Talk to me about refinishing/refreshing furniture

[Spryte]

I have an antique dresser, passed down to me from a dear friend who passed away.  I love it, and have used it for years, however it could use some extra  care now. 

Refinishing is a lot of work, I’m not sure I have time to do it all well. Is there anything else I can do to refresh it without damaging it?  My friend could have told me, I’m sure she mentioned what she used at some point, but unfortunately I can’t just give her a call.  

If I must outright refinish, any tips are welcome!

[mmasc]

You could try buffing a bit of hemp oil on it and see if that restores the luster and richness. If it still has a layer of laquer/shiny stuff on it though, the hemp oil probably wouldn’t help. 
 

eta: if you decide to redo it, Miss Mustard Seed has a great blog/website/videos on refinishing furniture. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by mmasc
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[Annie G]

I have an old piece that I wanted to do a quick refinish on, and I lightly sanded it (just by hand, took me under an hour),then  rubbed some stain on with a clean cloth (to closely match the original color- it just needed some scratches and dings hidden so I applied stain all over then wiped off).  Then the next day I put a few coats of poly on it. I used a hand rubbed poly but the brush on kind is more commonly used. I just liked the hand rubbed look.   That was four years ago and it looks perfect. 

[Spryte]

1 minute ago, mmasc said:

You could try buffing a bit of hemp oil on it and see if that restores the luster and richness. If it still has a layer of laquer/shiny stuff on it though, the hemp oil probably wouldn’t help. 

I’m sure that would help.  There’s no lacquer, it’s always been more of a matte finish, so maybe that would work well.

[Spryte]

1 minute ago, Annie G said:

I have an old piece that I wanted to do a quick refinish on, and I lightly sanded it (just by hand, took me under an hour),then  rubbed some stain on with a clean cloth (to closely match the original color- it just needed some scratches and dings hidden so I applied stain all over then wiped off).  Then the next day I put a few coats of poly on it. I used a hand rubbed poly but the brush on kind is more commonly used. I just liked the hand rubbed look.   That was four years ago and it looks perfect. 

Thanks!  Do you happen to remember brands?

I’m so nervous about messing this piece up, because it’s sentimental.  

[mmasc]

This is where I first leaned about hemp oil. 
 

 

[Annie G]

9 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Thanks!  Do you happen to remember brands?

I’m so nervous about messing this piece up, because it’s sentimental.  

Minwax for both, available at Lowe’s.  I use Minwax frequently, almost exclusively, in fact. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Annie G

[Katy]

Can you post a picture?

[gardenmom5]

for fine furniture, clean with orange oil (you can find this many places for fine furniture) and cotton rags.  you want to dissolve the years of grime and wax.

If you're feeling more adventurous, you can use ultra fine steel wool with orange oil.   I've a friend who will restore pieces.  wood filler for gouges/etc.   Then sand and you can stain to match.

for drawer glides - use candle wax.  a lot does depend upon the period, and condition. (as well as your skills.)

I recently just did the top of a mid-century piece.  Then sanded the finish on the drawers (remove hardware), and sides. (abrades the surface so top coats will stick. Doesn't affect the actual stain coats.)  Put a coat of varnish on it.  I went and had a piece of glass cut for the top.  Looks great - and a whole lot nicer than similar pieces I saw for sale for a fraction of the price.  (and with those dovetailed drawers - made better too._

[Spryte]

1 hour ago, Katy said:

Can you post a picture?

I will try to do that tomorrow.

[Carol in Cal.]

A lot depends on whether there are veneers on it or not.  Are there?

[Spryte]

52 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

A lot depends on whether there are veneers on it or not.  Are there?

No veneer.  

[Spryte]

I looked it up, and while I can’t find a pic online, I think it is likely an Edwardian period piece.  Not super valuable, I think the market was flooded with them (vague memory), but a little over a hundred years old, I’d guess, and well made.  It’s a sweet little dressing table type chest with a beveled oval mirror.  No veneer.  It  means a lot to me, but I’m not worried about ruining it’s value while trying to make it look nice, I think it’s mostly sentimental. 

I could take it to a refinisher, but I’m thinking some type of oil - like the hemp? - might work.  

[Carol in Cal.]

So for something without veneer to worry about, I would start with Formby’s.  But drat, they sold to Minwax and now I can’t tell what product is what.  Formby’s had a cleaner that was pretty gentle, and a good starting point for wood furniture.  It might be the Minwax cabinet cleaner but I am not sure.  If that resulted in an even appearance, then I would treat with tung oil or lemon oil and voila it would look great.  If it didn’t, then there is a one step refinisher call Antique Furniture Refinisher that I would try next to even things out and start providing the oil to the surface as well.  It is a bit harsher and removes shellac and such, but not paint.  Then follow that up with the Antique Oil Finish.

[Idalou]

Howard Feed &Wax wood polish and conditioner. I have used it for years, a local antiques dealer told me it is  the easiest and best. Amazon carries it, of course.

[gardenmom5]

8 hours ago, Spryte said:

I looked it up, and while I can’t find a pic online, I think it is likely an Edwardian period piece.  Not super valuable, I think the market was flooded with them (vague memory), but a little over a hundred years old, I’d guess, and well made.  It’s a sweet little dressing table type chest with a beveled oval mirror.  No veneer.  It  means a lot to me, but I’m not worried about ruining it’s value while trying to make it look nice, I think it’s mostly sentimental. 

I could take it to a refinisher, but I’m thinking some type of oil - like the hemp? - might work.  

If it's what I think you're talking about - they used veneers.  

39 minutes ago, Idalou said:

Howard Feed &Wax wood polish and conditioner. I have used it for years, a local antiques dealer told me it is  the easiest and best. Amazon carries it, of course.

great product.  you want to clean the piece first to get all the old wax off of it.  lemon oil, orange oil both can work well.