EXPERT ADVICE FURNITURE RESTORATION
Refinishing Vintage Furniture
Steve Chaisson, Owner
I f you're lucky enough to have received a vintage dresser from one of your relatives or found an antique piece at a yard sale or auction, you may now be wondering what to do with it - especially if it needs some TLC. Start with any necessary repairs; remove any hardware, doors or drawers and stabilize the structure before any other work begins. If any drawers need to be repaired, take the time to ensure that they are still square and slide easily on their runners. If they don’t then the runners may have moved from their original positions or may be missing all together. It will take a little experimentation but you should be able to fix them to their proper positions and slide the drawers in and out with ease. If a runner is missing you can use one of the remaining as a template for creating a replacement. Once the repairs are complete you are ready to start removing the old finish. You will need a good paint scraper; several grades of steel wool; rubber gloves; an old paint brush; a new paint brush; several clean rags; your chosen wood stain and a quality paint stripper. Carefully follow the instructions on the container and wait the recommended amount of time while the stripper does its work. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands and place a drop-cloth to protect floors from the harsh chemicals. Apply the stripper liberally with the brush taking care to cover all the surface area. Once the finish or paint starts to loosen, you
can use the scraper to remove as much as possible on the first pass. Repeat this process with the scraper at least once before switching to the rough grade steel wool, and repeating the same process. At this point you should be able to see very little of the original finish or paint remaining on the wood. You can now start with the finer grade steel wool, but this time don’t be as liberal with the stripper and use a bit more elbow grease to remove the final hints of the old surface. As a rule, I don’t use sandpaper because on most vintage furniture this will destroy the patina of the wood. Next take a rag and clean off any dirt or bits of steel wool from the dresser surface. Test the stain on a piece of similar wood first to ensure it is what you want then apply the stain to the drawers and dresser body using either the brush or a clean rag. Depending on the stain and room temperature, this may take a day or two to dry, so you will have to check several times for any excess stain running down the sides. Once dry you can decide if you want to darken it with additional coats until you obtain the desired colour. Allow the stain to dry throughly before applying varnish or shellac to get a more glossy look or simply beeswax to protect the surface. If you have any questions about what to do with your vintage treasures feel free to email me at chaissonsjc@hotmail.com, on Facebook @stevesfurniturerescue or call me at 902.316.1933
Steve's Furniture Rescue 902.316.1933 chaissonsjc@hotmail.com
stevesfurniturerescue
Don't pass by that vintage or antique piece because it needs a little TLC. Some weekend D.I.Y. and you'll turn that trash into a treasure.
Summer 2017 pei-living.ca
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