Lesson 3: Basic Tools
Other Applications
Furniture and Woodwork
Cleaning should be the first step you perform before refinishing furniture. After cleaning the surface you may discover that refinishing isn't necessary, just some finish restoration might be in order. Cleaning any buildup of wax and/or dirt will let the stripper get right to the old finish and will allow it to work much faster and more efficiently. When a piece of furniture is waxed or polished there is always a fine layer of dust that is mixed in with the wax or polish and over a period of years the layer will darken and obscure the grain pattern of the wood.
Some handy tools for cleaning furniture are lots of soft clothes, a toothbrush, toothpicks, a dowel the size of a pencil, sharpened in a pencil sharpener, 0000 steel wool, and a lot of patience. (from Refinish Furniture.com.) Complete and detailed instructions for using these tools can be found at this site.
Be sure to test any chemicals on an inconspicuous spot before starting. If you don't need to strip you don't want to have a bad chemical reaction with a restorable finish.
Be aware that Tri Sodium Phosphate (TSP) may soften a finish.
Once you have thoroughly cleaned the piece of furniture, look at it closely. You may not need to do much more to it. A good furniture restoration product can now be applied to the surfaces, using a soft cloth for large areas and a toothbrush, small dowel or other tool to get into crevices. Work on an area no larger than 10-12" at a time, and use a paint brush to apply the solution to carved or recessed areas. Let it sit for a few minutes while you work another area.
Be sure to follow the cleaner manufacturer's instructions, particularly for proper protective gloves or eye protection, and proper ventilation.
After cleaning the furniture, buff it with a clean soft cloth and look again at the finish. If it isn't noticeably damaged or missing, you can probably forego the refinishing process. Just avoid letting spray waxes build up on the surface again.
Stripping
You will use the same basic tools as listed for cleaning and restoring your furniture.
Apply paint stripper liberally. Heavy bodied stripper works best on vertical surfaces and will work well on horizontal surfaces. Liquid stripper is best used only on horizontal surfaces and for removing the residue of heavy bodied stripper.
Read the label instructions on the paint stripper container and allow the stripper to work for at least the recommended time, or longer. Test the softened surface with the plastic scraper and if a good amount comes off, then scrape the softened finish from the whole area where you have stripper.
Just scrape that amount that will come off easily and recoat the remaining old finish. Repeat as necessary until all the old finish is stripped off. Clean the whole freshly stripped furniture piece or kitchen cabinet with denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner and let it sit and dry for at least 24 hours before you do anything else to it.
Paint stripper residue is both toxic and highly flammable. Dispose of it in a responsible manner. Put residue and all used rags and paper towels in a metal covered container outside, as those materials can catch fire by spontaneous combustion. (From Refinish Furniture.com.)
There are a lot of types of finishes that can be applied to stripped wood or new wood surfaces. If you are refinishing an antique, do not sand the finish or apply polyurethane to it, as this will devalue the piece immediately. A good boiled linseed oil, or other oil-based wood stain, will work fine without the addition of polyurethane. Follow the instructions carefully, taking care to have adequate ventilation.
