QUESTION ARCHIVEASK THE EXPERTS: Do you have a question about furniture restoration? The answer may already be here! If not, click here to submit your question.
Please note - We are unable to respond personally to questions which are already answered below, so do take the time to browse the archive. You will find answers to common questions about refinishing, stain removal, etc. Thanks!
CONTENTS:
Carving, Inlay, Other Decoration
Finding and Working with Restorers
Flood Damage: Hurricane Response
Scratches, Stains and Other Surface Problems
SPRUCING UP ART DECO: How can I spruce up walnut burl veneer on an art deco armoire? Wax, strip, restain, or what? I want to preserve the look. M.S., Centerville, IN
Your best bet is probably to clean the piece with Murphy's oil soap, and/or with mineral spirits, and a clean cloth or paper towels. With either, try an inconspicuous area first to make sure it doesn't damage the finish. If the piece is really dirty and you want to be a bit more aggressive, you can use 0000 steel wool with either of the above. Just be sure to wipe thoroughly as you go -- be especially careful not to let water stand on the surface.
When the piece is clean, I'd recommend rubbing it down with a good paste wax, then buffing; you don't need to do this more than once or twice a year, and you won't get a lot of buildup -- just wipe with a barely damp cloth to remove dust.
MOLDY SURFACES: I just purchased a very large carved head of a Goddess from a furniture market here in China that deals with very old pieces that are intended to be restored. After bringing it home I noticed a considerable amount of mold on it. I really love the worn look but of course its not healthy to have mold in the house. How can I restore this and keep it looking old? – G.H., Guangzhou, China
A weak (5% or so) solution of chlorine bleach should kill the mold. Wash down a small section at a time, rinse, and wipe to remove as much moisture as you can. This will also clean the piece, but shouldn't affect its appearance very much. I'm assuming that the piece is basically bare wood -- if it has old paint on it, it's a bit trickier and may be a job for a professional, since you don't want to remove the paint.
REMOVING ODORS: I have an old chest of drawers that I just rescued from the basement of my parents' summer cottage. The outside is in pretty good shape (just dirty) but the drawers have mouse poop in them and smell awful! Is there anything I can do to get rid of the smell? I'm also worried that there might be germs from the mice - is it safe to spray the drawers with Lysol? - C.F., Westerly, RI
Clean out the mouse poop (wear gloves!) and then wipe down the insides of the drawers with a 5 - 10% bleach solution, then rinse with plain water. This will kill germs, and should also get rid of any odors. Leave the drawers out in the sun (NOT on grass - this may make the bottoms warp) for a few hours. Other good ways to get rid of musty odors are to put sheets of fabric softener or pieces of charcoal (wrapped loosely in newspaper or paper towels) in the closed drawers for a few days.
CLEANING OLD SIGN: I have an old wood store front sign with hand painted lettering. It's very dirty and some other areas are sort of blistering. I don't want to do any more damage to it when cleaning off the dirt, what can you suggest doing & using. Also, what about dealing w/ the blistering? - J. E., Columbia, PA
Without knowing more about the piece, it's hard to be very specific, but a solution of Murphy's Oil Soap should improve things and is quite safe -- just dip a paper towel or clean cloth, rub gently, and then go over with water, a small area at a time; avoid leaving the surface wet for long. You can also try wiping with mineral spirits. With either, do an inconspicuous test area first. As far as the blistering goes, your best bet is probably to leave it alone -- there's no simple solution for that one.Carving, Inlay, Other Decoration
RESTORING CARVINGS: I purchased an antique sewing machine that has carved wooden pieces on the front and sides of the drawers. Some of the pieces have fallen off and are very dry. Two questions: What should be used to restore carvings ? Should the glue be applied before or after treating the carved pieces ? - N.H., Albany, N.Y.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "treating" the carvings. The best way to restore carvings is to let in new wood of the same species and carve it to match. The time to do this is after the loose pieces have been reattached. If the sewing machine has any significant value, you may want to consult a professional restorer about this -- unless you have quite a bit of woodworking experience, doing it right is not really a do-it-yourself job. (If you want to mess around w/ wood fillers, the best one is made by Minwax. Again -- reglue the loose bits first, then build up the missing parts with filler, carve to match, and paint to match the surrounding wood. I don't recommend this approach, however, because it's not likely to give you a very attractive result, and it's not very reversible if you don't like the way it comes out.)
LEATHER TOP: I have an antique end table with a leather top. The leather has various water marks and scratches, Is there a way I can restore the leather? – J.N., Richmond, R.I.
You can improve the appearance with paste wax or a good leather dressing, but there's no good way to remove stains and scratches from leather. However, it's not horrendously expensive to replace the leather top; I don't recommend it as a do-it-yourself project, but a professional restorer can do this quite easily.
VENEER REPAIR: I have an old sideboard that has a veneer top. Part of the corner section is missing, a large section that might be too big for filling in with a filler. What is a good method of removing the whole top or would you recommend just repairing it? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.
The correct way to repair this is to let in a new piece of veneer in the damaged area -- matching the grain of the existing surface as closely as possible, and finishing the patch to match the surrounding area. Unless the missing piece is tiny, wood filler isn't a good way to go; and it's overkill to remove the whole top surface. I'd recommend having a professional do the work, unless you're a fairly knowledgeable woodworker with experience in veneer work.
Finding and Working with Restorers
FINDING RESTORERS: I have a queen size sleigh bed that is solid wood (unknown) but it has been painted black and it is chipping off. I would like to get it stripped and have it be some kind of wood color. I don't want it black anymore. Who and where can I get this restoration done?
- M.F., Centreville, VA
Since I'm not in your area, I'm not familiar with local restorers. Your best bet is to look at the listings at Antiquerestorers.com -- or to look in your local Yellow Pages under Furniture Repairing and Refinishing.
RESTORATION METHODS: We purchased a beautiful antique rocking chair at auction last year. A local restorer recently stated he believes the piece dates back to pre civil war. The surface areas and carved pieces of the chair are all in great condition with no significant scratches, dents or chips. The richness of the patina that has developed over the years is simply delightful.
