How to Restore Old Wooden Furniture
Don’t be turned off by ugly paint or varnish. Quality wooden furniture can be turned into a treasured piece with a few easy steps. Think about searching your local thrift store, weekend garage sale, or perhaps right within your own home.
Ralph Swan, a homeowner living near Cambridge, Ontario, has been in wood building and refinishing for over two decades and he points out that taking on a DIY refinishing project can be extremely rewarding. Using his favourite tools from a refinishing product line called, Minwax, he gives us the following tips for our own DIY projects:
• Clean the piece, using the Wood Cleaner before applying a refinishing product.
• Remove old wax or residue using two cloths, one moistened with paint thinner and one dry, to wipe down entire surface. Fine steel wool, a stripping brush, old cans, lint free cloths and the Antique Refinisher are helpful in removing the old finish.
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• Dip steel wool pad into a small amount of Antique Refinisher product, remove excess and test it in a discreet area.
• Apply refinisher with steel wool in a circular motion allowing the old finish to soften. Repeat and wipe down surface with clean cloth and repeat.
• Remove any residue with a lint free cloth.
• Let dry for two days then apply the Wood Finish Stain. Allow the stain to penetrate for five minutes and then wipe off excess with a clean cloth. Repeat the stain process after waiting a minimum of 4-6 hours.
• Dry (24 hours) then apply a coat of Antique Oil Finish using a natural bristle brush. Let sit five minutes and wipe off excess with a clean cloth. Wait 24 hours and repeat the process.
• After allowing the oil finish to dry for a day, apply a thin coat of the Dark Paste Wax. Apply it in a thin uniform coat that you can buff in 30 minutes using a piece of old denim cloth repeat process for additional protection and maintenance.
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