Cleaning & Waxing Old Furniture
Copyright 2000 by Jeff Jewitt
Not reproducible in any form, written or electronic, without permission
Sooner
or later, every woodworker is faced with the prospect of refinishing an old
piece of furniture. Whether it's a treasured "find" at a flea market or
auction, or a favor for a relative or friend, etc., most people consider
stripping off the old finish and refinishing the only option of successfully
restoring the appearance of the piece.
When
many woodworkers see an old dirty finish, their first thought is to remove
it. In some cases this is the best approach as I will explain below.
However, most old finishes do not need to be completely removed to restore a
nice appearance. Much of the patina on old pieces is on the outer surface
of the wood under the finish and is the result of exposure to sun and air.
The chemicals in most strippers "pull out" some of this patina which can
affect the desirable characteristics of an old piece. Strippers can also
affect the glue in joints and loosen veneer. Museums and conservators of
antique and historically important furniture rarely remove a finish and will
only do so when the finish has degraded to the point that the stability of
the piece is jeopardized. Most of the time, the finish is partially removed
which involves the removal of the damaged surface layer only. Almost all
techniques involve some type of cleaning and removal of accumulations of
dirt, oils, and old polishes from years of use.
There
are several techniques for cleaning and restoring an old finish to the point
where the piece once again looks good. A background in restoration and
conservation has taught me several cleaning and conservation techniques that
can be used by most woodworkers to restore a piece of furniture without
stripping the finish. In this article, I'll detail several of these
techniques that can be done by most woodworkers with a minimum of
specialized materials. Before we start, I'd like to discuss those finishes
which shouldn't be saved.
Finishes
That Can't be Saved
Not
all old finishes can be saved. Finishes that are severely damaged or
degraded to the point where they can no longer effectively do a good job of
protecting the wood should be removed. Although most conservators would like
to save the original finish when possible, finishes that have degraded to
the point where the wood is in jeopardy should be removed. These situations
include severe water or heat damage, large losses of the finish where the
wood is exposed and situations where the finish is severely discolored.
Another finish that cannot be saved is a finish that is sticky. Sticky
finishes are those that have become chemically altered to the point where
they will never fully harden. Severe water or heat damage appear as large
white areas where the finish is peeling or flaking off. Large exposed areas
of wood are very difficult to blend in without highly developed skills so
removal of the entire finish is called for. Another problem finish is one in
which the finish has been mixed with pigment and applied thickly. Old
varnishes and shellacs applied in this manner may develop large cracks or
"islands" which show the bare wood below. This finish should be removed in
most cases. An exception are crazed or cracked finishes where the cracks do
not go all the way through to the wood below. I'll explain how to deal with
this later.
The
goal in restoring an old finish is not to make it look brand new. At best
this treatment should restore as much of the original condition as possible
and prevent further deterioration. While by no means is restoring a finish a
"quick-fix" type of repair, on most pieces it should be less time-consuming
and expensive than a complete stripping and refinishing. In addition, you do
not run the risk of ruining the value of an old piece of furniture by
removing a piece of its history. The following are the steps in saving an
old finish. Cleaning, abrading the old finish (if necessary) and finally
waxing.
Cleaning
Cleaning is a two step process which removes both water-soluble and
oil-soluble dirt and grime. The following process should not harm an old
finish unless it is badly degraded. The first cleaning step uses mineral
spirits or paint thinner to remove oil based dirt and old waxes and
polishes. It's important to test a small amount of the cleaner on an
inconspicuous area. Certain oil-based finishes varnishes can irreversibly
whiten on exposure to some hydrocarbons so testing is crucial and it's
important to know what the finish is. Oil finishes may soften and be
completely removed, but in most cases mineral spirits works the best.
Working in a well-ventilated area, dampen a clean cloth with the mineral
spirits and rub a small surface at a time. Do not saturate the surface.
Switch to clean cloths frequently.
The
next step involves using a household detergent mixed with distilled water. I
use Dawn, a commercial dish-washing detergent that is readily
available. Use a solution of one capful in a pint of lukewarm water. Apply
the solution with a dampened clean cloth, (not dripping wet) and rub a small
area at a time. You'll see your progress by the dirt on the rag, so change
the surface frequently. Afterwards, wipe all the excess detergent off with a
rag dampened slightly with clean water and proceed to the next step.
Sanding
The
cleaning above removes the surface dirt from the finish but it still may be
hazy or whitish. Part of this problem may be from small crazing or cracks in
the finish which reflect light - making the surface appear dull. If this is
the case and the cracks do not go all the way through to the wood, abrading
part of the finish will remove most of the cracks. Use a non-clogging
stearated sandpaper, (sandpaper mixed with an additive to minimize
clogging), to abrade away a portion of the finish. Wearing a dust mask,
start with 240 grit and proceed to 320 grit and finally 400 grit. Back the
paper with a felt or cork block and avoid the edges since it's easy to cut
completely through the finish. Sand in straight lines with the finish and
wipe the residue off frequently with a mineral spirits dampened rag. You can
stop sanding when the grain of the wood is visible or when the cracks have
disappeared. Patience is required because a heavy hand will cut through the
finish and you'll have no choice but to strip at that point. Wipe the piece
with mineral spirits and let dry overnight.
Waxing
The
piece is now ready for the final step. Use a good quality
furniture wax like Liberon Black Bison, Behlen, or Antiquax. All these waxes
come in clear but the Liberon product comes is several other shades and is
useful for darker woods and in maintaining patina (it won't leave a whitish
residue in cervices, open-grain and corners). Also if you use a light wax on
a dark wood any wax residue that lodges in crevices or small defects will be
noticeable when dry. Put a scoop of wax inside a clean cloth and apply the wax in a
small circular motion. On turned areas, carvings and other irregular areas,
work the wax in with a stiff bristle brush. Work on a manageable area at a
time and when the wax hazes buff it out using a clean cloth. After drying
overnight, give it a second waxing.
When
the second coat dries you'll have a restored finish without the bother or
hassle of stripping. You'll find it's much less work and the result is that
you haven't possibly detracted from the value if the piece is an antique. As
an added bonus, you find that the entire process can be done in one weekend,
rather than two or three weekends. And finally, the piece will have retained
the patina that took so long to acquire with time. And the time you saved
can be spent admiring your furniture.
About the author - Jeff
Jewitt is the author of 5 finishing and repair books. After 20 years
running a full-time restoration business, he now runs a
finishing
supply and manufacturing company, Homestead Finishing Products, Jeff
also finds time to write and teach. He has written extensively for Fine
Woodworking Magazine for over 14 years and has written articles on
finishing for other magazines and Professional Journals. He has
developed finishing products which are sold all over the world under the
“Homestead” name and is the author of 5 books:
Hand
Applied Finishes (Taunton Press 1997)
Great Wood Finishes (Taunton Press 2000)
Furniture Repair and Refinishing (Handyman Club of America
2001)
The Complete Illustrated Guide To Finishing (Taunton 2004)
Spray Finishing Made Simple (Taunton Press 2010)
And
2 videos:
Hand Applied Finishes (Taunton Press 1997)
Spray Finishing Made Simple (Taunton Press
2010)