Unfortunately, the member portion in the seating area had broken in and was later covered over with a piece of off the shelf leather seating tacked on top of it. Also, there is about a 4-5 inch long, .5-.75 inch deep section of dry rot on the bottom of one of the rockers. The previously mentioned restorer is scheduled to reweave the seat and re-glue the chair. With regards to the dry rot, he has suggested his first priority would be to attempt to cut out and replace the section, and then stain the replacement piece to match the chair. Otherwise, he says it will be necessary to construct and stain a complete replacement rocker!
Now that we understand there is a possibility the chair dates back at least to pre Civil War, our concern is whether or not we are taking the proper approach to restoring the rocker on this piece. Is this person we are trusting to do the work offering to do the industry recommended procedure for repairing the dry rot, just as most true professionals would? Or, are we doing something that will be potentially damaging to the integrity of the historical significance of the piece? Should we be more cautious at this point, and perhaps seek out the advice of an individual associated with a museum or historical preservation group prior to proceeding with this restoration?
- K. + M. R., Kyle, Texas
You're smart to want a second opinion about this. If this restorer isn't sure he can repair the damaged area without having to replace the rocker, I'd suggest finding someone else to do the work; replacing a damaged section of a component is a pretty basic procedure. There is no reason the rocker should have to be replaced if the dry rot is confined to an area that small. Another factor to consider is how you plan to use the chair—if it's basically going to be a display piece and get little or no use, it may be sufficient to consolidate the rotted area with an epoxy product, especially if the contour of the rocker is intact. On the other hand, if you want to use the chair a lot, replacing the damaged wood is probably going to be necessary. (If I were doing the work, I'd also use a consolidant on the rotted area before letting in new wood.)
As to protecting the significance of the piece, keep in mind than unless the chair has a known history (who made it, who owned it, etc.), what you have is just a really nice old rocker: it's yours, you care about it, and you get to decide how to treat it and use it. Not everything that's old is historically significant—antique dealers sometimes like to hype historical significance, original finishes, etc., as a way to justify charging higher prices. It's when a piece is in exceptionally good condition that these other factors become relevant: damage— breakage, rot, weathering of surfaces—is what reduces the value of the piece. That said, poor restoration work can also be damaging: an old piece should always be reglued (I'm talking about joints and veneer and such now) with hot hide glue, which is fully reversible, and ideally, any other work should be reversible as well, so that the piece remains in original condition as much as possible. Epoxy repairs to damaged wood are the one exception I make to this principle: given that my clients usually want to be able to use a restored piece, I want to be sure that any structural repairs I make are as strong as possible; and because epoxy is so strong, I can usually remove less wood and still make a good repair.
Since you feel strongly about protecting the integrity of your chair, you may want to have a conservator, rather than a restorer, take a look at it. You should be able to find a conservator in private practice in your area through the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) .FEEDING THE WOOD: I have a Victorian table that's in pretty good shape but the finish looks worn and dried out. I don't want to put a lot of money into it, I bought it at a flea market. I've heard it's a good idea to put oil on furniture to feed the wood. Will that make it look better, and what should I do then to take care of it? - C.T., Worcester, MA
Wood isn't hungry. You don't need to feed it. The purpose of a finish is to make the wood look nice, give it some protection, and make it more resistant to shrinking or expanding from changes in humidity. If your table is Victorian, then it was almost certainly originally finished with shellac. Lemon oil or mineral oil are both safe to use and will improve the appearance of your piece, but can attract dust and take more upkeep than a wax finish. Also, many commercial "furniture oils," as well as products like Pledge, contain silicone, which WILL penetrate any finish, get into the wood, and make any future restoration work very difficult. PLEASE don't use these on your furniture (beware of any product that claims to repel dust). My own preference would be to apply a thin coat of a good quality paste wax, using fine (0000) steel wool, let it dry, and buff it out with a soft cloth. Use a clear or orange wax on light-colored wood, brown on dark-colored. This will bring back the appearance of the finish and also help hide any small scratches. Then just dust with a soft cloth, or a slightly damp chamois skin if you have one. No need to wax more than once every year or so.
FINE DINING TABLE: We recently purchased a fine Austrian Biedermeier walnut dining table circa 1830, beautifully restored and French polished. We are interested in learning how to properly care for it, maintaining the quality of the polish. In addition, is it acceptable to use table pads on a regular basis without compromising the figured walnut polished tabletop? What is the best current technology for quality table pads and who might recommend a reputable company manufacturing such pads? – J.P., Boston, MA
It pleases me to get questions like this -- it's so much easier to protect good furniture than it is to repair it. For routine care, just keep the table clean: use a damp chamois cloth (a real one, from a goat), moistened, then thoroughly wrung out, to remove dust and light dirt. Avoid commercial cleaning and dusting products such as Pledge or Endust; they contain silicone, which penetrates finishes, gets into the wood, and generally does bad things.
And, of course, keep alcohol and standing moisture off the surface, and avoid putting anything warm on it; your concern about table pads suggests you're well aware of all this. They're the best possible protection for a French-polished table that's used regularly. I'd look for a table pad that's good and thick, preferably one with a hard, moisture-proof top surface. Any good-quality pad should be fine – I can't recommend a specific source, but you should be able to research this on the internet.
DULL FINISH: I have an antique mahogany dresser and vanity. It is a shellac finish which, in spots, has dulled. I thought a furniture guy once told me this could be rubbed clean/restored using... linseed oil? What can I use to renew the finish? - L.H., Los Angeles
If the finish is shellac, please don't use linseed oil on it; At best it will attract dirt, and at worst it will soften the finish, penetrate into the wood, and darken it irreversibly. Your best bet is to clean the surface with mineral spirits (paint thinner) and/or a solution of Murphy's oil soap (don't let water stand on the surface --wipe up as you go), and then rub it down with wax and 0000 steel wool, then buff. This usually works well on old shellac finishes that are just a bit dull, and if you don't like the results, you haven't done any harm -- the wax will come off with mineral spirits. (In that case, I'd suggest consulting a professional -- a shellac finish can be restored, but it's not a do-it-yourself job.
