need advice on refinishing speakers. Do's & Don'ts



Hello

I have a pair of tower speakers I would like very, very much to refinish. the only thing I don't care for about them is they are 'black'. I'd like very much to have them another color. Even natural wood do... pardon the pun.

they have solid wood veneers, ash or oak, I'm not sure. they are stained black, with a clear coat over that. About ten years old.

Is this a doable project? ...or should I have a pro do it?

I'm thinking chems or sanding, ought to get rid of the clear coating, but the stain is another story entirely. If anyone has done this sortr of thing with a good deal of success, I'd sure appreciate finding out the steps needed to do it.

Many thanks.
blindjim
Markphd makes an excellent point and I'll go a step further. Never have any piece of furniture tank stripped, hand stripped only.
Lots of wisdom in those last few posts. I am very grateful... the vat deal never entered my mind... nor did the filling or glazing ideas. Many thanks.

thank you. Surely for myself, and naturally for htose later on planning some likewise venture.
I've been involved in things like this...it's a simple box...have it re-veneered if the speakers are worth it. You'll have a very wide pallette of woods to choose from and they'll look MUCH better when you're done (new, in fact).

Fishboat

thanks.. Can you simply apply veneer over pre-exsisting veneer? ...or must you take it all down to the MDF first?
I don't see any reason you would need to take it down to the mdf. The person that does the re-veneer will have a preference I'd guess. New veneer just needs a good, smooth, clean surface to adhere to. If you have ash or oak (open and/or rough grain) you may want to scuff up & clean the existing surface then follow up with a filler to smooth the surface out. Finding a cabinet maker and asking him/her would be the best path.