When it’s probable to Diy
If watermarks are your only trouble, Gendron suggests Mohawk’s Super Blush Retarder aerosol spray as a speedy repair, calling it “the marketplace mystery absolutely everyone who owns wooden home furnishings wants to know.”
Move your piece to a properly-ventilated space, these kinds of as the garage, and apply a number of light-weight coats of the spray to take away the white moisture marks — no extra finishing essential. When there are numerous tips and hacks out there for getting treatment of water rings, Kennedy advises averting “home treatments.”
If you have a piece with a somewhat failing end (think boring coloring and only the lightest scuffs and scratches), you may well not have to have a full refinishing. Alternatively, test the “scuff and spray” technique: Sand lightly with a higher-grit sandpaper (at least 400 grit) or a inexperienced Scotch-Brite scour pad, then spray on a layer of experienced-grade lacquer. The pros I spoke to advocate the aerosol products sold by Mohawk — more on these under. Try to remember to normally get the job done in a properly-ventilated house. “See how it seems,” Duffy said. “If it arrives out hunting cleaner, it’s properly acceptable to prevent there.”
If you can see bare wood or your piece has deep scratches, lots of h2o stains or ink marks, you’ll want a complete refinish. You will strip, sand and probably tackle colour with stain, glaze, toner or a mix of all a few, before ending with numerous coats of lacquer.
Since both the stripping products and solutions and the finishes are harsh, you’ll want a effectively-ventilated place for your job — not just a space with the home windows open, Duffy reported. “When I say ‘well ventilated,’ I actually indicate nicely ventilated, like with a powerful admirer,” she stated. “And you nonetheless will need a 3M respirator mask with P100 cartridges.” A garage is suitable, but a covered porch or pop-up tent can do the job. You will also need to have this place for a while: Kennedy estimates that a standard dresser will acquire a novice about 20 hrs to refinish.
To strip off the previous end, Duffy suggests a solution named Stripwell QCS. Strippers by the Klean Strip manufacturer, she says, are also affordable and productive. Right after allowing for the stripper to do its perform, use a putty knife to scrape absent the residue. (In its how-to movies, Stripwell recommends making use of a plastic version rather of metallic as a precaution towards damaging the veneer.)
As soon as you have taken off the end, adhere to the product’s instructions for cleaning the stripper from the wooden, then allow it dry absolutely before sanding. Kennedy and Duffy the two endorse investing in a random orbital sander, a tool intended for extremely-smooth sanding that expenditures significantly less than $100. Just one of the most widespread blunders newcomers make is sanding by means of veneer, so go bit by bit, the professionals say.
Now you are going to use the new complete to your piece. Men and women often think that all mid-century home furnishings was concluded with teak oil, Kennedy explained, but most was concluded with sprayed, toned lacquer. Thus, you very likely won’t want to use teak or Danish oil. “It’s like putting olive oil on a automobile finish,” Duffy mentioned, introducing that if you strip and sand a piece, then put teak oil on it, you have not actually recognized a surface area long lasting ample for every day use. When hoping to attain a selected coloration with your new complete, she recommends training initially on a spare piece of wooden. (If you are unsure which solutions are right for your item, Kennedy gives absolutely free advice in his Facebook team the Mid Century Modern-day Home furniture Refinishing Resource.)
The pros I spoke to encouraged avoiding the finishes readily available at hardware and huge-box suppliers in favor of qualified-quality alternatives. There are quite a few brand names, but for newcomers, they suggest those by Mohawk, which features many of its products in aerosol structure, so you won’t want to commit in a sprayer.
When applying the finish, Duffy stated, “you have to have to develop up 5 or six coats to create a genuinely beautiful floor that is sturdy sufficient for every day use and will preserve the furniture for a further 50 or 60 a long time.” Permit every single application dry according to the package deal instructions in among coats, you’ll will need to lightly scuff the surface with high-grit sandpaper.
