Products That Would Help With Your Furniture Restoration Project

We have all been out on a spring day and see the sign for a Garage sale. It just happens to be right on the way to our destination. We'll just stop in and see what they got... Famous last words. The next thing you know is you have a 19th-century vanity complete with the mirror, setting in your garage. The wife has always wanted one of these. Just like the one you bought for $25, except without the 8 coats of different colored house paint that covers the beautiful walnut and maple veneers. Many tools will come in to play with working on this project. Good wood stain removal products or paint remover will be a must for your vanity/sanity. The glue will be necessary for any loose parts, a large syringe with a big needle will also come into play with a good set of tie-down straps. Putty knives and razor blades, including a good razor blade holder. Screwdrivers and hammers are always good to have around. Good, proper hardware might be necessary if the piece is missing any. A good quality fabric will be needed to finish the piece off. All this is to just get you started. There will be resource materials needed and a reference guide if necessary. All this stuff is just a rough guestimate to follow when starting a furniture restoration project. Do not let all this scare you off. There are simpler projects out there that will not need nearly all this.

I have seen 5 coats of paint on furniture in varying colors and makeup. Water-based is the easiest and oil-based isn't that hard. When you mix the two types of paint it sounds like a nightmare, however, it isn't as long as you have purchased good quality wood stain removal products. A good paint remover will do the same thing. It is a lacquer thinner based product with other nasty stuff included. I have seen this stuff bubble up 5 layers of 50+-year-old paints. It is imperative that a good quality remover is used or you will be spending a lot of time unnecessarily.

There are going to be some loose parts to your project. Over time some mortise and tenon joints will start to loosen with use. This is common in chairs and nightstands. Large pieces it is not so common as they are made much heavier. Some drawer corners might have a little play in them also. This is where your glue and syringe comes in very handy. Fill the syringe up with good quality wood glue and fill the loose tenons, chair legs, and whatever else might need a little glue. Hold all these together with some clamps or tie-down straps. Tie-down straps work best as they can be used in all kinds of configurations.

Putty knives and razor blades will be needed to get the old paint off the piece. Follow the instructions on the paint/stain stripper and then use these to scrape as much old Finnish off as possible. This is a huge time saver. Use a small pick or awl to get old paint out of scrollwork, corner, and tight spots.

If the piece is missing hardware(drawer pulls, locks, etc.) or some nails or screws you will want to find replacements that are period to that piece. Meaning they look like they were original to the piece. The same will go with fabric for the seat or bench cushions. Do not use contemporary fabric pattersns.

The proper restoration of furniture is fun and rewarding. It will increase the value of your piece and create a family heirloom to be cherished and passed on for generations.

With extensive research and study, Simon passionately creates blogs on divergent topics. His writings are unique and utterly grasping owing to his dedication in researching for distinctive topics.