More and more people are taking to the idea of refinishing old or classic wooden furniture. If done correctly, the refinished furniture will definitely give your home or office the oomph it deserves. At the same time, as with most Do-It-Yourself projects, or decorating projects in Central London, it’s always a great opportunity to take pride in giving your space a personalised touch without using outside help.
But it’s not about doing it for the sake of doing it. You have to take all factors into careful consideration and follow specific steps in order to get the best results and not make the pieces look worse than they did initially.
Here are some tips that will guide you in your refinishing job and also let you know when it’s time to give your furniture a refinishing touch:
(1)How do I know when it’s time to refinish my antique furniture?
It’s not always that wood requires to be stripped of its current finish. In fact, in many instances, that original finish is considered to be the best and also the most valuable. Sometimes, some wipe-on is enough to give the furniture a fresh look.
Painted pieces
If you are dealing with a painted piece, you have to understand that there are different reasons why people paint furniture pieces. It may have dents or other imperfections. That is why pieces that have varnish are always the best as nothing is hidden.
Classic pieces
At the same time, some pieces are better left untouched. A good example is pieces that are over 100 years old. These are high-value pieces that should be left in their original form. It’s good to seek the opinion of an antique expert to ascertain the real value of the piece.
You may want to know how the piece will look like after the refinishing job. You don’t want to do the job and then end up feeling that the piece came off worse.
(2)How do I restore my wooden furniture?
For wooden furniture, refinishing is not the ultimate solution when giving a piece a new lease of life. Sometimes all a furniture piece needs is a little bit of repair or rejuvenation. If you are not sure what to do, then you should look out for the signs that will tell you whether it is time to refinish the furniture or not.
Here are some of those signs:
(1)The existing finish is chipping off.
(2)There are noticeable watermarks or rings underneath the current finish.
(3)The surface stays sticky even after being cleaned.
(4)The current finish has worn off and the plain wood is showing.
(5)The clear coat is becoming darker.
Any of these signs will tell you it’s time to refinish your furniture. If it does not portray any of these signs but you still feel it needs refinishing, just go ahead and do it.
Furniture refinishing steps
(1)Thoroughly clean the piece in order to assess its current state
(2)Remove the old finish using coarse sandpaper or a chemical stripper
(3)Decide whether you want to paint or stain the wood. This is a personal decision depending on your preference.
(4)Choose the finishing coat you want to apply and apply it.
Remember
When doing a finishing a painting and decorating project, always remember do it where there is plenty of natural light. This makes it easier for you to see any dips or spots that you may have missed before the new coat dries.
