restoration-1

Furniture Restoration Tips

In this day and age when money is getting scarce, furniture doesn’t really have to be disposed off. Even the ugliest piece of furniture out there can undergo an amazing transformation with the right DIY restoration tips.

Below are a few money-saving DIY furniture restoration tips:

Scratches

Small scratches can be hidden by breaking a pecan or a walnut and rubbing the oily flesh along the scratches. The oil content in these two nuts will darken and hide unsightly scratches instantly. For deeper scratches, using a patching wax stick will work better. Such sticks, which are available in different shades, can be purchased at grocery and hardware stores.

Dings

Dings usually affect the finish, not the wood, and this means that they are easy to fix. The first step into getting rid of a ding is to remove loose finish in and around the ding with the edge of a knife. Scraping the finish off should be done very carefully to avoid making the ding worse after which the edges of the ding can be feathered gently using steel wool.

The next step should be to dab the ding area gently with a cloth moistened with mineral spirits and leaving it to dry well. Once the ding is completely dry, new finish can be applied and left to dry. Once dry, steel wool should be used to buff the spot lightly, after which the whole furniture should be waxed and polished well. This furniture restoration tip will leave the furniture looking as good as new.

Dents

Smaller dents, just like dings, shouldn’t be too difficult to handle with the right restoration tips. However, larger and deeper dents can prove to be a bit difficult, especially when the piece of furniture involved is made of hardwood.

If the dent is on a finished surface, restoration begins with removing the finish surrounding the dent using sandpaper. Water (a few drops) should thereafter be applied on the dent and left for a few hours to raise the area. Alternatively, a piece of damp cloth may be folded severally and placed on the dent and thereafter ironed firmly using a warm iron box. The warm moisture will raise the dent.

Once the dent has risen successfully, the area should be left to dry well for a week or so. The next step should be to refinish the now raised dent using a matching finish. Once the finish has dried completely, it should be buffed lightly using steel wool and the entire piece of furniture can then be waxed and polished well to complete the restoration process.