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Restoring stainless steel lawyers bookcase

I have an old stainless steel lawyers bookcase. It was used by the military in Long Beach for years. It is covered with green paint. I wanted to restore it to its natural stainless steel look. What is the best game plan to accomplish this?

Thanks for any feedback.

Kenny F [surname deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Long Beach, California, USA
2001

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Hello -

I was wondering if you received any feedback on your inquiry into refinishing/restoring a steel bookcase?

Thank you,

Lisanne

Lisanne Cox
- Santa Barbara, California USA
2007

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Kenny's inquiry was regarding a stainless steel bookcase, Lisanne. That's very different than a steel bookcase because stainless steel is resistant to rust and it is possible to leave it bare or give it a clearcoat and expect little rust. Steel will rust immediately, so you should keep it painted rather than try to get it to a metallic look. There are 50,000 pages on this site and dozens if not hundreds address steel furniture, so patient work with the search engine should give you a lot of info. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007