Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - bureau odor

I have a used bureau (pine, I think) which has a distinct odor coming from the interior -- sort of musty and sour. I want to refinish it, but am reluctant to begin unless I can get rid of the smell. Any advice?

elimma@yahoo.com

Elim:

The best cure for this problem is to seal all the bare wood, inside and out. This includes drawer interiors, backs, sides, and bottoms, as well as all unfinished wood on the interior of the case.

I normally use shellac for this (it dries extremely quickly) but any finish you plan to use (including paint) will do the trick.

Just to reassure yourself all your hard work will not be in vain, seal the interior before refinishing - see if the odor isn't gone after the finish is dry.

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George T.

I have heard that if you place an open container with ground coffee in it for a week this will take the odor away.

Don't know about the coffee - mine hits the pot too quickly to ever be used that way!

Baking soda is another possibility, as well as unscented talcum powder.

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George T.

I once worked for a company that repaired houses after they had a fire. There is a product that is used to take the smell out of a home after a fire. I cannot remember the name of the product but a contractor that does insurance work would be able to tell you