Once upon a time, filling nail holes, mending cracks or removing scratches from your wood furniture was typically a time-consuming chore. Now you can handle these tasks in just a matter of minutes and for a very low cost with colored wax filler sticks. There is no need to strip the existing finish or sand the surface before making repairs with the sticks. Continue reading Colored Wax for Furniture Cracks
Painting over stained wood, trim, and furniture can be difficult because the chemical properties of the stain make it hard for paint to stick to the surface. With the correct materials and instructions though, it is possible. Continue reading Painting Over Stained Wood
For wood furniture to last long, you need to handle it with utmost care. To prevent it from getting damaged, most people put placemats, cloth covers, coasters, or even glass and epoxy over it. However, accidents happen and at one point or another, you may get white rings or water marks. These stains occur when any kind of liquid spills or drips onto your wooden furniture. Learning how to remove water stains from wood will help keep your furniture look nice and new. Continue reading Removing Water Stains & White Rings from Wood Furniture
When refinishing furniture, the first step is usually to strip off the old finish. Although this is very common, there are times when furniture can be restored without having to strip its old finish first. In fact, institutes that keep important pieces of furniture for long periods of time only remove old finishes if the present finish risks damaging the wood.
Although there are Chemical Paint Strippers that make stripping easier, the process can still be time consuming and messy. Chemical paint strippers are not advised because:
When refinishing furniture, the old coat of paint has to be removed before applying a new one. The easiest way to do this is by using paint removers. There are many different kinds of paint removers available in the market today, so it is very difficult to determine which one is the best. In order to determine what the best paint remover is, it is important to compare and contrast each and every type available.
Different Types of Paint Removers
Liquids are one type of paint remover. They are usually used to remove paint with a simple clear coat or one to two layers of paint. They are also a good choice if you are removing paint from detail areas, irregular surfaces, or stubborn spots.
Brushables are another type of paint remover. This kind of paint remover can cling to vertical and overhead surfaces and can also easily be rinsed away by water. Because water can damage the wood’s grain, using this kind of paint remover requires extra care. There are also sprayables, which are paint removers that come in spray-on bottles. Like brushables, these are also easily rinsed with water. The best paint remover among these really depends on what project you are going to use them on.
Paint removers can be either toxic or non-toxic. Toxic paint removers contain chemicals and organic compounds that can be harmful to your health. Non-toxic paint removers are biodegradable, and can remove oil- and water-based polyurethanes or varnishes.
As mentioned above, some paint removers have chemicals that can be dangerous to your health. Even the best paint remover isn’t exempt. One precaution that is almost always neglected is the advice in the removers’ manual. Even if you have used paint removers before, it is still important to read through the manual just to be safe. It’s also important to wear proper clothing, goggles, and gloves to protect yourself from getting contaminated by the chemicals. Always work outdoors if you can, but if you can’t just make sure that the area you will be working in is properly ventilated. Most paint removers are flammable, so never use them near any source of heat. Including cigarettes!
Before removing paint from furniture you should make sure that the furniture is in perfect condition. Even the best paint remover won’t work if the piece you are stripping is damaged. This can’t be emphasized enough. For the best furnature stripper to work effectively, your piece must be in good shape to take in the treatments. When determining how to repair your furniture, you first have to know what type of finish was used on it. Surfaces finished with shellac or lacquer don’t need sanding or recoating to repair scratches or cracking. All you have to do is apply alcohol or lacquer thinner to the cracks, wait for it to harden, and then buff it with paste wax. If the surface was finished with varnish, old English oil can make scratches disappear temporarily. In order to repair them for long-term use, sand the surface until the scratch isn’t seen anymore and then apply paste wax.
Even the best paint remover can’t conceal white blotches or rings on your furniture’s surface. These blotches can sometimes be removed by a simple cleaning though. Some people have had success using a soft cloth with some toothpaste on it. Just rub the cloth over the blotches and wipe it off when you’re finished. If this doesn’t work, try holding a cloth with thinner on it over the area with the blotches, but make sure that you don’t touch the furniture’s’ surface. The fumes from the cloth will help the moisture escape. Finally, if all else fails, sand the blotched area and rub a dampened cloth over the blotched area. When they disappear, let the area dry for at least an hour and then apply some paste wax. Please see our other posts for a more information about repairing furniture.
