Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Dining room set refinishing
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05-14-01, 06:52 AM
OK, this is fairly detailed:
I have an old dining room set of furniture which I would like to get looking nice again. This set includes a table, chairs, buffet, server, and china cabinet. The larger surfaces (e.g., tops, drawer fronts) are veneer. I am uncertain of the age, but the buffet drawer faces are worn through the veneer layer where the drawer pulls have knocked against the drawer front, so they are well used. Partial tag on the chair bottom reads "Tomlinson Chair Mfg Co, High Point, NC". I do not have the experience to know exactly what kind of wood, but it is certainly hardwood and I would characterize the finished color as a dark cherry.
All these pieces have a dark stain and clear finish which appears to be laquer. I have followed George's recommendation and cleaned thoroughly with naphtha. I then tested a rag with laquer thinner and it tended to stick a little bit when rubbed on the surface. The finish on all pieces has hairline cracks (alligatoring?), and the table top appears dark, with some regions that are very hazy and scratched. However, when the table top is wet with naphtha, the finish generally looks very nice and deep, albeit still marred with some deeper scratches and dents here and there.
The finish on some areas (e.g., legs) is noticeably cracked, very dark (almost black), and opaque. This looks much different from the areas like the table top. Perhaps the original finish was darker on the legs to obscure the wood grain, and only the veneer was meant to show off the grain? Or maybe the finish on the different type of wood has deteriorated more severely?
Based on George's suggestions I have read in other postings, I think I might be able to recondition the existing finish on the tops, sides, and drawer fronts by brushing on laquer thinner, sanding, applying new laquer aerosol, and rubbing with paste wax. Is this appropriate? If so, what exactly is "paste wax"?
For the other areas which are very dark and cracked, I suspect another approach will be required. Will I need to strip and start over? If so, what products should I use?
This furniture also has some loose joints which need to be repaired. Some of the tenons appear not to fit very tightly on the chairs and table legs. What can I use to fill in the extra space in the joint and restore a tight fit? Is there a special glue to use, or just wood glue?
Thanks so much for any help.
I have an old dining room set of furniture which I would like to get looking nice again. This set includes a table, chairs, buffet, server, and china cabinet. The larger surfaces (e.g., tops, drawer fronts) are veneer. I am uncertain of the age, but the buffet drawer faces are worn through the veneer layer where the drawer pulls have knocked against the drawer front, so they are well used. Partial tag on the chair bottom reads "Tomlinson Chair Mfg Co, High Point, NC". I do not have the experience to know exactly what kind of wood, but it is certainly hardwood and I would characterize the finished color as a dark cherry.
All these pieces have a dark stain and clear finish which appears to be laquer. I have followed George's recommendation and cleaned thoroughly with naphtha. I then tested a rag with laquer thinner and it tended to stick a little bit when rubbed on the surface. The finish on all pieces has hairline cracks (alligatoring?), and the table top appears dark, with some regions that are very hazy and scratched. However, when the table top is wet with naphtha, the finish generally looks very nice and deep, albeit still marred with some deeper scratches and dents here and there.
The finish on some areas (e.g., legs) is noticeably cracked, very dark (almost black), and opaque. This looks much different from the areas like the table top. Perhaps the original finish was darker on the legs to obscure the wood grain, and only the veneer was meant to show off the grain? Or maybe the finish on the different type of wood has deteriorated more severely?
Based on George's suggestions I have read in other postings, I think I might be able to recondition the existing finish on the tops, sides, and drawer fronts by brushing on laquer thinner, sanding, applying new laquer aerosol, and rubbing with paste wax. Is this appropriate? If so, what exactly is "paste wax"?
For the other areas which are very dark and cracked, I suspect another approach will be required. Will I need to strip and start over? If so, what products should I use?
This furniture also has some loose joints which need to be repaired. Some of the tenons appear not to fit very tightly on the chairs and table legs. What can I use to fill in the extra space in the joint and restore a tight fit? Is there a special glue to use, or just wood glue?
Thanks so much for any help.
George
05-14-01, 06:19 PM
Big:
The mfg is still in business - just under another name: Here's the current name, address and phone number of you see need to get in touch with them.
Tomlinson Erwin Lambeth Showroom
305 West High Avenue, High Point
NC 27260
(336) 889-2960
The areas worn through by the hardware can be 'fixed' in one of two ways. New hardware that covers the damage (Van Dyke's Restorations offers an excellent selection), or wood putty that is then touched up to conceal the repair. Here's the web site for the hardware, if you decide to go that way:
http://www.vandykes.com
The darker coloration on the legs is probably due to a combination of factors. First, not being as readily exposed to sunlight, it wouldn't tend to fade as much as the top. Secondly, as the legs are probably turned on a lathe, the end grain of the wood was exposed, which absorbs stain much more readily than the side or edge of a board. To prevent this color difference should you want to re-stain, the legs should be treated wiht a wood conditioner before staining - this slows the absorption of stain and 'evens it out'.
In order to correct this, those areas must be stripped, then bleached. Most home centers carry a two part bleach. Look for that description - buy by price, regardless of brand - there's not that much difference in the products as they all are comprised of the same two active ingredients, namely sodium hydoxide and hydrogen peroxide.
