Refinishing Elevator Interiors
this customer was required to remove mirrored panels from their elevator cabs, and was intrigued by the
walnut veneers that lay beneath the glass.
Mirrors have been
removed . . .
The existing panels looked terrible - black mastic had been applied, and furring strips had been screwed into the veneers,
then ripped out when the glass was removed.
. . . Leaving a
big mess in each elevator!
The client chose to have the original panels restored rather than fabricating new. This was the most cost effective
way of dealing with the problem, though the end result would not be "like new" panels.
restore the panels to a beautiful refinished condition at a savings to the client, so the panels were taken to the
shop and the process begun.
In the shop, mastic is removed
and
Repair work has begun
chemically removing the black mastic. Once removed, the panels were washed down and dried, then sanded. Damaged areas
were filled and patched, then final sanded for finishing.
The photo at left shows the panels prepped and stained, and staged for finishing.
Stripped, prepped and stained, awaiting finish
The finish consisted of several seal coats of pre-catalyzed lacquer, followed by any necessary touch-up and color-blending
of repair areas. After touch-up, another three to five coats of pre-cat were sprayed as a topcoat.
Some of the repair work got pretty extensive, requiring the splicing-in of large areas of veneer. During the touch-up stage,
these areas were padded and color-blended and grained to match.
A
full depth of color after refinishing
The photo at left shows the completed panels re-installed. Though these panels had some "character marks" and flaws, by
nature of their rough history, the result was astounding.
 "Elevator interiors in need of refinishing")
 "Elevator interiors in need of refinishing")
 "In the shop, mastic is removed and repair work has begun")
 "Stripped, prepped and stained, awaiting finish")
 "A full depth of color after refinishing")
 "A beautiful installation")