How to Repair Furniture Scratches
What is the Strongest Wood Glue?
How to Repair Outdoor Furniture Like Wicker
Removing old paint with paint removers is a fairly simple job. The first thing you need to do is to transfer a small amount of the paint remover from the original container into a smaller one. You should do this because you don’t want to spoil the best paint remover in the original container by dipping and re-dipping a used brush in it. Apply a thick coat of paint remover over a small area in one direction. Make sure that you do not apply over areas that already have a coat. Let it to dry for at least 30 minutes or for as long the manufacturer recommends. Using a putty knife, scrape the paint in a circular motion. The thinner is ready if you get to the surface underneath the paint. Wait for 10 more minutes if it isn’t ready. If it it’s ready, remove all the paint in the area that you are working on. Any residue left should be wiped away with a rag and paint remover. Wash away the remaining paint remover from the surface. The best paint remover can be washed away by water while others need mineral spirits or ethanol.
There are many things to consider when choosing and using the best paint remover. It is important to know all of these so that the project you’re working on will show the best results.
It’s always important to learn about the characteristics of the wood you’re about to be refinishing before beginning any new project. Refinishing furniture requires patience, attention to detail, and some good ole fashion elbow grease. But I know you can do it! And trust me it really is extremely rewarding when its done.
Most tables, like all other things in the world, deteriorate over time. Because they are used on a daily basis, tables usually wear out long before other furniture does. However, this is not a cause for worry since you can actually improve its appearance yourself. This article talks about how to refinish a table and make it look brand new.
Refinishing a table is a messy job so the first thing you have to do is to pick out a ventilated workplace and cover it with newspapers or tarps. When the workplace is ready, wipe the table with a rag to remove dust and debris and then remove the old finish by using sandpaper, electric sanders, heat guns, or chemical strippers. Chemical strippers or paint removers are usually the most used when it comes to removing old finishes since it is the easiest to use and it gets the job done much quicker. However, make sure that you use the correct stripper and that you follow the instructions that come with it. Also, use gloves and eye protection when working with these so as to avoid being contaminated by chemicals. Apply the stripper to the table and let it sit for as long as it says in the can. When it is ready, remove the old finish by using a putty knife and steel wool. After stripping the finish off the table, use a sandpaper to smoothen it and then clean it with mineral spirits or paint-removal wash. This job will be much easier if you can disassemble your table into parts.
Continue reading Refinishing Techniques when Staining a Table
Pine is a softwood found mainly in the northern hemisphere. It is widely used to make timber and wood pulp because it’s so abundant. The pine tree species has spread so rapidly in fact that it has started to overpopulate some southern hemisphere countries as well. Since pine is a soft wood it’s extremely easy to work with. It’s commonly used in carpentry for flooring, roofing, furniture construction and more. Pine cones and pine needles have a variety of uses ranging from arts and crafts all the way to food. The pine tree itself is commonly sold to make Christmas trees.
Continue reading How to Stain & Refinish Pine
Oak is a brilliant construction wood because of its strength. It’s commonly found in flooring, furniture, boats and ships. Oak is also used to make wine bottles because it can alter the taste and texture of the wine. The timber resists pesky bugs and doesn’t easily deteriorate. The oak tree has many vessels which allow it absorb water and resist moisture at a higher rate (similar to a chestnut tree) too. Refinishing oak furniture is very easy because of its hard surface and flexibility. Oak stain usually comes in red, pink, brown or white. Red oak stain is the most common choice though because of its aged yet still elegant look.
The first step to refinish wood furniture requires removing the existing finish. This is probably the most cumbersome step in refinishing, but once it’s done the rest will be a piece of cake. Remember, if this is your first time, pick wood furniture that isn’t too valuable to gain some experience. Continue reading How to remove the existing finish when refinishing wood furniture
