Do you want to restore your old furniture? Then you are in the right place. Many people want to restore or refinish their antique furniture but they don’t know, how to restore it properly. In this blog, we will give you some basic tips and discuss nine major steps of antique furniture restoration in details.
Tools required
You need various kinds of tools for restoring old furniture. These are, sandpapers- minimum 80 and 100, power sander, sanding block, French polish, Teak oil, Tung oil, Danish oil, Linseed oil, varnish, wax, Polyurethane, PVA glue or wood glue, Brushes, Rags and Cloths, Set Square, Protective goggles, Metal rule, Dust mask or respirator, Latex or vinyl gloves.
How to restore
Let’s check out nine major steps of restoration in details.
Do a Survey
Before starting the restoration process, you need to survey or check out the entire condition of the furniture. Because when you survey it then you can easily find out the degree of damages. So proper surveying is very much important.
Safety required
When you are restoring or repairing any furniture then you need to work with lots of chemicals and tools. These tools and chemicals can be dangerous to your health if you do not take proper precautions. Basically, furniture restorations are easy but you should always keep some important things in your mind while restoring. You need to wear gloves and protective goggles. Moreover, you have to work in well-ventilated areas for avoiding noxious vapors.
Stripping the furniture
The first step in the furniture restoration process is stripping. In this step, you can use spray stripper which is very much convenient. Also, you can apply stripper by using an old brush. After applying, leave it for five to nine minutes and then reduce the old finish by using a scraper.
Cleaning the surface
Once the stripping process is done, you have to clean the surfaces of the table by using a dump cloth properly. This step helps to remove the surface dust.
Sanding properly
After cleaning, you need to sand the furniture by using 40 grit sandpaper smoothly. During this process, you need to check the grit and replace it if required. Also, you should wear vinyl gloves for protection.
Brush up
Once you are done with the previous step, you need to remove the dust by using a brush. In this way you can easily understand, more sanding is required or not.
Sanding again
After that, you have to sand it again. This step would help to clean the unfinished surface of the furniture.
Use finer grit
Now, you have to change the sandpaper to a finer grit like 240 grit. This would help in giving you a smooth surface.
Clean with turps
After that, you need to wipe the furniture with mineral turpentine to reduce all kind of fine dust. During this step, you need to wear a dust mask.
Finishing
This is the last step, here you have to apply the first coat and then the second coat of varnish accordingly. You should apply this step in nice strokes. After varnishing, lightly sand the surface to get a glossy and smooth finish.
Restoring or repairing old furniture is not difficult. You just need to follow these instructions or steps very carefully. However, if you still think that restoring old furniture is not your cup of tea, in Sandy Bay, you can find many companies that offer the restoration services at an affordable rate. So, you can hire these companies, they will do everything needed to restore your furniture.