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Finishing > Refinishing > How to Restore Antique Furniture

Learn how to restore antique furnitiure by removing the finish, treating any grease and watermarks, restaining and varnishing.

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The homeowner has decided to complete an antique refinishing project she started years earlier. A previous owner had painted the antique dresser and compromised its full antique value, prompting the current owner to strip the paint. Beneath the paint, she found water and grease marks and a deteriorated stain and varnish finish. To complete the restoration, she will remove the finish down to bare wood and treat the grease and watermarks prior to restaining and varnishing the dresser to preserve its style and character.

Step by Step Instructions and Video

Prepare Your Work Area
Prepare for the project by first choosing a well-ventilated work site, because fumes from the various refinishing products can be harmful. Protect the area with a drop cloth and use newspapers or plastic to cover surfaces under pans of solution and cans of stain and varnish. Wear protective gloves and safety glasses.

Pour Stripping Solution
Pour a small amount of stripping solution into a small pan/container that will not react with the solution. For the project, we use semi-paste stripper because it does not require much brushing and clings better to vertical surfaces without running.

Apply Solvent
Apply the solvent, using the type of brush/applicator recommended by the manufacturer. Brush the furniture stripper generously onto the first surface, using minimal brush strokes and working in one direction with the wood grain. Over-brushing the stripper will make its active ingredient evaporate more quickly and limit its effectiveness. Work from top to bottom on your project and complete one surface at a time.

Work the Stripper
Work the stripper with a brass brush in areas with carvings, knobs, or grooves that tend to retain the old finish. Brush gently and work with the wood's grain.

Test the Stripper
Test the stripper after 2 to 3 minutes. Gently scrape a small area with a small putty knife to determine whether the old finish is releasing. If necessary, recoat the test area and leave the stripper on a few more minutes.

Lift the Finish and Stripper Residue
Use the putty knife gently to lift the finish and stripper residue from the furniture's surface and clean the blade frequently with a paper towel. If the putty knife is not effective, use a medium-coarse grade of steel wool to work the stripper gently with the grain and free the remaining finish. Fine crevices may require extra attention.

Remove Last Traces of Residue
Pour some lacquer thinner into a clean pan. Use fine-gauge steel wool dipped in the lacquer thinner to neutralize the remaining stripper and remove the last traces of residue and any wax present in the stripper. Wipe the surface with a clean lint-free rag. Repeat steps 2 through 7 for each surface, until the old finish is gone.

Note any Watermarks and Grease/Oil Stains
Examine the entire antique for watermarks and other stains once you have removed all the debris and neutralized the stripper. Note any watermarks and oil/grease stains that you will treat with an application of oxalic acid, sold at your home improvement store as wood bleach.

Mix Oxalic Acid
Dissolve the oxalic acid at a ratio of 2 tablespoons of powder to 1 cup of very hot tap water. Stir it with the brush. Follow the manufacturer's mixing instructions.

Lift Stains and Discolorations
Brush the marred surface with the wood bleach to remove watermarks, grease or oil. Brush the mixture back and forth with the grain to work it into the wood to lift the stains and discolorations. Target the stain or the entire surface if appropriate. Let the area dry and then rinse off the white powdery residue with clean warm water and a sponge.

Apply Mixture of Bleach and Water
Use a sponge to apply a mixture of 1 part household bleach to 5 parts of water for stubborn stains. Leave the bleach on for several minutes until the stain fades. Rinse and allow the surface to dry. There are no hard rules to furniture stripping- if one product does not work then experiment.

Sand Surface
Sand the surfaces lightly with a 100-grit sandpaper to smooth them and then switch to 150-grit sandpaper for the final sanding. Be sure to sand with the wood grain.

Clean Entire Dresser
Clean the entire dresser by wiping each surface thoroughly with a tack cloth from top to bottom. The tack cloth's sticky surface will pick up all the sandpaper abrasive and fine wood dust from the previous step. Fold the tack cloth periodically to expose a fresh section that is still sticky. If necessary, use multiple cloths.

Apply Selected Stain
Apply the selected stain, after testing the color on an inconspicuous area of the furniture. Work the stain into cracks, crevices and carvings for a uniform coverage and work on one section at a time. Use a cloth or a clean brush with natural or synthetic bristles as recommended by your selected stain manufacturer. Gel stains offer more control, because they have a thicker consistency and cling to the surface rather than running and dripping.

Let Stain Dry for 24 Hours
Wipe the gel stain away with a lint-free cloth when the color has penetrated the wood and reached the desired color depth?typically after 2 to 3 minutes. Wipe with the grain. Applying more pressure or wiping more often will remove more gel stain and produce a lighter color. Follow the gel stain manufacturer?s application instructions for number of coats and drying times. Let your final coat of stain dry 24 hours before the next step.

Apply Topcoat
Apply topcoat to your restoration project. Using 1 to 3 coats of Tung oil or other topcoat product will preserve your work and enhance its beauty. A variety of application instructions exist for Tung oil and affect the desired finish. Tung oil is easy to apply and can provide a waterproof oil finish with a soft wet-looking shine to enhance the wood, yet retain its antique character. Dispose of your used materials appropriately.

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