Cleaning up the wood work
After I have repaired and reglued a chair, I'm ready to give the woodwork a good cleaning before I put fabric on.
This is always a good idea to do before the fabric. You can get a bit sloppy with out warring about getting anything on the fabric. You can always comeback and do some touch up in the end when the fabric is on if need be.
So to clean up the wood work, I use a product called Howards Restor-A-Finish.
Restor-A-Finish is great for most furniture and woodwork to clean dirt and oils, and to darken up most scrapes and scratches, and to shin up the woodwork .
You can get it at most hardware or lumber stores and antique stores.
In the upholstery business we use a product called "Mar-away." Restor-A-Finish does the exact same thing as the "Pro" cleaner but at a better price.
Here is a link if you would like more information. http://www.howardproducts.com/restora.htm
Anyway, it is pretty easy to use. In my experience you need just 3 basic colors. A red, a dark brown, and a clear.
Wood tends to go toward its natural color anyway so you don't need a bunch of colors.
Also get some "0000" steel wool and you'll need some old rags.
One word of caution, If you would like to make yourself a wood cleaning and touch up kit like mine as seen in the picture, then get a good metal tool box to store your supplies in. Don't use a plastic or rubber container. Remember we are working with oil and old rags here. So think fire proof metal box when picking a tool box or container.
After I have repaired and reglued a chair, I'm ready to give the woodwork a good cleaning before I put fabric on.
This is always a good idea to do before the fabric. You can get a bit sloppy with out warring about getting anything on the fabric. You can always comeback and do some touch up in the end when the fabric is on if need be.
So to clean up the wood work, I use a product called Howards Restor-A-Finish.
Restor-A-Finish is great for most furniture and woodwork to clean dirt and oils, and to darken up most scrapes and scratches, and to shin up the woodwork .
You can get it at most hardware or lumber stores and antique stores.
In the upholstery business we use a product called "Mar-away." Restor-A-Finish does the exact same thing as the "Pro" cleaner but at a better price.
Here is a link if you would like more information. http://www.howardproducts.com/restora.htm
Anyway, it is pretty easy to use. In my experience you need just 3 basic colors. A red, a dark brown, and a clear.
Wood tends to go toward its natural color anyway so you don't need a bunch of colors.
Also get some "0000" steel wool and you'll need some old rags.
One word of caution, If you would like to make yourself a wood cleaning and touch up kit like mine as seen in the picture, then get a good metal tool box to store your supplies in. Don't use a plastic or rubber container. Remember we are working with oil and old rags here. So think fire proof metal box when picking a tool box or container.
Next word of Caution: Test, test, test on the finish before using this or any product on your furniture and wood work. Try a place where no one will see to make sure the oil will not damage the finish on your furniture before committing 100% to the work.
And on some finishes wont take a stain. It's rare but sometimes a finish will have a barrier in it to keep stain from penetrating the wood. So if you see no results that might be why.
To clean the woodworking on my chair, I put a little of the oil on 0000 steel wool and rub gently with the grain. I work my way around the chair leaving a thin amount of oil on the wood. Once I finish going over the chair, I wipe the excess stain off the chair with an old rag then wipe again with a clean rag.
Again, the oil is only on the chair for a few minutes then it is well wiped off.
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