Asked on Jan 12, 2017
What is the original finish of this wood furniture??
by
Toolpro
+19
And what do I use to restore it. I'm not new to refinishing furniture but have not had an older piece with this much damage to the finish. I understand damaged older pieces need to be repaired similarly and need advice to do it right. I plan on keeping this piece with hand cut dove tails. Thanks-
Here is the piece after working on it. I rubbed Old English Scratch cover on all the scratched and worn areas and then applied several coats of tung oil. You can still see the scratches and marks, it will blend nicely with the rest of my old furniture. I will be using it between two chest of drawers under a window in a bedroom. It will most likely have a couple of pillows on it. Thanks for all the input.
It looks like it matches your floor atleastby this pic, maybe start there.. Is it from a cat? Are the scratches deep?
Sand it down to see what it is, but it looks like pine to me. When you do sand it down all of the scratches will probably not come out, so I usually embrace the imperfections on old pieces, gives it character. Have fun and post the photos!
Yes, the chest is pine, yes cat damage. Salvaged from a clean out. It had many doses of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to remove the smell. I will absolutely be leaving the deep scratches just want to remove enough finish on the top so matched stain is pleasing. What do you think the original finish might have been.? A friend suggested lacquer. Floor is clear oak laid in 1950 or so.
Use alcohol on it also, best in a spray bottle to get nooks and crannies.. oh and spray outdoors.. Could be lacquer, difference shouldn't be noticeable unless it's darker.. try golden pecan by minwax or in that vicinity of color (can't tell by pic sorry if too light) can it be taken apart?
French polish would be my guess as it's got a Finnish so close to a desk and stool that I have which was my grandparents and it is French polished (though it does need stripping back and redoing but I don't know how to do it so have left it alone my piece is not damaged just worn partly off in some places due to age and use) best of luck and would love to see the Finnish product.
How do you know what finish to use after sanding it down to match
The legs
Thanks I'll look into that. There seems to be a number of products out there that will repair the finish. I am not going for the stripped and re-done look rather repairing what is there. We are expecting a couple days of ugly weather I'll have time to work on it. I'll be using steel wool and some kind of solvent type cleaner to work with the grain to even up the existing finish to start and go from there.
Howard's Furniture Restorer, I'd try mahogany. Follow with Howard Feed & Wax. No poly allowed if you use this. Apply restorer with 4-0 steel wool if badly scratched. Follow directions on can. Get the products on Amazon. Doesn't remove deep scratches, just colors them a bit. I restored an old International Silverware box, was very happy with the result. Note: the wax finish is not shiny, just a soft velvet glow.
Woodworker here!Lightly sand,stain,then coat with liquid plastic!If it is gouged,just put on a little wood glue,and sand it in.
Wow, what kind of catnip was hiding in there? Can you open it? I know you said you cleaned the cat smell out of it...
Hey, you've gotten a lot of great suggestions, and I would take the Hometalker's advice about refinishing the exterior.
I think lightly sanding the interior would be a good idea, and then lining it with cedar so that it becomes a real keepsake would be "purr-fect"!
I can't wait to see it finished!
Want ideas on how to give a new look to old bungalow and the grounds around it
I almost hate to advocate Formby's Furniture Refinisher, but since you want to keep the new finish very like the old one, I will. It dissolves the remaining finish, of which you have a fair amount, and spreads it around. Barring that, try some Minwax Stain. DO NOT use poly. It won't look like the old finish at all.
Yes, even just when sanding down the area, keep ALL/as much of the sawdust (sand dust) as possible, utilizing it in your new medium. I would DEFINITELY find a place on it thats NOT got finish on it, testing out all your potential avenues of finish mediums there, like possibly on the underneath of it, if practical, since it looks as though even behind it may be too revealing/exposed as well. Best of luck
It appears that it could be English Chestnut.