CLOCK RESTORATION: I have my great aunt's Westminster grandmother clock. I am guessing that it is roughly 100 years old. It has been in mom's basement for some 40 years, so the exterior is dusty to say the least. Her basement flooded twice years ago. The bottom of the cabinet did get wet, but the finished areas are still in pretty good condition (the side of the cabinet at the bottom near the back does have a crack that is a few inches long). The decorative piece (trim piece) at the top of the cabinet does have areas that appear to have lost the finish - as if it flaked off. (the mechanism is being cleaned etc. at a clock shop right now so I can not look at it) Outside of that, I really don't think the cabinet should be stripped, and for the most part, doesn't need to be. It has a very very dark finish. What is the best way to clean this cabinet, and should I do anything about the areas that appear to have lost some finish? Should I leave the cracked area alone? - M.T., Cincinnati, OH
You're smart to be cautious about what you do to this piece -- it sounds like a nice one. I really can't advise you about specifics without seeing it, but the most conservative way to treat it would probably be use shellac to seal any areas where the finish is missing, and then to use 0000 steel wool and a brown paste wax to clean and polish the surface (Briwax is good -- or brown Kiwi shoe polish, which is an excellent quality hard wax). The advantage of this approach is that if you don't like the results it's easily and completely reversible; if the finish needs more work than this, I'd recommend having a professional restorer do it.
As to any cracks or other structural problems, leave them alone, or have a good restorer look at the piece -- I don't recommend trying this type of repair work yourself. Unless cracks are causing structural weakness (e.g. wobbling or instability), there's no reason not to let them be.
NOT A CURE FOR DRY WOOD: I have a quick question, I just recently bought an antique oak armoire that was very, very dry. The antique salesman suggested we place a humidifier in it to add moisture. We did for one night, but now the wood warped about 5 cm. It caved in towards the inside of the armoire -- separating from the back. IS there any way I can fix this. Since it is over-moisturized, will it shrink back into place, or will I have to coerce it back? – S.K., Edmonton, AB
Oh, lordy. "Put a humidifier in it"... may be the worst piece of furniture advice I've ever heard. Of course it warped -- all that moisture suddenly going into one side of the wood, and the side with no, or less, finish on it, at that.
It will, to some extent, return to shape as the wood dries out. If you're lucky, it'll go back most of the way. This will take some time, and, no, there's nothing you can do to speed up the process except keep it somewhere dry in the meantime and leave the door open. Give it several weeks, probably well into the winter, even -- central heating will help.
As to the piece being "dry" when you bought it, I'm not sure what this means, as the moisture content of wood is always changing with the ambient humidity. It is sudden changes in humidity that cause damage: warping when a piece is moved from a dry environment to a damp one, and splitting when a piece is moved the other way. (To Florida and back, for example.) If the wood looked "dried out," that's a problem with the finish, not with the wood itself. Usually a coat of wax takes care of a "dry" appearance.
Whatever you do, don't try to "coerce" things back into place -- chances are they WILL split. If, after a few months, you're not happy with whatever unwarping has taken place, consult a professional restorer -- there are ways of flattening warped boards, but it's not a do-it-yourself job. In the meantime, take pictures and complain like mad to the dealer you bought the piece from. An ethical dealer ought to take it back: as advice goes, "Put a humidifier in it" is up there with "Throw it off the back of a truck."
OLD TRUNK: I have an old trunk I just got this past weekend that had been sitting up in an attic for who knows how long. It has a cream colored paint on it that has a very weathered look, but the wood underneath is very solid looking. I doubt the truck has any monetary value, but I am hesitant to just strip off the paint without consulting someone else. Also, the trunk has a bit of mold on the outside and some kind of waxy substance on a portion of the cover that will need to be removed. Any ideas or references of how to go about refinishing this? - Melanie, Vadnais Heights, MN
Without seeing the trunk, it's hard to know what to recommend. Is the exterior (under the paint) covered with cloth, or is it just wood underneath? Is there metal banding around it? What about other hardware? If the outer surface is wood, you can use a paint stripper on it with no problems. If it's cloth, I'd hesitate to strip it – the stripper would probably be OK on the cloth itself, but might damage glue or sizing -- and if the cloth were at all fragile, the process of scraping off the stripper could damage it quite easily, as could any water or other rinse.
If the paint itself is in good shape, you might be better off cleaning it well and repainting. Removing mold and wax from a painted surface shouldn't be a problem -- you can clean off mold with a weak chlorine bleach solution, and the wax will dissolve in mineral spirits -- if it's heavy , you can remove most of it first with an iron on low heat over a layer of paper towels. For more detailed information on refinishing and restoration in general, your best bet is to check your local library -- most have good collections of do-it-yourself books.
REFINISHING: I want to refinish my kitchen cabinets. They are 50 years old and hand made of solid birch. They have a veneer of birch on top of the solid birch. The finish on the bottom cabinets is worn off-I want to refinish them -how do I do this? Sand and then polyurethane finish or what? Please tell me my options. – R.M., Bethesda, MD
Sorry, but complete instruction in refinishing techniques is beyond the scope of what I can do in an email. I recommend consulting your local library or checking out a bookstore – there are any number of good do-it-yourself books on this subject.
SATIN FINISH: After staining a fine antique furniture surface, what is most practical for finishing to protect against water and stain in a satin finish. I don't want the polyester high gloss finish look. - E.T., Seattle, WA
It depends how much work you want to do, and whether you want to use an historically appropriate finish. Nearly all modern finishes are available in a satin gloss. You can use a wiping varnish, which is easy to apply, doesn't leave brush marks, and doesn't build up very thick -- or any other alkyd varnish, or an acrylic or polyurethane, although neither of the last two would be my choice for an antique. Stay away from 2-part, catalyzed resin finishes -- they're basically impossible to remove later on.
