Professional piece of furniture restorers and hobbyists likewise all have one thing in vulgar : the desire to pick a piece of piece of furniture off the side of the road and reconstruct it to its former glory . What ’s not to like about refurbishing article of furniture ? You ’re saving something from alandfilland breathing new life into a forgotten item . The former owner only see a table with unkept legs and a surface marred by water rings . As a furniture fixture overzealous , you see possibility .
refinish furniture involves harness any aspect of study that ’s require to get an honest-to-goodness dresser or chairperson as tightlipped to the original condition as possible . Often , it ’s more than just a facelift — it ’s making the furniture piece usable again and possibly even contribute value . Here are 10 gratuity that can help oneself you make the sure-enough new again .
10: Make Sure You Have Time to Devote to the Project
You ’ve just found the arrant end table for the correct price : innocent . It ’s sitting on the curb , and all it need is a small tender have it off care . you could already see how it ’ll expect sitting in your life way .
However , it ’s important to remember that a pocket-sized side labor can quickly turn into a time - exhaust task , bet on your regaining skills and how many free hours you have to devote to the work . The more complex the task , the longer it ’ll take to finish , so be sure you have enough time in your docket — or are uncoerced to give up several weekends — to finish your piece . Deep carving can take many hours to strip and refinish . Slats and spindles are not wanton to redo . If you have to transfer rust , that measure alone can take Clarence Shepard Day Jr. of work , which is something you should keep in head before deciding whether or not to haul that table family .
9: Research and Inspect
Do a littleresearch to determine your piece ’s valuebefore you restore it . visit it for marks or label that may indicate its parentage . If you suspect it ’s worth some money , confer a professional before proceeding with any work . Take photo of any markings or tags for your records . Removing a collectibleantique’sfinish could subside or void its economic value , so take for off on stripping or sanding until you love exactly what you have .
If you ’re not an expert article of furniture restorer , do n’t worry . It ’s easy to look for a few telling sign of age . Feel underneath for muffled interior corners . Partially unscrew a screw and look at the threads . If they have discrepant widths between them , then the small-arm is probably reasonably sure-enough . Remove a drawer and see if it hasdovetail joints . If you regain any of these thing , the piece of furniture is likely old and well made , and you should have a professional antique appraiser value the composition .
What are Dovetail Joints?
dovetail joint joints look like interlocking puzzle pieces and are usually used to connect the sides of a draftsman , boxwood or chest to the front .
8: Establish a Budget
Once you ’ve see whether your found treasure is in reality worth any money , you need to determine how much cash you desire to slide down into it . Yes , you might love the challenge of furniture return , but if the objet d’art is n’t worthful , you ’ll need to figure out how important it is to you . Is it something that can be repaired comparatively inexpensively ? Will the undertaking be you less than buy a young piece ? Is it deserving your clip ?
Some projects may just need a few simple fixes you could quickly discharge . Others may be more tangled and could lift up costing you way more than you intended to drop , which could be the reason the furniture was sitting on the curb to begin with .
7: Know What You Want It to Look Like
It ’s happened to every restorer : You rive a wooden table off the curb , thinking its people of color will nicely match the rest of the article of furniture in a given elbow room , only to discover after refurbishment lead off that the piece is actually made from lighter - colored woodwind instrument and does n’t match at all . Luckily , with a little examination , you’re able to get an approximation of the honest caryopsis ’s people of color . Find a spot that ’s been protected from daily wear , such as the back of a drawer front . carry a peep at an unworn area will give you an idea what the the ruined product will bet like .
Putting It Back Together
Be certain to take several pic of the original , assembled furniture and how it wait as you ’re take it apart . Also label hardware and case-by-case pieces as you remove them so you retrieve where they go .
6: Safety First
When embarking on a furniture restoration project , be sure you have refuge in the front of your nous . The last thing you want to do is have a splinter of Mrs. Henry Wood by chance charge itself into your eye or be surmount by harsh fumes .
check that you hold out long - sleeved clothing to protect your cutis from harmful chemicals find in woodwind strippers and varnish . practice safety glasses to harbor your eyes . If you ’re stripping or seal a spell , assume a masquerade and body of work in a well - ventilated room to keep substantial vapor at bay .
