Replies

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Jun 24, 2005 07:23pm | #1

   >> She believes the set was finished with boiled linseed oil.

   I doubt that. BLO is a more of a treatment, not a finish. And certainly not a finish I would apply to something like a dining room table.

   Here's the problem. Much furniture that old has all sorts of gunk on it. Wiping up of spills and use of various supermarket cleaners and polishes will wreck havoc with any topcoat applied over a contaminated surface. It is always best to completely strip off the old finish and start over with virgin wood.

   You could try wiping the surface down with mineral spirits using a gray scotchbrite pad. Then wipe the surface dry using paper towels and keeping a fresh face on the towels. Do it twice.

   Now you can wipe on a couple of coats of wiping varnish. Follow the directions on the can but practise your application on some scrap or the underside of the table first.

   Howie.........
2. 
   Glaucon | Jun 24, 2005 07:45pm | #2

   I agree with Howie- but there are some other issues to consider.  First- how bad is the present finish?  Next, is the furniture to be refinished antique?  It sounds from your post the furniture is fairly new- but in general, be careful about stripping off old finish if the piece is antique- you will undermine its value.

   If the piece is not antique, then stripping is certainly an option, particularly if the table is in poor condition.  But, in my experience this is often not the case.  I have a ~100 yo handmade Henry Miller mahogany console table that belonged to my grandparents.  The varnish finish was worn in areas and had a few dings.  I removed all the old wax with mineral spirits an #000 steel wool.  I then began rubbing down the table with pumice and paraffin oil, followed by rottenstone and oil and then beeswax with a little mineral spirits and BLO.  The major rub down took me an afternoon, I did each coat of wax (4) on subsequent days.  The result is a really nice finsih that did not involve removing the old varnish.  There are still a few imperfections- but they are appropriate for a century old piece.  The grain and color of the wood come through, and there is a semigloss/satin sheen that I like better than the poly coat.  It is also easy to recondition- just a little mineral spirits and some more wax.

   Glaucon

   If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...

1. 
   Gretchen | Jun 24, 2005 08:53pm | #3

   Next, is the furniture to be refinished antique?  It sounds from your post the furniture is fairly new- but in general, be careful about stripping off old finish if the piece is antique- you will undermine its value.

   This is a much overused piece of "information".  Original finishes for significant pieces of furniture are to be preserved.  But for the most part, this is not what is being talked about. Even the Antiques Roadshow has put out some disclaimers about this.Gretchen

1. 
   Glaucon | Jun 24, 2005 09:11pm | #4

   Well.

   If the "Antiques Roadshow" disclaims it, by golly, it just must be so...

   As for your "point" there are more antiques out there then you may imagine, and I've seen more then a few that have been ruinously "updated", particularly with poly. 

   The craze for high mirror finishes did not begin, but certainly acclerated in the 20s in the US esp with Art Deco furniture.  My view is that many pieces will be enhanced by careful restoration, which often involves repair without stripping.Glaucon

   If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...

1. 
   Gretchen | Jun 24, 2005 10:09pm | #5

   As for your "point" there are more antiques out there then you may imagine, and I've seen more then a few that have been ruinously "updated", particularly with poly. 

   I could not possibly agree with you more.  It is awful.

   My remarkabout the Roadshow was based in the fact that the idea that you should never refinish ANYthing came from the pieces they showed that were decreased in value by messing with the finish or hardware.  Their disclaimer was more of a clarification.

   Gretchen

   Edited 6/24/2005 3:10 pm ET by GRETCHEN

1. 
   Paul_Snyder | Jun 25, 2005 12:53am | #6

   I have a quoted response from Peter B. Cook, executive producer of the "Antiques Roadshow," on the subject of refinishing at this link - http://www.refinishwizard.com/It's always best to find out what you have before refinishing/restoring, but in most cases it's a good option.Paul S
   Website

3. 
   philip | Jun 25, 2005 01:37am | #7

   Hello Clon,
   I agree with much of what Glaucon has said and by coincidence have just re-finished some furniture which I now describe so you can draw your own conclusions.
   The furniture is made from Indian Rosewood-about 40 yrs ago in Hong Kong and originally finished with rudimentary shellac, then the owner has applied linseed oil and other oils such as "teak" oil.... Result-dirty dull appearance. I have re-finished her furniture by stripping the table tops only (stains scratches etc) and spraying pre-cat lacquer.
   Here is what is relevant to you-I finished the rest of the surfaces as follows:-
   Rubbed down with Zinsser Bullseye sealer shellac diluted about 50% with alcohol, using 0000 steel wool. This cleaned well and left a dull non sticky surface. I then applied Cabots Danish oil as per their instructions, resulting in an attractive finish with a nice sheen and a happy customer.I think your wipe on gel would work exactly the same no matter the rantings of comrade Rarebear. I don't believe I completely stripped those parts down to bare wood, and used no sand paper.
   I posted a picture of one item, a butler tray table, some time ago, and can show a pic of the current items if you are interested.

   
   

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   Edited 6/24/2005 6:41 pm ET by mookaroid