The finish of choice for a good antique is shellac, either brushed on in VERY thin coats, or padded on (French Polish). I can't give you a course in applying these in an email, but your local library should have books on finishing. A shellac finish will be glossy when it's dry -- it should then be rubbed out with pumice and rottenstone or steel wool with a suitable lubricant. Again -- consult a good book on the subject for details of these processes if this is something you want to do.
LIGHTENING DARK WOOD: I have some doors and woodwork that have been stained a dark color that I would like to lighten. Any ideas how I can do that? - C.M., Hardwick, VT
This is a major and nasty project. It would involve stripping the old finish, bleaching the wood with a two-part bleach, and then probably staining it a light color (bleaching removes ALL the character from the wood!) before refinishing it. It's probably not worth it unless the wood is oak or some other really good-looking hardwood -- I certainly wouldn't recommend going to that kind of trouble over pine. A better alternative might be to do a painted finish over the existing one, perhaps a faux oak-grained finish in a light color. There are probably decorative painters in your area who know how to do this; if you want to try it yourself, a good book on the subject is: Recipes for Surfaces: Decorative Paint Finishes Made Simple, by Mindy Drucker and Pierre Finkelstein -- Fireside, 1990.
LIGHTENING WALNUT: I have a dresser with walnut veneer and I want it to be a light color like pine when I'm done. What color should I stain it? - K.T., Denver, CO
You can't go from a dark color like walnut to a light color like pine without bleaching the wood first. You'd have to strip the piece completely, then use a 2-part wood bleach (nasty chemicals—follow all instructions on package carefully), then stain. Best bet for stain is to look at color charts in the store, pick one you like, and be aware it may not be an exact match.
SHORT CUTS: Hi, I have a dresser with a wood veneer and I want to give it a painted distressed look. I have read that I need to sand it and prime it and that this is ambitious (especially with 2 kids and no time!). How much work is this and are there any short cuts? For example, what would be the result if I just painted over the veneer without sanding? Please let me know whether this is an option! - B.J., Newtown, PA
What you read is correct, alas. It's a lot of work, and there really aren't any short cuts; the problem is that if you skimp on preparation such as cleaning and sanding, the primer and paint layers you apply may not go on well – they just won't cover the surface – and they probably won't adhere well, and will start to peel within a short time. Then you're worse off than before.
SANDING MISADVENTURE: I was recently using an orbital sander to sand out the top of a coffee table. In complete novice form, I put a couple of spots on it when I held the sander in one place for too long. These spots are lighter than the rest of the table and are noticeable and will be, or so I think after being stained. Please advise as to any solutions you have. - C.M., Kenosha, WI
You basically have 2 choices: either keep sanding until the surface is even, or spot-stain the lighter areas to match the surrounding surface. This is assuming that the surface isn't veneered -- if it is, and if the difference in color comes from having sanded through the veneer into the substrate, there is no good solution. In that case, the lighter areas will be more or less visible no matter what you do.
Use stripper next time, and hand sand or use a finer grade of sandpaper.
MAHOGANY: If I take the varnish off my old veneered mahogany table, will I be able through sanding to get it back to the natural colour of unstained mahogany and if so what will that colour be? - K.G., Toronto, Ont.
The "natural" color of mahogany varies a lot -- from very pale pink to gold to deep red-brown -- so you probably should be thinking more about what color you'd like your table to be. Traditionally, mahogany is almost always stained, in part because the color does vary so much, and unless the different parts of a piece of furniture are cut from the same board, or from lumber from the same tree, the stain is needed to even the color.
I'd strongly advise against sanding a veneered piece to remove color -- the chances of cutting through the veneer are very high. A lot of old mahogany furniture was stained with a water-soluble red dye that's almost impossible to remove except by bleaching the wood and building the color up again. The problem with this is that bleaching also removes a lot of the character from the wood and can leave it sort of flat and uninteresting. Unless you want a really light color, a better approach is to work with the existing color and add dyes or stains to change it to one that's closer to what you want: for example, you can change that very red stain to a browner tone by applying a green dye.
I can't go through all the permutations of this in an email, but you can find books covering this type of color-mixing at a good art-supply store, or in your local library -- and the latter is an excellent resource for good books on refinishing, as well.
COLOR CHANGE: My wife and I recently received a set of dressers from a friend who was moving away. When we went to remove the brass hardware, we noticed a lighter coloring directly beneath them on the wood (almost like having a shadow on you when you tan, it was lighter, rather than dark) After stripping, sanding and cleaning the wood, they are still there. We would like to finish this project with tung oil or a light stain. Any ideas of how to remove this discoloration? B.J.D., Tallahassee, FL
Certain kinds of wood (cherry is a prime example) darken when exposed to light, and covered areas remain lighter; this is a natural part of the aging of wood, and the darkening effect is highly prized in antique furniture.
If you're planning to put the existing hardware back, don't worry about the lighter areas underneath it -- you won't notice them when the hardware is replaced. If you want to use different hardware, you'll have to color the lighter areas to match the surrounding wood. I can't give you instruction on how to do this, as this kind of touch-up is a bit of an art and it's easy to make a mess; unless you have some knowledge of color-mixing and a lot of patience, you may want to have a professional do the staining.
RED STAIN: I'm refinishing an old mahogany dining room set for my daughter. I'm able to strip all but the last bit of red out of the wood. She doesn't want any red in the finished product. I've run into this problem before and used regular bleach and/or sanding. Once, I had to just give up and keep it a slight red color. Any suggestions as to how to completely remove the stain? - Also, I'm refinishing in the basement, so I don't have enough ventilation for any really strong chemicals. – J.G., Columbus, OH
This is a common problem -- as you've discovered, a lot of old mahogany furniture was stained with a water-soluble red dye that's almost impossible to remove except by sanding, or by bleaching the wood and building the color up again. The problem with this is that both sanding and bleaching remove a lot of the character from the wood and can leave it sort of flat and uninteresting.