Your solution to dealing with the tops should work. You may have to make extra passes over the dents and dings in order to level them out. Just be patient and don't try to apply too much at one time. Sand after each application with wet/dry paper (240 grit or finer) using a sanding block to remove the over spray from the area around the dent(s). The hole will eventually fill, as evidenced by your sanding turning the entire area dull - no shiny spot where the hole was.
Paste wax is just that - a wax in paste form, as opposed to liquid or aerosol. For durability, I use Johnson's Bowling Alley Paste wax. It has a high percentage of Carnuba Wax (an especially hard wax) which has a plus and minus. The plus is it's very durable. The minus is, because it is hard, it's more difficult to apply.
As far as stripping the darkened areas as I mentioned, I would suggest using a 50:50 mix of lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol. This combination cuts lacquer readily and is much less expensive than any stripper worth the name. You should be able (buying a gallon of each) to come up with two gallons of mixture for well under $20.00. Apply initially with #2 steel wool, clean up with the same mixture with 0000 steel wool. be aware that both these chemicals are highly flammable and should be treated with proper precautions. Work in a well ventilated area without flame or spark of any kind.
Worn tenons on chairs can be tricky - they take a lot of stress and need to be completely secure lest they break from the strain. You actually have a number of choices here. I'll list the two I prefer, in order.
1- Using a fine saw, cut a slot (just saw blade thickness) in the end of each tenon, to within 1/16" of the stain line. Fashion a small wedge, shaped so it fits into the slot, but does not go in all the way. The amount of space from the bottom of the wedge to the bottom of the slot should be the same as the amount of the wedge sticking out of the tenon. Apply ordinary wood glue to the joinery (you've cleaned all the old glue off before you started this part, of course) and drive the tenon ends in place. As the tenon is driven in, the wedge is driven completely into the slot, expanding the end of the tenon to make it tight.
The second method (much simpler and quicker if you're not a purist at heart) is to use an epoxy, such as Devcon 2 ton, which is not only an excellent adhesive but will fill cracks as well.
Drop back by and let us know how your project is coming.
The mfg is still in business - just under another name: Here's the current name, address and phone number of you see need to get in touch with them.
Tomlinson Erwin Lambeth Showroom
305 West High Avenue, High Point
NC 27260
(336) 889-2960
The areas worn through by the hardware can be 'fixed' in one of two ways. New hardware that covers the damage (Van Dyke's Restorations offers an excellent selection), or wood putty that is then touched up to conceal the repair. Here's the web site for the hardware, if you decide to go that way:
http://www.vandykes.com
The darker coloration on the legs is probably due to a combination of factors. First, not being as readily exposed to sunlight, it wouldn't tend to fade as much as the top. Secondly, as the legs are probably turned on a lathe, the end grain of the wood was exposed, which absorbs stain much more readily than the side or edge of a board. To prevent this color difference should you want to re-stain, the legs should be treated wiht a wood conditioner before staining - this slows the absorption of stain and 'evens it out'.
In order to correct this, those areas must be stripped, then bleached. Most home centers carry a two part bleach. Look for that description - buy by price, regardless of brand - there's not that much difference in the products as they all are comprised of the same two active ingredients, namely sodium hydoxide and hydrogen peroxide.
Your solution to dealing with the tops should work. You may have to make extra passes over the dents and dings in order to level them out. Just be patient and don't try to apply too much at one time. Sand after each application with wet/dry paper (240 grit or finer) using a sanding block to remove the over spray from the area around the dent(s). The hole will eventually fill, as evidenced by your sanding turning the entire area dull - no shiny spot where the hole was.
Paste wax is just that - a wax in paste form, as opposed to liquid or aerosol. For durability, I use Johnson's Bowling Alley Paste wax. It has a high percentage of Carnuba Wax (an especially hard wax) which has a plus and minus. The plus is it's very durable. The minus is, because it is hard, it's more difficult to apply.
As far as stripping the darkened areas as I mentioned, I would suggest using a 50:50 mix of lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol. This combination cuts lacquer readily and is much less expensive than any stripper worth the name. You should be able (buying a gallon of each) to come up with two gallons of mixture for well under $20.00. Apply initially with #2 steel wool, clean up with the same mixture with 0000 steel wool. be aware that both these chemicals are highly flammable and should be treated with proper precautions. Work in a well ventilated area without flame or spark of any kind.
Worn tenons on chairs can be tricky - they take a lot of stress and need to be completely secure lest they break from the strain. You actually have a number of choices here. I'll list the two I prefer, in order.
1- Using a fine saw, cut a slot (just saw blade thickness) in the end of each tenon, to within 1/16" of the stain line. Fashion a small wedge, shaped so it fits into the slot, but does not go in all the way. The amount of space from the bottom of the wedge to the bottom of the slot should be the same as the amount of the wedge sticking out of the tenon. Apply ordinary wood glue to the joinery (you've cleaned all the old glue off before you started this part, of course) and drive the tenon ends in place. As the tenon is driven in, the wedge is driven completely into the slot, expanding the end of the tenon to make it tight.
The second method (much simpler and quicker if you're not a purist at heart) is to use an epoxy, such as Devcon 2 ton, which is not only an excellent adhesive but will fill cracks as well.
Drop back by and let us know how your project is coming.