Hints and Tips

Hints And Tips For A Unique Furniture Refinishing Project

Creating a one-of-a-kind work of art can be difficult if you have never done it before.  Even a basic project can quickly become complicated when you encounter one of those unplanned surprises that you are not sure how to handle.  However, a little information along with a few hints and tricks can go a long way.

Tips For Preparing A Wood Surface For Finishing

When repairing your furniture, it is important to make it as unnoticeable as possible.  This requires some sneak moves to pull off in most cases.  Unfortunately, the more extensive damage can’t be hidden and, therefore, you will have to blend it in as much as possible.

A large gouge on the main surface of your project is perhaps one of the most difficult to blend in.  If the wood is made of a heavy grained wood such as oak or teak, you can use several colors of wood filler to mend it.  If you are staining, use putties that are slightly lighter in color.  First, fill the gouge with the base color, on oak, for example, it would be the red-brown tone.  Once the putty has completely dried and has been sanded flush with the surface, use an extremely sharp knife or chisel to cut into the putty to follow the darker grains through the putty.  Then use matching putty for the other colored grains that are missing (like walnut for the dark accent grains in oak).  You will need to continue repeating the process until the damaged area blends into its surroundings.

detailed work of art

When you have an area that is chipped off on an edge and there isn’t much to hold it, you need a way to fix it that will be stable.  Sometimes, the chip can be broken at an angle.  If this happens, the first step is mix wood glue together with a matching wood filler (approximately half-and-half).  Then apply wood glue to the wood and apply an excessive amount of the putty mixture.  Leave it to dry for several hours before sanding it back to its original shape.  If you are missing a large piece, you will need to cut it out in a square, but don’t lose the piece you cut out.  The broken piece can then be used as a pattern to cut a “plug” from a matching scrap piece of wood.  A short piece of advice here:  remember that the saw will make the pattern slightly smaller than it needs to be.  Make the plug larger than the pattern and sand it down to fit.  You can always take more off, but it is impossible to put it back on.  Dry fit the piece into place and make any of the necessary adjustments.  Then, glue the repair into place and cover the seam with matching putty before clamping the piece into place.  Once everything has dried, you can then sand it off and voila!

Left over glue will prevent the wood from taking the stain.  You need to make sure that all of the glue is removed before you touch it with stain.  If you rub the area with a piece of sand paper and rub the sawdust across it, the glue will appear almost fuzzy.  In addition, if you tip it in front of a bright light, the area that has glue on it will still look slightly clouded.  Glue that has dried on the top of lacquer can be removed by rubbing the area quickly with a dry cloth.

For glue and putty in a hard to reach area, such as where a spindle meets the seat of the chair, use a chisel to remove as much of the excess as possible.  Then, use a small piece of sand paper folded in quarters to sand off the rest.  To see light scratches left behind by the sand paper easily, always use a bright light to shine across the surface.  Halogen work lights sat on the end of your workbench works the best.

Hints And Tips For The Finishing Touches

To ensure an even application, always thoroughly mix your products by stirring it with a stick.  Paint is the only finish that should ever be shaken to mix it.  Shaking lacquer will create bubbles in the lacquer that will transfer to the finished surface of your furniture.

When applying a liquid stain, wipe the stain on, and then wipe it off in the direction of the grain to avoid streaks.  Because end grains absorb more stain than the rest of the wood, if you sand the end grains with 220-grit paper or apply a wood conditioner to the end grains, the overall color will be more even.

detail your artwork with bright colours

To avoid brush marks in lacquer, do not over brush.  With the proper amount of lacquer on the brush, you should only have to brush the same spot twice.  The lacquer will automatically even out and fill in the trails left behind by the bristles.  A finely bristled brush will also work better than heavy synthetic bristles.  The other option is to spray the lacquer on.

If you are looking to custom stain a shape or pattern onto a wood item, regular stain will bleed.  To prevent this, use a well-taped stencil or tape the area off and use a gel type stain.  Acrylic craft paint can also be used to cheat or you can use a different colored paint all together to add a decorative touch.

To make the lacquer smooth and flawless, you will need to sand lightly between coats.  When the first coat dries, some of the grains will stand up under the clear coat because of the moisture.  Use a piece of 320-grit paper or sanding sponge by hand to rub off the lifted grains gently.

When you have almost finished a project and something happens, it can be extremely frustrating.  The best way to deal with something you don’t know about, is to do a little research will need to be done in order to finish your project.  Using these simple hints and tricks for refinishing furniture will give you the best results possible.

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