Simple Refinishing in 3 Steps -- Finishing Tip #5

Next year will mark my 42nd year in one form or another of woodworking. During that time I've undertaken all of three furniture stripping projects, a good rule-of-thumb:  one every 14 years. Even that might be a tad too often. In the same period, however, I've been asked numerous times to refinish grandma's bureau, a set of well-worn dining chairs, a favorite old desk, a precious rocker, you name it. Rather than completely stripping a piece and starting from "scratch," I have evolved a simple 3-step process of 1) cleaning, 2) adding color and 3) adding sheen. Hardly a unique or secret process, I was inspired to post the process when a fellow woodworker complimented the fine result. Thus follows a brief description of the three steps which are applicable to most modern pieces with varnish or lacquer finish. This process may not be suitable to older or valuable antiques or any piece finished with shellac. A couple hours will usually suffice for your project as all three steps can be accomplished in rapid succession.

  Step 1 is cleaning: I used to wipe down the furniture piece multiple times with a sequence of solvents each designed to remove a certain kind of contaminant, dirt, oil, stain, build-up, etc. Now I spray on a mixture consisting of 8 parts distilled water/4 parts white vinegar/2 parts denatured alcohol/2 parts “blue” glass cleaner with ammonia. This is applied liberally and then wiped off with soft cotton rags. Repeat if necessary. This combination does a great job of general cleaning but equally important raises the grain slightly in dings, scratches, nicks and bare, worn areas. This greatly facilitates the next step of adding color back to these “holidays,” which are typically quite resistant to taking color. Let the piece dry for 30 minutes.

Step 2 is adding color: Since dirty, contaminated, damaged areas will often resist most oil stains I prefer a wiping or non-grain-raising stain of a suitable color. Use a rag to wipe it on, though a brush can facilitate adding color back into deeper scratches and dings. The noxious solvents in these stains, which require you to work in good ventilation, have several advantages:  they further clean the surface, they restore color effectively and they dry very quickly. Several tips:  keep the rag wet, but not dripping, work quickly and lightly, finish with the grain. Usually just the defective spots can be addressed, but going over a whole surface with the wiping stain often yields good results. Again, let the piece dry for 30 minutes. You may find the finish slightly dulled after this step, but not to worry.

Step 3 is adding sheen: A tung oil product like Waterlox or a varnish /oil product like Watco can be used to add sheen over an existing finish. Wipe the oil on with a well-wetted rag and remove most of it, wiping with the grain. Your goal, however, is not to remove everything you've applied.  Rather leave a thin, slightly tacky layer. Carefully put the piece aside using cloth gloves to move it, and let it dry until hard, at least overnight. If there are zones with no surface finish left whatsoever, such as the worn top of a drawer or the edge of a door or table it will be necessary to add more sheen with a spray lacquer. Where just a clear coat will suffice Deft clear lacquer spray works well as it is forgiving to the amateur and has little overspray. Should color be needed use the appropriate shade spray toner lacquer, available from woodworking supply stores.  Scratch cover can sometimes be helpful at this step for any remaining defects.

After

Needless to say follow the product manufacturer's guidelines for disposing of wet rags due to the danger of spontaneous combustion.

Tip:  my favorite sources for finishing supplies are Woodcraft and Wordworker's Supply.   Mohawk, in addition to wiping stains, sells a myriad of touch-up and refinishing products.   Deft is usually available at big box home improvement stores.

Singular wooden ware + hand carved teaspoons at:   FlyingCircusStudios.etsy.com