A better approach is to work with the existing color and add dyes and/or stains to change it to one that's closer to what you want: you can change that very red stain to a browner tone by applying a green dye. I'd recommend a water-soluble aniline dye (available from a woodworking supply house such as Woodcraft Supply). Use the green to cancel out the red tone -- then, if you like the color, seal with shellac and finish as you normally would; or use an oil-based stain directly on the wood to get the exact color you want, then finish as usual.
If you want to learn more about this type of color adjustment, a good art-supply store should have books on the subject; or try your local library.
And just for the record, I don't recommend the basement as a place to do any of this -- not only is lack of ventilation dangerous for you, but if your furnace is located there, there's a real explosion hazard from both fumes and fine dust particles. Please -- wait until you can work outside, or use a room where you can rig up a good exhaust fan.
REFINISHING HISTORY: I'm doing my senior project on refinishing furniture, and I need to get information on the history of refinishing, and also on the chemicals for my science section. I also need info on a price list and what a piece of furniture would cost before it is refinished and after. - Jessica, Berwick, ME
Good for you for wanting to look into this subject. It's an interesting one. I'm actually not the best person to ask, since I do hardly any stripping or refinishing -- I'm more into preserving old finishes than removing them. Some places you might look for detailed information are:
Antiquerestorers.com -- They have a lot of articles up on their site, as well as listings of restorers; you could probably find some in your area.
Finishingandrestoration.com/-- The web site of the trade magazine, Finishing and Restoration. You might also want to look into WHY refinishing isn't always a good idea. Good luck with your project!
Scratches, Stains and Other Surface Problems
REMOVING STAINS: I'm refinishing a cedar lined, mahogany chest. It was stored in my parent's garage for several years, and has a large stain on top, right in the center. I thought it was motor oil, but my father said it might be antifreeze. How do I get the stain out? I've sanded the entire surface, but the stain is soaked into the wood. Is my only option to cover it up, with a darker wood stain? - S.B., Dallas, TX
You don't say what color the stain is, but I assume it's dark. Basically, you'll need to bleach it—doesn't always work 100%, but sometimes it does...The first thing to try is oxalic acid (sounds scary, but it's fairly benign stuff) -- mix it with water in to saturated solution (just dump some in, let it dissolve overnight, and stir it up -- if there are still crystals left at the bottom of the jar, it's the right strength). Wear gloves, of course. Try spot-treating the stain first: use a brush or rag to soak the stained wood with the acid, getting it really wet. let this dry overnight and rinse with water. At this point you should see if it's done any good. If you're happy with the way it looks, just rinse it some more and let it dry thoroughly. If it's better but not perfect, it's worth repeating the treatment, but this time you should treat the whole surface to keep things even, and also rinse the piece with borax to neutralize the acid. Once it's dry, the water will have raised the grain slightly, so you'll need to give the piece another light sanding—wear a dust mask, because any oxalic acid crystals that are left can be quite irritating to breathe.
If you don't see any improvement from the oxalic acid, the next thing to try is a two-part wood bleach; This is a commercial product—follow the directions CAREFULLY, as this is quite nasty stuff. Unfortunately, this will also remove a lot of the natural color from the wood, so you'll need to add some back in with by staining when you're done. If neither of these work, you will have to stain the piece. I'd suggest sealing the actual stain first, so it doesn't absorb so much color—it may show less then.
MORE STAIN REMOVAL: A few years ago my husband and I bought a nice old dining table (I think it's mahogany) from an estate sale. It looked really good when we got it but now the top has a lot of white stains, and some darker ones too. Can these be removed? Would refinishing it with polyurethane be a more practical solution? The finish that's on there now doesn't seem like it's very good. - Mrs. R.G., Portsmouth, NH
It's hard to know what to recommend without knowing more about the table. Staining usually is caused by moisture getting into the finish (white stains) or through the finish and into the underlying wood (dark stains). If they aren't too deep, white stains can often be removed by rubbing GENTLY with fine steel wool dipped in mineral oil, or with a clean cloth that has been barely dampened with denatured alcohol (cloth should feel cold on your skin, not wet). If this works and you can live with the dark stains, clean the surface gently with mineral spirits, give it a coat of wax, and try to learn not to be such messy eaters. The only way to get dark stains out is to strip the finish and bleach the stains. This is pretty drastic, and if the table has any value as an antique, it will reduce it. PLEASE don't use polyurethane on an old piece. A professional restorer can either restore the finish, or else refinish it with a sprayed lacquer finish, which is quite durable.
REPAIRING SCRATCHES: I have a walnut roll top desk that has a lot of deep scratches that that have no stain left on them - any suggestions on how to redo or cover these up? - S.G., Poplar Bluff, MO
The first thing to do is to seal the scratches with clear shellac -- use a small artist's brush, and wipe away any excess with a paper towel. Often this will be all you need to do. If that's not enough, you can use colored wax (try Kiwi shoe polish in a color close to that of the surrounding wood), or you can go to the hardware store and get colored markers that are made for touching up scratches. Either of these will color the scratches but won't level the surface -- if you're bothered by the indentations, I'd suggest having a professional look at the piece.
SCRATCHES ON BLACK: I have a fairly new black kitchen table. It has some very fine surface scratches. Looks like could be from cleaning etc. Is there any way to remove them -polish, wax, rubbing compound, etc? - V.T., White Bear Lake, MN
If the scratches are really fine, you may be able to make them disappear with wax (try black shoe polish) or a good furniture polish such as Guardsman. You may also be able to remove them with automotive rubbing compound -- do a small area at a time, being very careful not to cut through the black finish. Wax or polish after rubbing out.
