Refinishing Wood Furniture
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Currentnt InfQLrnalioQjSeriesInform No. 250 University of Idaho >vtftnber 1974 It College of Agriculture JAN2 01975 Cooperative Extension Service Agricultural Experiment Station UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO Refinishing Wood Furniture WlLLMA SHRYACK* WHY REFINISH? beauty of walnut, mahogany, teak, cherry, maple and oak. Refinishing used furniture Paint or enamel are effective can be an interesting and eco finishes for woods lacking sur nomical way of furnishing our face interest of grain or color. homes with attractive and use There are two types of clear ful furniture. The fine quality finish — penetrating and sur of some of our old furniture face. Each has its own use. makes it too valuable to discard Surface finishes which give a and it often becomes a "conver built-up finish on the wood are: sation piece" once it has been lacquer, varnish, or shellac. refinished. These surface finishes are dif ficult for the amateur to use. WHAT REFINISH? They tend to show scratches and mar readily, and—when re To be worth the time and ef pair is necessary — the entire fort of refinishing, a piece of furniture should serve a pur surface must be redone. Penetrating finishes are eas pose in your home. To do so it must have good shape and de ier to use. They give a satin sign, be sturdy in construction, finish resembling the hand- and have pleasing proportions. rubbed oil finish so desirable in Look for beauty in its wood, fine-wood pieces. Such finishes for this is important in refin penetrate into and become a ishing furniture. part of the wood, making a seal that protects the surface from scratches, water spots and oth WHICH REFINISH? er marring. Patch-repairing Color and grain of some then is easy. A penetrating seal woods have natural beauty and with a tung-oil base is a fine interest. Clear finishes will one and is available. Each man enhance and emphasize the ufacturer has his own trade name for products with this * Extension Home Furnishing Specialist, base. The label should tell you University of Idaho Cooperative Exten sion Service. if tung oil is included. CAUTION—REMEMBER that many of the materials you use in wood refinishing are dangerous when used improperly. Some are inflammable; some give off toxic fumes. Work in a well-ventilated room away from any type of flame. Wear rubber gloves. Burn or keep in covered metal containers all used cloths and steel wool. Burn all used papers. Replace all lids on containers. Clean brushes and wrap in foil or plastic. 3J&- Steps to Refinishing STEP THREE BLEACH (if desired) If we bleach, we do so for one of three reasons—to get a light blond finish on a naturally dark wood, to lighten wood previous ly stained dark, or to remove such surface defects as spots, streaks, or dark areas. Commercial bleaches are bet ter for our use than homemade Wear rubber gloves ones. They do a better job. Remember that all bleaches are STEP ONE - REPAIRING Allow the remover to stand until made of strong chemicals dan the old finish shows wrinkles or gerous to skin and eyes. They There are no "short cuts" to blisters and softens. good refinishing. Each step are poisonous. Take great care from removing the old finish to when you use a bleach of any kind. Wear rubber gloves; pro the final rubdown must be fol STEP TWO - REMOVE OLD FINISH lowed and completed before you tect your eyes, and dispose of proceed to the next step. You can remove old finish all remaining bleach when the easiest and most satisfactorily bleaching job is done. Do any needed repairing and with commercial paint and var restyling before you start re Carefully follow directions nish remover. Select a remover for the bleach you are using. finishing. Pieces of furniture that is non-flammable, and wax frequently gain in simple beau Working with the grain of the free. Removers containing wax wood use a rag, cellulose sponge, ty when you remove carvings leave a residue on the surface, and unnecessary decorations. or brush to apply the bleach. and inflammable removers are Repeat applications until you By restyling a misfit piece of fire hazards. furniture, it may be made use have the tone you want, then ful and adaptable to your fur Follow the label's directions wash the surface thoroughly nishing plan. To restyle or re exactly. The usual procedure is with water and wipe it dry. Al pair a piece, remove all hard simple. With a paint brush, ap low a 24-hour drying period. ware, handles, pulls, and hinges. ply the remover to an area not Replace any broken