How To Restore Old Wooden Furniture

It is becoming very popular these days to restore old wooden furniture to it original condition. Old furniture can usually be picked up at markets or second hand shops fairly cheaply. By restoring old furniture yourself, you can save a lot of money. Professional restorers are expensive and doing it yourself is rewarding and fun.

Restored wash table with marble top

Make sure that the piece is made of good wood and that you do not have to replace too many parts. If you have to replace parts, have it made by a furniture maker so that you can just assemble it. You can usually tell the quality of a wood by the wood grain. If you intend to restore your piece and then varnish or stain it so that you can still see the grain of the wood, then make sure you like the look of the wood. If the wood is in a poor condition, consider painting it so that you can fill up holes and cracks. By spraying the wood, all blemishes and wood filler is covered.

The first step is to strip back any paint or varnish that is on your piece of furniture. Once the wood is exposed you can make an assessment of the quality and then decide whether to paint or varnish. At this point you should do any repairs that need to be done, such as fixing legs, leveling or making new parts. Glue parts together and secure with wooden dowels.

When the repairs have been done, start sanding down to a fine finish. Start with course sandpaper such as 67 or 80 grit and follow up with finer paper such as 220 and 360 grit.

Depending on the look you desire there are a few different things you can do for the finish of your piece. When you want a natural wood look, use a suitable stain (consult your hardware dealer to find a stain for the particular type of wood) to stain the whole piece. Use a soft piece of cloth and gently rub the stain in the direction of the wood grain. The cloth gives a very smooth finish and I prefer that to working with a brush. This will give it a uniform colour and now you can finish the piece by giving it a wooden wax or varnish. I prefer a deep penetrating wax to varnish. The wax gives a more natural look whereas varnish creates a more shiny finish. For an alternative to wood stain, shoe polish works well when rubbed into the wood surface, or dyes can be used too.

If you are going to paint the piece, first apply a wood primer and sand lightly before you put on two or three coats of paint. Water based paint works well on wood and you can seal it with a water based sealer if necessary.

White Wash Spray Painting Technique

White washed book case

White washing furniture has become very popular. By spray painting with a water based paint, a very smooth and professional look is possible. It is also very fast and you can be sure that the end product will be very pleasing.  I have done this with the book case shown here. The inside shelves have been painted in solid white to produce a professional effect.

The following materials are be needed:

• Off-white Acrylic paint
• Water based clear varnish
• Sand paper - 220 grit and 360 grit
• Wood filler
• Paint remover
• Dry cloth

Depending on the state of the piece of furniture, you will have to prepare it by doing the following:

• Remove all hardware from the piece of furniture
• Remove old paint or varnish by sanding with 220 grit sandpaper
• If necessary, use paint stripper to remove stuborn varnish or paint ( remember to nutralise paint stripper with wet cloth when finished)
• If necessary, fill small nicks and scratches with wood filler and sand down to a smooth finish
• When bare wood is visible, finish off with 360 grit sand paper to get smooth surface

When the preparation is complete, wipe down the piece to make sure that no dust or grit remains. You can now proceed with spray painting . I use an air spray gun with a big enough nozzle to spray thick Agrylic paint. I also use a water-based varnish. These can be diluted with water and produces a very nice, smooth finish. Do not dilute too much to avoid paint from running. The process is as follows:

• Seal the wood with one coat of water - based varnish
• When dry, flatten unevenness with 360 grit sand paper to a smooth finish
• Dilute paint with water - 10% water
• Spray lightly over whole piece of furniture
• Try and avoid praying edges too heavily
• The inside shelves are painted to a solid white finish

After painting, leave for at least 12 hours to completely dry the paint. Now the fun part starts. Sand down certain areas and edges with 360 grit sand paper to expose wood surface.

The last step is to seal the piece with water-based clear varnish. I find that at least 2 coats are needed to get a nice finish. It should be noted that not all wood is suitable for washing. Pine has a nice solid wood grain that shows up nicely when sanded and lends itself to white washing.

Tip: Always work along with the grain of the wood and try to avoid circular movements.

If you want to know more pf paint techniques that can be used on furnitre you can get much more in my book "Refinishing Old Furniture - start a home business".

PAINTING OLD FURNITURE

 How to prepare the wood for painting

  Painting old furniture is easier than many people think. It gives a professional look and gives your old furniture new life. The first step is to prepare the piece for painting. This is a very important phase of the process. The quality of the finished product is totally dependent on the thoroughness of preparation of the wood surface. A distinction is made between new and previously painted wood surfaces.

Preparation Techniques

 1. New unpainted furniture:

New furniture needs only to be smoothed with a fine sand paper such as 220 grit.  If there are any scratches or chips, fill with wood filler . Allow to fully dry. Sand smooth with 220 grit sandpaper, always sanding with the direction of the wood grain. Clean the wood surface with a dry, damp cloth to remove dust particles. Let wood dry.The piece is now ready to be painted, varnished or stained. 

2.   Old painted, varnished, stained or waxed furniture:

Before used furniture can be painted, all old paint or varnish must be removed to the original wood surface. Firstly, remove all hardware such as handles. Depending on the amount of old paint, use a coarse sand paper such as 40 or 60 grit to remove old layers. If this does not work satisfactory, use paint stripper. Paint stripper is a dangerous substance to work with. Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. After the old paint is removed, fill all dents with wood filler and sand with finer sandpaper such as 220 grit. Clean the surface with a dry, damp cloth and let dry. The piece is now ready for painting.

Remember that before applying the final coat of paint, the wood must first be primed or sealed. I use a water based clear varnish. Wait until the varnish is dry, sand down lightly and clean before applying final coats.