Quick tips on wood furniture restoration
One of the most gratifying things you can do is transform an old piece of furniture that has seen better days into something worth showing off. Furniture restoration done right can produce some incredible results.
Here are some great tips on how to restore furniture.
You will need the following:
- Sandpaper
- Grindstone
- Wood glue
- Old dress
- Brushes
- Miter
- Safety glasses
- Dust mask
- Latex / vinyl gloves
- Selected veneer/wood veneer
Assess the damage
To understand the extent of the job at hand, you need to assess the damage done to the piece of furniture in question. Is the surface level? Has the existing finish been removed? Are there any warped pieces? These are some of the things you need to look for.
Do the Sanding
Put on your old clothes, dust mask, and safety glasses (safety first) and start sanding. You can probably replace the sanding block with an electric sander, but it may be a bit too hard on the wood surface. The amount of sanding you apply will depend on the severity of the damage to the piece of furniture.
Restoration of furniture
If you want to restore furniture in the house, the first thing to do is to explain that restoring old furniture is one thing and decorating pieces that are not normally of great value but that we love is another.
Now and always, our aim is to have fun, share projects and help you. For this reason, we open a series of posts in which we will talk about furniture restoration, but we give ideas as a personalization of the piece, not a work that aims to reach the original model.
If you are not using a sanding block, you should at least use a cut piece of wood to ensure that you sand evenly. You should sand until all the varnish or original finish is removed. Your piece should be uniform in how it looks after sanding. If the legs or other parts are removable, you should remove them as they will make sanding much easier.
Tighten – Stuff – Those Joints
Loose joints can be a bit of a pain, but they can be easily fixed if you use a good wood glue. Drill as deep as possible into the questionable joint. After applying the glue, clamp the joint. You can check the straightness by using a straightedge.
More Sanding
This may sound a bit tedious, but the second round of sanding is important to ensure evenness. The pieces you glued together may have some irregularity, even if it is very small. It will also reduce splintering.
Apply Your Finish
Before applying your chosen finish, wipe the furniture piece with a cloth to remove dust and foreign particles. Apply your finish with a brush. There are several finishes to choose from, it depends on your preference. It provides a great finish with a waxy feel and appearance. It is an acid catalyzed single pack wood finish that dries to a very hard, scratch resistant finish.
