Refinishing
Refinishing Old Wood Furniture
Stripping a tired finish without bruising the wood underneath, and deciding when to refinish at all.
Open articleBringing old wood back to working condition
Talreorn collects field notes on assessing, refinishing and protecting solid-wood furniture. The focus is the Canadian setting, where dry winters and humid summers move wood more than most finishes expect.
Assess first
Read the piece before touching it
Joinery, veneer thickness and the existing finish decide what is reversible. A shellac surface and a modern polyurethane surface call for different solvents and different expectations.
Work with the wood
Grain, species and movement
Maple, oak, birch and rosewood each sand and absorb finish differently. Knowing the species changes grit choices, drying times and the colour you will end up with.
Then protect
Finishes for a changing climate
A finish in Winnipeg or Halifax has to tolerate forced-air heating in January and damp shoulder seasons. Film and penetrating finishes behave differently under that cycle.
Articles
Three working guides
Each article walks through one stage of a restoration, with the steps in the order a bench worker actually meets them.
Sanding
Sanding Wooden Furniture by Grit
A grit progression that removes scratches instead of chasing them, plus raising and knocking back the grain.
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Protection
Protecting Wood in the Canadian Climate
Matching oil, wax and film finishes to humidity swings, and the upkeep a finish needs over the year.
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Contact
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