering with, perhaps, gentle application of a soft (phosphor-bronze?) wire brush for any tricky bits, followed by a wipe down with a damp cloth to remove all dust before spraying.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Do you think a chalky emulsion will be a long lasting finish?

Really, Joce! What are you thinking of? A chair like that isn't for sitting on!

Perhaps not, but may suffer a hard life anyway as Joss flings her handbags and pearls on it with gay abandon. :wink:

 

[Penners]

I'd be inclined to try a chemical stripper and then a pressure washer

I think I'd be a bit worried about that. LL furniture (as I'm sure Joss knows) is made basically from a kind of paper, wrapped around wire. I reckon any treatment as aggressive as that could be deleterious to the material.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Perhaps not, but may suffer a hard life anyway as Joss flings her handbags and pearls on it with gay abandon.

Well it is only for the bathroom!!!

I think I am going to go for a gentle rub down to get rid of the glossy sheen and see what it looks like, then spray it a better colour. As has been pointed out it's been overpainted too many times to get back to the original. I just wish that Dealers would leave things alone and sell in the condition they find them so that the customer can a) see what they are buying and b) shabby chic it up to their own tastes.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Perhaps not, but may suffer a hard life anyway as Joss flings her handbags and pearls on it with gay abandon.

I think I am going to go for a gentle rub down to get rid of the glossy sheen and see what it looks like, then spray it a better colour. As has been pointed out it's been overpainted too many times to get back to the original.

I hope you're still talking about the chair? :lol: :lol:

 

[Penners]

it's been overpainted too many times to get back to the original.

Funnily enough, I was saying almost exactly the same thing to Mrs P, the other day.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: