Restore a finish?
Comments (14)
justgotabme
13 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
torsade
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHere's before:
and after:
This is the rest of the chair. The seat (and all the layers of grungy fabric) are gone now!
I bought the mahogany finish. They only had a light oak, golden oak and mahogany.
(Ignore the awful blue carpet...the new carpet was ordered today!)Related Discussions
Clean/Restore Formica Finish
Comments (20)When i lived in fl, our home had 1980's, dark brown, wood grain laminate countertops and cabinets. All in very good shape, but ugly! We painted the cabinets a golden yellow which actually made the countertops look not half bad. To shine them up, i found a product (actually saw it on an infomercial 1st) called rejuvenate. Found it at Home Depot eventually. It's a polymer coating which really added shine to the countertops. It's applied with a microfiber mitt and u literally paint it on with the mitt. Clean the countertops as directed and then apply the polish. Work quickly and in one direction. It looks great. It does not last forever, have to reapply every 1-3 months. Plan to use it now on not quite as ugly blue marble laminate. Good shape, but older. HD still carries it, check cleaning product aisle or kitchen remodeling dept. u can check availability of inventory for HD right on line for ur closest store. I've also had great luck filling small dings in laminate with wood putty and/or a magic marker or paint(paint must match exactly, of course). Rustoleum also makes a countertop paint which works well(not as shiny as new) but it does chip with heavy use, so I used polyurethane (spar) to topcoat. Took a long time to dry, but very durable....See MoreHoward's Restor-a-finish
Comments (6)I've used it. I had to google my user ID + Howard's RAF to find some of the old posts describing my own particular method with it. Also, if you skim through the top few posts in one of them I linked to instructions for a different method used in Antiques forum that also got some great results. Below is a link to the GW posts. Here is a link that might be useful: RAF posts...See MoreBriwax / Howard restor-a-finish to "refinish" oak cabinets?
Comments (18)luv, He just used a citrus-based (orange something) cleaner. Our cabinets were in good condition structurally, and they didn't look terrible, but we had a few places where they showed wear---one was near the sink, where I think water probably wore away at the finish. After 20+ years, I assume that whatever protective surface might have been put on the cabinets must have worn off, because the stain definitely did sink in. He applied the stain as you normally would---rubbing on a small amount, then rubbing off any excess. If you decide to try this, I would definitely test it first in an inconspicuous spot, or maybe even on a cabinet elsewhere in the house (especially useful if they used the same cabinets there as the ones in the kitchen). DH tested ours before committing to doing all the cabinets, and it seemed to work fine. The final urethane coat is important, too, as it is what gave the cabinets a finished look and, I presume, will protect the cabinets. I was honestly amazed that it worked. I really thought we'd have to sand and restain. I don't know if this method will work for all wood cabinets, but it turned out great for us. We did not try to darken our cabinets significantly, as I did not want dark cabinets in my kitchen, so if you are trying to do something to hide the fact that you have oak cabinets, it might not be satisfactory for you. We still have golden oak, the grain still stands out, but it looks much better....See MoreKitchen cabinets - can I use l gel stain over Howards Restor A Finish?
Comments (10)Thanks again - I'm off on Friday so I'll probably head over to the woodworking shop and seek some advice on the gel stain. I can take my time and do it in parts. I really think changing the orangish oak color to something slightly darker (but not too dark) will make the granite with mauve undertones look much better. We're planing on selling in the next few years so I thought an update would be in order but maybe staying with a wood grain as opposed to paint would be preferable for future buyers, although I am considering a 2 tone look and painting just the uppers an off white....See Morenatesgram
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agofranksmom_2010
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoUser
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agosashasmommy
13 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
ghostlyvision
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoUser
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoValerie Noronha
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoI've used it on several pieces (vintage mahogany such as your chair) and have always had fairly good results. The product does have it's limitations as it's used mostly to restore the existing finish and not to refinish so areas (such as deep scratches, water damage or crackling) where the finish has completely worn away will not be completely fixed. There is a fine line between rubbing in the finish so that it soaks in and rubbling so hard that you rub away the old finish so you do need to use care in areas where the original finish has worn away.
I've heard and tried various methods of cleaning from the Murphy Oil Soap, Dawn dish soap and mineral spirits. My last two projects, I was lazy and did not clean at all since I've heard that RAF has agents that clean as well.
I also use the 0000 steel wool to apply the RAF before wiping off with the lint free rag. I often tear up an old bedsheet or T-shirt for my rags. I will start that way and then often will repeat 2-3 times as needed, sometimes allowing it to sit 5-10 mins. before wiping away. I also use the Feed 'n Wax product as it protects the restored finish from water stains, etc.
Often my results while much improved over the original, are imperfect, at the same time much better than the alternative of refinishing which can damage the value of a piece and you loose the patina of age. One of the things that appeals to me about antique/vintage furniture are some the "character" marks which go with an old piece with an original finish.
If you are still dissatisfied, you may also want to try one of the colored wax crayons that you can find in the varnish section of your hardware store--which are used to fill in nicks and gouges.
Here are the end tables I recently restored.
Before:
After (including the Feed 'n Wax):
My dining room chairs I did a few years ago and they did not come out so well as the nightstands. There were some areas on the upper backs of the chairs which were probably handled a lot over the years, probably had greasy buildup and were cleaned so hard the finish had partially worn away. Or perhaps it was some UV damage? Whatever the reasons, these areas also didn't restore so well and are lighter as a result. It was with these areas I realized that if I rubbed too hard, I only worsened the problem as I would rub whatever was left of the existing finish away. I like to think of it as "character".
Here are the leg sections.
Before (you can see areas where finish has worn away--this I also had to be careful with not to buff too hard with the steel wool or I'd rub the finish right off):
After:
torsade
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoValerie Noronha
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agofranksmom_2010
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPenelope
13 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
moonshadow