I'm sure you've seen it before, a nice looking piece of furniture but the finish just looks kind of dirty and dry. Maybe it's even flaking off or "alligatored" (that's when the old finish looks kind of crackled and "crazed"). Well it's not always necessary to strip and refinish a piece to get it looking beautiful again. You can do what we do as professionals and "restore" or refurbish the finish. This is also the best way to leave that nice mellow aged look which old furniture has and most collectors look for. The main difference between refinishing (which involves chemical stripping) and restoring a finish is that you leave the age or what's called the "patina" on the piece. In my opinion an older piece of furniture looks best when you leave the aged surface on the wood.
The first thing to do is clean the finish using some warm water with a mild soap such as Murphy's Oil Soap or dish detergent. Water is generally not bad for furniture as long as you don't soak it. If it gets too wet, you risk softening the glues used on the veneers and joints. When the glue "fails" the joints will open and the veneer will lift off and then you have a whole other job at hand (which I talk about in another article). There's no real secret to cleaning the finish. Just use a nice soft cloth, something like an old tee shirt material, dip it in the soapy water and wipe away! Depending on how dirty the piece is, you may want to have a few cloths to change to a fresh one as it gets dirty.
Once you are satisfied with how clean the surface is you can determine if there is enough finish still on the wood or if you want to refurbish the old finish with a new one. If the finish looks fine, the best thing to do is apply a good quality paste wax as instructed on the product label. Buff the wax a few times to get a nice shine and you're done! Now, if the finish is thin, old and dull looking, the best fix is to apply thinned coats of shellac with a soft pad. Cheesecloth works well. Take a 1 foot square piece and fold the corners in a few times and make a smooth pad shape. A plastic squeeze bottle works well to dispense a small tablespoon or 2 of shellac onto the pad. Wipe it on the furniture somewhat like you a dusting the piece. This technique is referred to as "padding" on a finish. Re-wet the cheesecloth with more shellac as needed and pad the whole piece. The shellac dries fairly quickly within a few minutes, but don't reapply over where you already padded until at least 10 minutes. Start at the top of the piece and methodically work your way down to the base or feet.
A few applications of padded shellac will build up a nice looking finish. Let it dry 4 - 6 hours (or until the next day) and then go and apply the paste wax and buff it to a shine. Sometimes the new shellac surface may feel a bit "nibby" from dust that may have settled in it. If this is the case, take a fine, high grit (600) sand paper and gently sand the surfaces to smooth. Then apply the paste wax and enjoy the beautiful renewed finish!
How to Clean Up and Restore an Old Finish Well Enough to Impress a Professional Restorer Like Myself Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
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Bill Oakley owns and operates Oakley Restoration & Finishing, llc in Litchfield County, CT. His expertise has helped thousands of customers in the tri-state area with repairs, restoration and refinishing of their fine furniture and antiques for over 20 years.
Please visit his website for more information at http://www.oakleyrestoration.com
You can learn more about furniture at his knowledge based website at http://www.GreatFurnitureTips.com
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