Why is restoring furniture worth it?
- Finding The Right Piece
- Starting From Fresh
- The Finish
- The Benefits
Finding The Right Piece
Finding the right piece will include a multitude of things, however the main thing you want to take into account is the time you’re going to be putting into the restoration.
- For example if there appears to be a lot of repair work needed, let’s say a break, you’re going to need to allow a few days for the glue to completely dry before carrying on with a finish. (G clamps are advised to strengthen the joint whilst the glue dries)
- Whether you’re looking to paint your finished piece or finish in a wax you will need to allow at least 24 hours in between coats to ensure you achieve the maximum results,
Starting From Fresh
Once you have found the right piece, you’ll want to renew the current finish, doing so requires you to take the piece back to its original state (without destroying the character of the piece) you can do this in a number of ways from; white-spirit solutions to sandpaper (depending on the finish) here are some of the products we like to use to take back the current finish whilst giving you a silky smooth feel or a furniture reviver for a more gentle approach.
- Sandpaper, this is a brilliant item to use when taking back a wax finish, you need to ensure you’re using the correct grit when doing so. Usually we like to use a P-100 to P-150
- Wire wool, wire wool is great to use on pieces that have a stubborn painted finish, with the many wires attached it allows you to cut through the paint & reach any knots of holes with ease, especially when it comes to furniture that has been turned, again similar to sandpaper you need to ensure you’re using the correct wire wool as you do get different variants of strength, typically we like to use a finer wire.
The Finish
Moving onto the finishing stage, once you have waited for your glue to dry & you’ve taken back the finish, revived the piece so it has a smooth feel. You should be ready to finish. Depending on your desired look. There are multiple finishes we are going to go through.
(Tip You can see an example colour on most tins of wax, oil or paint you buy)
- Painting. When it comes to painting you want to make sure you have given your piece a undercoat (white being preferable) and left it for at least 12 hours till it’s dry. Once doing so you can apply your desired colour. Chalk paint typically offers you a higher quality look & allows you to apply a sealant with ease.
- Wax, There are many different wax’s you can use all give off a different tone. If you’ve just painted your piece, or want to keep the natural look, you can go for a clear wax. Briwax supplies fantastic products that we have used for years.
- Oil. When using an oil coat, ensure you are not spreading it too thick or thin as it will leave your piece sticky to touch & you’ll have to take it back again, using a paint brush usually gives off the best results. Wood Finishes Direct supplies incredible products like Top Oil & more!
The Benefits
Not only will you have the gratification of knowing you have made this piece your own, you have also;
- Increased your green footprint, because you have not brought another piece you’ve minimised CO2 emissions used to create manufactured furniture.
- You’ve saved money, restoring furniture yourself can most certainly save you money compared to the cost of re-buying the piece. Also most of the items you’ve used to restore can be kept for years & years, making them reusable throughout the years!
- Generations of fulfilment, Now you have created your piece you can pass it down to generations to come, I still use the coffee table my grandfather made when he was 14 years old! & what a Glorious piece it is in our living room.
“The greatest foe to art is luxury, art cannot live in its atmosphere.”
William Morris
