Furniture repair and restoration professionals use dozens of materials and techniques to invigorate old, damaged and worn finishes without stripping and refinishing. Each project is as unique as an article’s composition, condition and the circumstances that caused the damage, and no single restoration strategy is effective on everything. Among many refurbishment solutions pros employ, here are some tried-and-true remedies adventuresome DIYers can try.
Restoring Luster to Dull finishes—Clean and Coat
Simply cleaning an article often restores much of its former beauty. The cardinal rule of cleaning: do no harm. Begin with the mildest and least abrasive approach, and use increasingly more aggressive products and scouring pressure only as needed. Test unfamiliar materials or methods first in an inconspicuous area.
Clean furniture in the following order of less-to-more aggressive techniques:
- Water—wipe the finish with a water-dampened (not wringing wet) nonabrasive rag. For greasy surfaces, add a drop of liquid dish soap to a pint of clean water. Lightly wet-scour stubborn food and sundry stuck-on substances with a green or white plastic abrasive pad (Scotch-brite). Avoid rougher gray or brown pads, and steel wool, as these may scratch or dull a finish.
- Citrus Cleaner—rub orange or lemon cleaner (not oil) first with a rag, then an abrasive pad as needed. (Citrus oils are often effective in removing scuff marks from chair legs).
- Mineral spirits (a.k.a. paint thinner)—wipe first with a rag, then with an abrasive pad if needed. Intact finishes will benefit from this solvent; only compromised and severely damaged finishes in need of refinishing will be harmed.
Next, coat the surface to restore luster. There are many ways to beautify blah wood finishes, some of them complicated and labor-intensive. Here are three simple methods, in order of increasing difficulty of application, that routinely yield “wow” results:
- Wipe on a fresh topcoat with an all-in-one restorative “finish” like Restor-a-finish, Restorzit or Wood Elixir. These impart a soft, uniform, satiny finish-like glow and patina, and hide faint scratches. They occasionally remove white water stains. Available in many hues, use a neutral shade if in doubt which color to choose.
- Apply one or more coats of satin gel varnish. This simple-to-apply clear product made by Bartley is a true finish that wipes on easily, dries quickly and protects and beautifies. Apply in one square foot areas using two clean lint-free cloths.
- Apply water-based polyacrylic or urethane wood finish, a milky-white quick-drying topcoat that dries to a hard clear film. Apply the appropriate sheen (matte, satin, etc.) in thin coats using a painter’s pad on flat surfaces, with a soft brush in irregular areas.
Repairing Light Scratches in Wood and Furniture
Shallow scratches that run parallel to and along the wood grain direction are much easier to hide than cross-grain scratches. Deep dents, burns and gouges require different repair techniques.
Some minor scratches can be hidden temporarily by rubbing with the meat of a walnut or pecan.
Pros hide light scratches using touch-up color replacement markers, pencils and sticks, which are repair instruments with built-in colors and sometimes finish. Scratch remover markers are available from makers like Mohawk, Guardsman, H. Behlen and from woodworker supply firms in many wood hues and shades from ash to cherry to maple to walnut, and black and white.
To fill and eliminate deeper scars, scratches, gouges and abrasions on furniture, use wax and putty fill sticks, made by Mohawk, H. Behlen or J.E. Moser's. Most woodworker and woodworking supply outfits sell them online in many colors.
Application is simple: apply the appropriate color using the marker tip, wiping off any excess. Some scratches can be hidden or made to blend in with the surrounding area using a single color. But because most furniture is a complex mix of native wood grain color, stain and finish, usually two or even three colors are layered to build up the final tone, starting with a light shade and then applying darker tones in succeeding passes. Pros lock in the repair with a light spritz from an instant-drying aerosol lacquer of the proper sheen.
When trying a new product or technique, first practice on a scrap of wood, or the underside of the article being repaired. Employ the carpenter's rule: measure twice, cut once.
A quick, temporary fix for minor scratches: wipe on a thin film of vegetable oil, then wipe again with a cloth or paper towel. The result will be passable, not perfect.
George Daleiden - I was a science major in college and later a career member of the Institute of Food Technologists. I worked in the processed food and ...
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