Thursday, July 10, 2014

When Considering Refinishing Wood Furniture Dallas Clients Should Know What It Involves

By Rosella Campbell


Beautiful, wood furnishings add splendor to a room and never lose their charm, but due to the various bumps and scratches they are subjected to over the years, they may start to look worn out eventually. Refinishing these pieces can effectively bring back their past glory, making them look almost like new. Whether looking to refinish one's own furnishings, or hiring a professional to do so, when thinking about refinishing wood furniture Dallas clients will find it useful to know what's involved in it.

All of the existing finish on the furnishings will first need to taken off entirely with a quality furniture stripping product. These products are available in gel, paste, semi-paste, and liquid forms, uprights surfaces are best treated with a more solid form, to avoid running. The user should work with rubber gloves, ventilation mask, and protective goggles on, and will need to apply the stripper to all surfaces leaving it on according to its package directions, then scraping it off with a putty knife, rinsing, and drying it.

One should examine the piece for any deep scratches or gouges, since these will need to be filled with a wood filler. These substances resemble putty and work by filling in damaged areas. A craft knife can be used to apply filler so that it's level with the surface of the furniture. Once it's dry it will be sanded.

Using 120 grit sandpaper, the piece will then need to be sanded, taking care to always sand in the same direction as the grain of the wood to prevent scratches. Sanding blocks work well on flat surfaces, but one must use a piece of folded sandpaper to reach small places. A cloth will be used to wipe away the debris, and the process repeated with increasingly fine sandpaper, stopping at 220 grit.

Before adding the finish, a primer should be applied. Primers ensure a more even application of the finish. Either primer or sand sealer will do the job, and can be painted onto the surface and allowed to dry entirely before applying the final stain.

The best color of stain for a particular piece depends mostly on the type of wood it is made from and also the personal preference of its owner. A wide variety of shades are available to choose from. Finishes may be applied either with a soft cloth or brush, but in both cases care must be taken to gently blot up excess stain. All sections of the piece should receive the same amount of finish.

Once the furniture has been stained, it's time to apply a varnish, this provides both a lovely shine and some degree of protection as well. There are spray-on varnishes such as wax and polyurethane, both of which add gloss but the latter has more resistance to damage from moisture. Oil-based, brush-on types such as shellac and lacquer can also be used, but one must pay more attention to preventing drip marks.

Some professionals dedicate their business to restoring old furnishing, and they can usually make any much-loved but worse-for-wear piece look almost like new again for a decent price. They have good advice as to which stain and varnish will best complement the particular piece, and in a few days they will have it done.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment