Furniture refinishing question
I’d be grateful for input re: cleaning/restoring wood furniture, along the lines of Bob Marvin’s response to be2bk’s thread about Style of Chair. I’ve inherited several pieces of furniture, nearly all with “condition issues,†running the gamut of worn and scratched surfaces, bubbling veneers, and many, many layers of dust from years of storage. Regardless…
I’d be grateful for input re: cleaning/restoring wood furniture, along the lines of Bob Marvin’s response to be2bk’s thread about Style of Chair. I’ve inherited several pieces of furniture, nearly all with “condition issues,†running the gamut of worn and scratched surfaces, bubbling veneers, and many, many layers of dust from years of storage. Regardless of damage, the furniture has sentimental value to me. My primary aim is to clean these items, rather than restore them to perfection (which I’d leave to a pro, if I ever went that route). In response to be2bk’s post, Bob Marvin wrote: “The discolored feet (and the finish in general) can be made to look much better in minutes with Old English furniture polish, Howard-Restor-A-Finish, Scott’s Liquid Gold, or a similar product. I especially like the Howard stuff, which Pintchik carries.†I’ve also gotten recommendations to first damp wash with Dawn, followed by naptha or mineral spirits. I’ve been warned off using Murphy’s oil soap. Any other suggestions or cautions re: cleaning and restoring the furniture’s finish would be much appreciated.
There are several good books available on furniture refinishing. One of the clearest and best I found at Lowe’s — it’s in the Black and Decker Series (yes, the appliances/tools maufacturers). It offers basic guidelines about which solvents to use to remove which common finishes. Good to have a reference to refer to. I have had very good results with Howard’s Restor-A-Finish for furniture finished with wax, shellac or oil. Just rub it on with wire wool. Some elbow grease required but mostly pretty easy to use.
The other products I mentioned (Old English furniture polish, Howard-Restor-A-Finish, Scott’s Liquid Gold) also leave an oil residue, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
BTW If any veneer breaks off you could glue it back with white carpenter’s glue (such as Elmer’s Glue) which is water soluble and reversible.
Thanks, Bob. The veneer is on an old Eastlake piece and on a rosewood dresser, and I’m not going to fool around with either beyond cleaning. I have experience with architectural woodwork, but not with furniture in this state of neglect. I was told to avoid Murphy’s because of the oil residue that remains after washing.
My earlier recommendations will not help much with with bubbling veneer. For anything else they’re worth trying before doing anything more drastic. I’ve stripped and refinished lots of furniture in my time, but have learned that this is often not necessary.
BTW, it you’re just dealing with dust and grime, I see nothing wrong with using Murphy’s oil soap (as long as you don’t soak the surface).