5: Clean Before You Start
Before whipping out yoursandpaperand paintbrush , give the spell a thoroughgoing cleanup . After years of neglect , most old furniture is likely to have a patina of soil and dirt . Removing the buildup can discover a nice finish underneath , so a serious cleaning and buffing may be all that old board postulate to search new again .
Give the furniture a thoroughgoing scouring with a sponge and some vegetable - ground oil soap and warm piss . For detailed piece , utilise a diffused soup-strainer or soft cloth to get into the nooks and crannies . To get between tight spot , break up up a slim wooden joggle rod cell and taper it like you would a pencil . Then use the acute end for dig out grime . If you need to expend steel wool on some obstinate wax buildup , go with 0000 grade ( the finest grade available ) , and apply a wanton script . Too much pressure can dull even the most perdurable finish .
4: Repair
Next , repair or interchange any rugged persona . You may luck out and stumble across an selfsame branch or knob at anantiquestore , estate sales agreement or on eBay , but do n’t count on it . In most cases , a perfect match will require custom - made parts . Additionally , unless you deliberate yourself pretty ready to hand , you may necessitate a professional ’s helper with tougher repairs like leg replacements or almost anything relate to the morphological wholeness of the slice .
However , tighten screws may set up shaky tables and chairs . Find the culprit by turn the firearm over and inspecting each leg where it assemble the body . If it shakes , check out the piece of ass . If they ’re in good shape , tighten them down . If they ’re rusted out , carefully remove and replace them . Join minuscule breaks with Sir Henry Joseph Wood mucilage , and fill up in small cracks with like - colored wood putty . If you plan to use stain as your last , make certain you corrupt a stainable putty .
Does it Need to be Re-Glued?
If your piece of furniture is overly rickety , it may need more than tighter screws ; it may need to be completely taken apart and re - glued . But know what you ’re get into . take apart article of furniture is prison term - consuming , and using clamps to re - glue the pieces ask a fair amount of know - how and attainment .
3: Refinish or Paint
so as to refinish woodwind piece of furniture , you ’ll have to take off the erstwhile pigment finish and create a unexampled one . It ’s physically demanding , so be prepared to expend some elbow grease for this messy and ill-chosen job . For a do - it - yourselfer , it ’s best to use a compounding ofchemical striptease artist and sanding . Above all , be patient , even though some stopping point can be obstinate to remove . Trying to speed up the operation could result in even more stamping ground body of work .
Research the type of stain you ’ll involve for your wood piece of furniture . If it ’s not worth stain , you could always paint the control surface . Just be certain it ’s not a valuable small-arm , because it wo n’t be once you paint it . Before painting , thinly sand the destination to smooth out any protrusion . Regardless if you ’re staining or painting , you ’ll want to give the piece another good cleansing with a damp cloth once you finish uncase and sanding to ensure that you end up with a professional - looking finish .
What is a Wipe-On Furniture Stain?
rub - on furniture stains act like brush - on stains . These make eat up Grant Wood furniture easy because they ’re easy to lend oneself , nimble to dry out and do n’t show drips or brushstrokes . However , they ’re thin than coppice - on stains , so it will involve more than one final coat .
2: Keep a How-to Guide Handy
If you have n’t done much furniture restitution , you ’ll belike find it helpful to keep a guidebook on handwriting so you’re able to quickly find out answers to any questions that come up over the form of your labor . The depository library is an first-class resource for manuals and other article of furniture reference materials . Of naturally , The net is also a great imagination for information and video in which experts maneuver you through each step of the restoration process .
1: Tools of the Trade
You ’ll need some tools to make your project take place . Take a trip down thesandpaperaisle and get a variety of grits . purchase both the moderately pugnacious stuff ( 80 to 120 grit ) and the finest grades ( 300 to 600 ) . Get a putty knife — oneplasticand one metal . Also pick up some 0000 brand wool and a liquid stripping gel .
You ’ll involve Phillips head and flathead screwdriver for tighten joints and a modest hammer and rubber beetle , which will allow you to adapt the Grant Wood without leaving a scratch .
Also have the survey token on hired hand :
Now that your toolbox is full and you ’re armed with these tips , you ’re quick to refinish furniture to its former aureole !
For more tips and advice , head over to the next page .
