Lacquer Stain Removal. The first step in removing lacquer and varnish stains is to identify the stained material. advertisement A lacquer coating might keep your brass fixtures nice and shiny for a while. The lacquer started to come right off all dissolved and in pieces.
Lacquer is a protective layer of paint thinner and resins which prevent water from soaking deep inside the wood where it can cause it to buckle and warp.
About the only thing they won't remove as easily is an aniline based dye stain, say something from the early 20's or so. Once the stain is removed, layer white paper towels on the site to soak up any extra moisture. Do it in circles to start removing the extra solvent with the lacquer. Treat stains as soon as possible after staining. Then start scraping the surface with the lacquer. Older furniture often has a shellac or lacquer finish, but it's hard to know what the finish is just by looking. Scrape up the soft lacquer with the blunt edge of a paint scraper, peeling the filmy coating from the underlying wood. If you're spraying lacquer over the shellac, avoid really wet coats because the lacquer thinner in the finish could dissolve through the shellac.
