Do you like to keep your furniture new and shiny? Furniture is prone to get old and colourless. The wood in the furniture can fall off in time leading to wear and tear. That is why Furniture Restoration is necessary. You can repair the old worn-out furniture with Furniture refinishing. You do not need to use messy chemical agents. So this will be easy for you to perform on your own. In this article you will know how to do refurnish furniture. The step by step process given here will help you to know from where to start and where to end.
Table of Contents
10 Tips for Furniture Restoration
1. Clean and examine the furniture
If you have decided to refinish a piece of furniture then you have to wipe off the dust and dirt from it. You can make use of soap, warm water and a sponge to do it. This will remove any dry debris from the furniture. Then you can take a clean cloth and dry it.
Further you have to inspect if there are any dents or holes in the furniture. This may require some additional process for furniture refinishing.
2. Strip off the wood finish
If you want Furniture Restoration then stripping off the old wood is important. This may be necessary when the old wood finish has worsened over time. Also, it may be really tricky to strip off the old wood. It can be messy as the wood pieces will fall off from the furniture. Further, it may feel as if you are ruining the furniture by stripping it. But that is not the case at all. So gather all your patience and do this job. If you get to the final piece of the wood then the job will be over.
Also along with the wood, the old paint and the varnish will come off. You can use the sanding process or also chemical agents for this process. There are heat guns specifically available for the stripping process.
You can only choose the sanding process if you are an expert in it. Otherwise performing it can be difficult. Therefore you can go for Chemical strippers also called paint strippers. You can strip the old wood and paint effectively by this process.
3. Take care of missing wood
If you find that the furniture has chipped wood, dents or other imperfections then you can correct it by using Epoxy. It will make your furniture look brand new. Some of the best Epoxy brands are Quickwood and KwikWood.
To make use of Epoxy you have to slice off a piece of it with a razor blade or utility knife. Then you have to knead it but before that, you have to wear gloves. When it gets blended the Epoxy putty will become sticky and in the right colour. You will have 5 to 10 minutes to apply the Epoxy to the furniture because it will become hard again.
So that is the reason why you cut off the Epoxy you require for the furniture. Have a look at the video of how a professional applies Epoxy on the veneer. You will get an idea of how to apply the Epoxy. It tends to stick well to the veneer and will get firmly placed in the wood.
4. Restore the colour
The best part of furniture refinishing is restoring the colour of the furniture. You can use the gel stain for this purpose. First, dab the dark gel in a piece of a soft cloth and apply it to the furniture. This will get rid of all the dark patches or any scratches on the furniture. So the colour of the furniture will get restored and it will look brand new. One gel brand you can use is Kevin. It can offer good colour to worn-out and dull furniture. Also, it will give a thick coat of colour to the furniture.
If you do not like the gel it is easy to remove too. You can take it off with mineral spirits. One benefit of gel stain is that it is durable and offers a good sheen on the surfaces. After applying the gel stain, allow it to dry overnight.
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5. Fill in the cracks
If there are small cracks or lines in the furniture after applying the gel stain then there is a way to correct it too. You can use coloured wax sticks or fill pencils for filling the cracks. Firstly rub the stick on the cracks. Then the wax will enter inside the cracks and will hide it. After that, you can buff it off with a soft cloth. This is the best method to make the furniture look flawless.
6. Give the last finish for furniture restoration
After you have followed all the steps above then it is time for the last touch. You have to coat the wood with the perfect finish. There are many types of top coating materials available for furniture refinishing. You can choose one from the list for your furniture.
7. Polyurethane
It will give your furniture a durable finish that will keep it safe against water and alcohol. Also, it is available in many types of sheens. You have to brush the Polyurethane in the furniture with long strokes. Then few apply thin coats.
8. Water-based Polyurethane
These finishes are becoming popular today because of their environmentally friendly aspect. They are easy to apply too. Also, they tend to dry quickly so require less time between coatings.
9. Lacquer
If you want your furniture to look rich and shiny then this coating will help you to achieve it. But it is more difficult to apply than the rest. Also for most of the time it is sprayed on the furniture rather than brushed. So the well-applied lacquer on your furniture will make it a masterpiece.
10. Oil finishes
These are easy to apply and also offer a good appearance to the furniture. They are the best choices for antique furniture that has not experienced a lot of wear and tear. But it does not offer that much durability.
Conclusion
The furniture restoration techniques may seem intimidating at first. But you can accomplish it when you follow all the steps here. Make all the furniture in your home look perfect and appealing by the technique of furniture refinishing.
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