WRITING MARKS: I have just discovered that someone (workman) used our Alexander Roux inlaid table as a writing surface... the indentations of the numbers are visible on the table. I am distressed! What's the best way to fix this, to find the best restorer for this type of problem? I don't want to have someone repair it who is not experienced with this quality furniture, or this type of repair. - Susan, Overland Park, KS
When you're talking with restorers about the repairs your table needs, the main things to avoid are sanding it down and refinishing (this may be the cheapest option, but it's dangerous to do to this to an inlaid surface, as it's easy to cut right through the inlay), and building up the finish with a thick, catalyzed epoxy or similar resin finish (not good because this type of finish is difficult to impossible to remove – ugly, too!). Otherwise, there are various acceptable ways to address this sort of problem: the safest is to level the damaged areas with a shellac- or lacquer-based product. A skilled restorer could also remove the existing finish and steam out the indentations, then refinish -- the risk here is that it would be possible to loosen the inlay when steaming. (A good source for finding skilled restorers is Antiquerestorers.com.)
DUCO CEMENT: My mother used Duco glue to put felt on the bottom of an object. She set it on her wood table and it stuck. She was able to remove the felt but there is a square of some glue she's working to remove. She used rubbing alcohol. Any suggestions to remove residue? It's a brand new table. - P.O., Lakeville, MN
Duco cement is solvent-based, which makes removal tricky. I'd recommend trying a product such as Goo-gone; if that doesn't work, nail polish remover (acetone) might, but it's likely to damage the finish in the process -- try it on an inconspicuous area such as the inside of a leg first, and if the finish softens or gets sticky, stop.
If you have no luck with these methods, it's probably a job for a professional -- if the only way to remove the glue entails some damage to the finish, I or another professional can keep it to a minimum and then repair it. Do-it-yourself attempts can pretty easily turn into refinishing jobs...
FIBERS ON SURFACE: We have always used olive oil on our solid wood tables and chairs. Recently my wife put a vinyl table cloth on our drop leaf table. We just tried to remove in and found the back of the cloth was a fiber which has now stuck to the table as the oil has dried out. – D.L., Hurst, TX
Try rubbing gently with mineral spirits (paint thinner) -- this should loosen the fibers and remove excess oil. If that doesn't work, try a product such as Goo-gone -- test in an inconspicuous place to be sure it doesn't harm the finish.
I don't recommend olive oil as a furniture polish; as you've found, it pretty much guarantees a sticky mess, sooner or later. It will act as a dust magnet, and it's likely, over time, to penetrate the finish and soften it. Paste wax or a product such as Guardsman furniture polish are better bets. Stay away from Pledge or other products containing silicone.
BURN MARK: We have a dining table with a burn mark the size of a quarter on the top. Can this be repaired or covered?
- M. B., Madison, WIBurn marks are almost impossible to remove, unfortunately. A burn of that size is probably quite deep, and removing it would require either sanding down the whole surface with a power sander, and then refinishing it (brutal, but possible if it's solid wood and not veneer), or removing the burned area and either letting in new wood or filling the void with a synthetic filler and then inpainting to match the grain and finish of the wood. Any of these is probably a job for a professional, unless you have a fair amount of woodworking experience.
PEELING SURFACE: I have a desk that I received from my grandmother. It's an adorable 60's style and very solid desk and in decent shape over all. It does however have some parts where it seems the wood look is peeling off much like a sticker and seems to be revealing what looks to be plywood. Is this odd? If not how do I remove this sticker stuff and where do I find more to replace it? A.R., Napierville, IL
Without seeing the desk, it's hard to know exactly what to recommend. If the "wood look" that's peeling off is actually a wood veneer, it's possible to reglue the raised parts and replace anything that's missing. If it's some sort of very thin synthetic laminate, which sounds likely from your description, it's harder to repair—and may not be worth the expense, since pieces made with this type of surface are usually not of very high quality. Your best bet might be to have a professional look at it.
GLUE SPOTS: I have a dining room chair which I chemically stripped and sanded. After which I found a couple of joints loose and then glued with Titebond glue. I got some glue on other parts of the chair that did not take the stain. The spots are lighter. Is there anything I can do to correct my problem? - Z.F., Bloomington, MN
The simplest thing to do, after the fact, is to use paint to touch up the lighter spots to match the color of the chair. If you use acrylics you can apply finish right over the paint; artists' oils may give a better match, but if you use oil-based paint you'll need to seal the touchups with shellac before applying an oil-based finish. Otherwise, you'll have to strip the chair again, remove the dried glue, and start over. I'd recommend the paint. Another time, reglue before you strip, and the old finish will help to protect the wood.
DULL SHELLAC FINISH: I have an antique mahogany dresser and vanity. It is a shellac finish which, in spots, has dulled. I thought a furniture guy once told me this could be rubbed clean/restored using... linseed oil? What can I use to renew the finish? - L.H., Los Angeles
If the finish is shellac, please don't use linseed oil on it; At best it will attract dirt, and at worst it will soften the finish, penetrate into the wood, and darken it irreversibly. Your best bet is to clean the surface with mineral spirits (paint thinner) and/or a solution of Murphy's oil soap (don't let water stand on the surface --wipe up as you go), and then rub it down with wax and 0000 steel wool, then buff. This usually works well on old shellac finishes that are just a bit dull, and if you don't like the results, you haven't done any harm -- the wax will come off with mineral spirits. (In that case, I'd suggest consulting a professional -- a shellac finish can be restored, but it's not a do-it-yourself job.
FINISH RESTORATION: Hi. I have a mahogany empire style console table that was made in the late 1800s. (It has a Morris & Butler of Boston sticker under the base.) It has some deep scratches and some water stains on the table surface. Can it be stripped and refinished or would this diminish any value it may have? - K.M., Medfield, MA
If the table dates from the 1880's the finish was almost certainly shellac. If so, it's probably possible to repair the damage without stripping and refinishing the piece. It would depend on things like how deep the scratches are, and whether the water stains are white or black (white ones are easy). In any case, if it's only the top that's damaged I certainly wouldn't recommend stripping the entire piece. Whatever you decide, protect that maker's sticker -- it definitely adds to the value of the table.