bracings larger than 2 square feet. Wear STEP FOUR - PREPARE and missing screws. Pull loose rubber gloves and avoid inhal WOOD SURFACE joints apart and scrape off all ing remover fumes. Flow the the old glue. Use a resin glue remover on in one direction. Do Preparing the wood surface to rejoin the loose parts. Have not move the brush back and for its new finish is a vital part both glue and wood at room forth. Allow the remover to of refinishing. The surface temperature. Resin glues are stand until the old finish shows must be as smooth as satin easy to use and are available wrinkles or blisters and softens without blemishes or roughness in either powdered or semi- —about 15 minutes. Then— if you are to have a satifactory liquid form. Casein glues can working with the grain of the final finish. There is no substi be used, but some of these stain wood — hold the blade of a tute for such preparation. wood and are more difficult to broad putty knife flat against 1. Raise indentations with use properly. With hot vinegar, the wood and push it under the steam. Place a damp, heavy wash off any remaining glue. old finish. Clean the knife on cloth over the dent. Touch heat Remember, glue is easier to newspaper or old cloth. Several ed iron to the cloth on the spot remove while it is still soft. If applications of the remover may a hole is too large for its dowel, be necessary to remove all the tighten the joint by placing a old finish. Use steel wool, bur strip or strips of cloth over the lap, toothbrush, pointed stick, dowel end before applying glue or coarse string to remove the and pushing it into the hole. softened finish from hard-to- Another method of tightening a get-at places. After the last joint is filling the extra space application, remove every trace with plastic wood or plastic of finish remover by wiping putty. Apply pressure to the with coarse burlap. Clean and freshly glued joint by using a neutralize the surface with de clamp or tourniquet. Protect natured alcohol, mineral spirts, the wood against the pressure or turpentine. Allow at least 24 tool by using pads of paper or hours before starting the next cloth. step. Raise indentations with steam over the dent. The steam will 7/0 garnet paper. Always sand STEP SIX - FILL WOOD swell the wood fibers. Repeat with the grain of the wood and GRAIN (if desired) until the former indentation is keep surface wiped free of level with the surrounding sur sawdust. You may use an elec If you want a smooth, glass face. tric sander of the vibrating like surface finish, use a paste type for the first sanding on wood filler to fill the pores of 2. Fill the holes and cracks open-grain woods. Typical open- flat surfaces. Always use a with sawdust-and-glue, wood grain woods are oak, mahogany, sanding block in your hand for dough, or wood putty. Using a teak, and walnut. flexible putty knife, press filler final sanding. Hold the paper into the hole or crack. To allow in your fingers when sanding Follow directions given for for shrinkage in the filler, build shaped areas. For rounded the paste filler you use. If the places cut the paper into strips up the fill higher than the sur wood has been stained, add and use a shoe-shine action. rounding surface. After a 24- stain to the filler. The filler Fold the paper with grit side hour drying period, add more if may be the same tone as the the filler has shrunk. out to sand carved lines. Crush wood or you can get a nice ef ed paper becomes pliable and is fect by making the filler slight 3. Remove stains with a sol fine for sanding carvings or ly darker than the wood to ac vent or by sanding. For animal scrollwork. fat stains, use benzene or naph cent its grain. Filler the con tha. Use acetone (fingernail Be satisfied only when the sistency of thick cream is best. polish remover) for stains from wood surface feels perfectly If it needs thinning, use naph vegetable oils. Sand off spots smooth and when a nylon stock tha or mineral oil. made by glue. ing will not snag when rubbed over it. STEP FIVE-STAIN WOOD (if desired) Most wood is more attractive and beautiful when left un stained. Sometimes the right staining emphasizes interesting wood grain or blends wood tones where there are irregularities. Rub with clean burlap in a circu lar motion to work filler into wood Pigment oil stains give most grain. satisfactory results and are Sand the wood surface with the grain of the wood. available in a wide range of Using a pad of lint-free cloth, color tones. They are easy to work the filler into the wood use as they penetrate slowly and with a circular motion and 4.