ALLIGATORING: I have just gotten a Duncan Phyfe expandable Dining room table that is probably more than 70 year old. The table is in fairly good shape. However it has been stored in a storage facility for the last 5 years. I believe that as a result it has developed alligatoring of the top. What is the best way to eliminate the alligator effect? - J.S., Dumont, N.J.
Unfortunately, the best way to eliminate the alligatoring is probably to strip and refinish the table top. I always hate to recommend this, but with a large surface like a dining table, it's very labor-intensive and rather tricky to attempt to preserve the old finish, and the results aren't always very satisfactory: for example, any stains or dents in the surface will become much more noticeable as the finish is smoothed out. Also, if the table is going to be used regularly, most people are happier with a more durable modern finish that doesn't require quite so much care and protection.
If you really want to preserve the old finish, have a professional look at it. It's trickier than stripping/refinishing, and not really a do-it-yourself job.
PRESERVING OLD PAINT: I bought a huge old rocker at an auction. A couple of the rungs were broke and I them replaced. The seat had what looked like a piece of leather hanging from it and the back was woven with wood, which I found out was ash splints or something like that. The chair is painted green even the splints. I need to have the splints replaced, but before I do that something needs to be done to the finish. The paint is peeling off some of the chair but I would like to preserve the finish - is there something I can put on the chair to keep the rest of the paint from peeling off, or should I just repaint the chair? - L., Monclova, OH
Preserving old paint is tricky, and you may just have to scrape and sand off the loose paint and repaint the chair. If you want to try to preserve the old paint, your best bet is to coat the painted surfaces with Liquitex Soluvar. This comes in matte or gloss (these can be mixed to get the amount of shine you want), and is available from good art supply stores. It's soluble in mineral spirits, so it can be removed without damaging the underlying surface.
Mainly, do what pleases you -- if the green paint is on the woven back as well as the frame of the chair, the chances are it's not an original finish, so don't be too worried about preserving it for that reason...
RESTORING OLD SIGN: I have very old wooden store front sign that has etched in or carved lettering and detailing. It is very weathered and sandy. It is like soft sandstone now. It was painted black with the inset lettering painted white. The paint is almost all gone now. How do I even start to restore this? I did a light sanding of it but don't know how to approach the painting. What kind of paint should I use? do I do the lettering first? I'm sure it'll be like a sponge to paint. - P.H., Ontario
Given that you want to repaint the sign, you'll probably be best off using whatever type of paint and painting technique you're most comfortable with. What you use depends more on where the sign will be than on any "correct" restoration technique. (From a preservation standpoint, the "correct" thing would be to leave it alone or just consolidate the surface, not repaint it -- but it's your sign, so you get to do whatever you want with it!)
FIBER SEAT: I have a old rocking chair that has a thick paper-like seat with a design on it, what can I do to restore or replace it? what kind of seat could this be? - M.D., Neeses, S.C.
It sounds like you have a chair with either a very old, dry leather seat, or a fiber (artificial leather) one, which basically is very thick paper. You should be able to find similar replacement seats at Van Dykes Restorers or Antique Hardware & Home.
SEPARATING GLUE JOINTS: I'm trying to recondition an old wooden chair. It is made of either maple or birch. The stain on the chair is hiding the grain somewhat. A leg is fractured and a stretcher is split. I am attempting to separate the legs and stretchers without cutting them off. The replication of the legs would be better if I had a complete part to copy. I have been unable to separate the joints by using solvents and heat. I would appreciate any suggestion you would have to separate the joints. An answer would be greatly appreciated. – W.S., Bowie, MD
It's hard to know just what to suggest without seeing the chair. Nearly all old chairs were originally glued up with hide glue, which is water-soluble -- warm water worked into the joint and gentle heat from a small heat gun or infrared lamp will nearly always do the job. (With either heat source, be careful not to scorch the wood.) This will also work with Elmer's or carpenter's glue. If this approach doesn't work, either the chair has been reglued with an epoxy, Weldwood, or something similar, or the joints are just a very tight fit. In that case I usually can get them a part by inserting small hardwood wedges into the joint and using those (carefully!) to lever the joints open -- continuing to apply warm water and heat. It helps a lot to hold the part you're working on in a vise while you do this, too.
But if the joints are that tight, consider leaving them alone and repairing the leg and stretcher in place. I don't like to replicate parts unless they're actually missing, since it's always better to preserve as much of the original material as possible.
ROCKER REPLACEMENT: I have a rocking chair for my porch. One of the rockers broke, but the rest of the chair is in good condition. Do you know where I can purchase one to replace it? - G.D.L., Hobken, GA
Try Van Dyke's Restorers -- They have various sizes, in oak or maple. Sold by the pair -- you need both to be sure the curve matches.
HARDWARE FOR WOBBLY CHAIR: What is the best kind of hardware to use to fix a chair that wobbles? I think I could use angle irons where the legs meet the seat but the rungs are round and I don't know if I should try using screws or nails to fasten them to the legs better, or what? - F.G.R., St. Louis, MO
The best kind of hardware is NO hardware. Any metal fasteners will eventually work loose, and the chair will be worse off than it is now. If you have some basic woodworking knowledge and equipment (mainly clamps) and the chair is not valuable, you can take it apart with a rubber mallet, clean the old glue off the joints, and reglue it -- ideally with hot hide glue, but white (Elmer's-type) glue is OK - DON'T use epoxy, because there's no way to remove it -- ever. Don't take the back apart unless you're really sure you can put it back together square and flat. If the chair has any value at all I'd recommend taking it to a professional restorer rather than trying to fix it yourself: I usually end up having to charge twice as much to redo "do-it-yourself" jobs that fail than I would have if I'd done the work in the first place.
LOOSE CHAIR JOINTS: What can we do to properly secure the joints on an Arts and Crafts chair we have? Seems no matter what type of wood glue we use and careful clamping we do the joints work themselves loose again over a fairly short period of time. We're afraid we'll break the chair - or ourselves - if we sit in it. Thanks in advance for any ideas. - Mark, Andover, MA
There are several reasons why repaired glue joints fail prematurely: failure to clean off old glue before regluing, poor fit (joints too loose), improper clamping, using the wrong kind of glue: hot hide glue is best, white (Elmer's) glue is OK but not completely reversible—anything else is not usually a good idea. And chairs fail a lot, just because of the way they're designed or built— they get a lot of stress on joints that are often fundamentally weak. Without seeing the chair, it's hard to know which of these might apply, or what to suggest. Your best bet may be to have a professional look at it; if you want to bring it to my shop, I'd be glad to take a look, but you may want to find someone closer to Andover.STUCK DRAWERS: I have a nice old chest of drawers that came from my parents' house. The bottom drawer is jammed shut. Can you give me any suggestions on how to get it open? - Mike, Gloucester, MA
If you can move it even slightly, there's probably something caught between the drawer and the case that's keeping it from moving. If there's no movement at all, what has probably happened is that the drawer front has expanded and is stuck against the case; this can happen if the piece is kept somewhere damp, like a basement, or just from seasonal changes in humidity. Bottom drawers are often wider than the others in a chest, so they are more prone to this type of sticking. The least invasive thing to do is to move the piece to a drier location and/or wait until winter, when the air is drier, and try to open it then. Otherwise, you may want to try taking the back off the piece to see what's going on. This should be fairly easy if it's held on with screws. If it's nailed in place, proceed VERY cautiously, especially if the wood looks dried-out and brittle. A nailed back may be a sign that the piece is quite old, and you don't want to risk damaging it. Once the back is off you should be able to see what's causing the problem.
WARPED DRAWERS: I have recently inherited a desktop chest of drawers. I don't know what sort of wood it is, but it is Chinese, probably made around or before 1914. The drawers are made of flat wood panels with dovetail corners (no glue). On some of the drawers, the base panel is cracked along the center. On some others, the front facing panel has warped on one side, creating a gap in one front corner of the drawer. It would be nice to retain the original construction of the drawers - can I replace the panels in a dovetail construction? Or is my only hope to fill in the gaps with wood epoxy? Little of the warping can be seen from the front, but I am concerned the panels may continue to warp now that they have started. – M.L., Arlington, VA
Without seeing the piece, I really can't make specific recommendations, but I do have a couple of general suggestions: first, neither replacing the panels nor epoxying them in place is a good idea -- both would seriously reduce the value, and the interest, of such a piece, which sounds like quite a nice one. As to warping, the single most important thing you can do to prevent further warping and perhaps reverse what has already occurred is to control humidity. Furniture does best between a range of 30-70% relative humidity, and lower levels do cause damage such as warping, splitting, drying out of glue, etc., while higher levels can also lead to warping, and also foster various kinds of mildew, rot, insect damage....
The problems you describe are fixable, but it's not a do-it-yourself job. I'd suggest consulting a professional -- since I'm not in your area, I'm not familiar with local restorers, but a good place to start is with the listings at Antiquerestorers.com. If you can't afford professional work right now, you'd be better off just leaving the piece alone and dealing with humidity control as best you can, especially since you say the problems aren't very apparent when the drawers are closed.
WARPED DESK PANELS: I have a desk that is at least as old as I am (33 years) that I am trying to refinish. It has two stacks of drawers on either side of center drawer. It had veneer on the inside and outside of the drawer boxes that was beginning to crack and pop off. Removing the veneer, I found I was pleased with the wood underneath and am hoping I don't have to replace it. Now, my problem is warp. Some of the panels have warped and the glue joints on the individual boards came apart, other panels have just warped. The panels that came apart have straightened out for the most part, but I'm wondering what 's the best way to straighten the warped panels? And should there be a problem with not re-veering the panels since their thickness has changed? Thanks! -Corey, Sand Lake, MI
The warping of the panels from your desk is very likely related to removing the veneer, especially if the veneer came off the outside only: the reason such panels are veneered on both sides is to prevent moisture from penetrating the wood unevenly, which is what causes wood to warp.
Unfortunately, it's very difficult to straighten warped boards. You can try applying heat and moisture to the cupped side, and clamping the boards between cauls to hold them in position while the two sides come to some sort of equilibrium; but this seldom works in the long run. Otherwise the only solutions are rather drastic ones such as kerfing the boards with a saw to allow you to straighten them and then applying battens to hold them in position, or running sliding dovetails across the width of the board and inserting cleats. Both of these are jobs that should be done only by a fairly experienced woodworker with a good understanding of wood movement.
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BROWN STAIN: My dad is a furniture restorer. He uses a brown water stain on antique furniture but is unsure of the name of it. He thought it was bichromate of potash but it isn't. It's a fine brown powder and is carcinogenic/toxic (why he's having difficulty finding a supplier now. It's a product that has been used historically. Do you know what it is called and a supplier? C.G., Southwest England
Most probably, your father has been using potassium dichromate— orange/red crystals, very toxic/carcinogenic, used for a couple of hundred years, especially on mahogany. (Works best as a dye on woods containing tannic acid, or with tannic acid added to wood which doesn't contain its own.) Any good supplier of photographic chemicals should carry it—not hard to find online.
ADHESIVES FOR CONSOLIDATION: I am a student in Letterfrack furniture college, county Galway in Ireland and I was interested to know what would be the best synthetic adhesive for consolidation when restoring an old piece of furniture and if possible could you send me any details you might have on that adhesive such as the structural properties. - D. F., Ireland
I prefer to use epoxy resins for consolidation and for structural repairs (to broken components—never on joinery or decoration). The only drawback to epoxy is that it is not reversible, so it's not appropriate on pieces receiving a rigorous conservation treatment; but since most of my clients want to use their furniture and want it restored cost-effectively, epoxy is often the best choice: it has great structural strength, excellent gap-filling properties (a consideration when I'm dealing with a previous poorly done repair), and, when used as a consolidant, its viscosity can be adjusted by adding solvents. My usual source is Industrial Formulators, a Canadian company. Their web site has a catalog and product literature available for download.
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