Repairing a finish

[ChadTower]

We came across some decent pine bookcases today.  I wasn't going to go with pine, but these are pretty good, and won't require too much restoration... they match well, are pretty well made and are $135 each.  I'm bringing the wife back to the store in an hour or so since they are for her but I anticipate bringing them home.  I'll get pics then.

The finish is a dark stain and does have some wear, as you would expect from pine, but nothing major.  I am thinking there should be a way to renew that finish with roughly the same color... or would the color match be too unpredictable?  I don't want to strip and start over, so if that is necessary, I'll just polish them up as best I can. 

[ChadTower]

Bought them, they should be delivered in the next couple of days.  I'll post pics then.

[Chris G]

We bought an old upright piano made of a dark rosewood a few years ago that was in pretty rough shape.  We used Howard's Restore-A-Finish (mahogany tint) and Feed-N-Wax, I believe they were called, with some light steel wool and it turned out pretty impressive.

[ChadTower]

I'll look into that, thanks.

We actually have an upright from about 1910 that needs finish (and internal) work, too, so if it works on the pine I'll consider it for the piano.

[ScottS]

A lot of it depends on what the original finish was. Polyurethane, for example, is notoriously difficult to repair. Lacquer and shellac, on the other hand, are pretty easy. Pine tends to blotch when stained so you may find re-staining an interesting proposition...if the wood was stained to begin with; it might have been glazed instead.

[ChadTower]

Hrm.  How can you tell the difference?

[prOk]

If it's pine, odds are very good it's a poly or shellac.. i'd lean toward poly in todays world.

[ChadTower]

They're not new, they're probably 30-40 years old.

[prOk]

guess 40 years pretty much knocks poly out.. i'd bet on shellac

[ScottS]

guess 40 years pretty much knocks poly out.. i'd bet on shellac

If I were you, I'd keep your money in your pocket. And stay away from Vegas, too!

I suspect the finish isn't shellac... unless the bookcases are 100+ years old. Shellac isn't especially durable and not a finish you'd typically use on a bookcase. If there's a hidden area of the case you don't care about, you could rub it with denatured alcohol and see if the finish dissolves. If it does, then it's shellac. Shellac may have been used to seal the wood either before or after staining, but I suspect it probably isn't the topcoat...

More likely possibilities are lacquer (if the furniture was mass-produced), varnish (if it was hand-made), or polyurethane (which has been around for quite some time). I can think of ways to distinguish between all of these, but they're just as destructive as testing for shellac.

[ChadTower]

We bought an old upright piano made of a dark rosewood a few years ago that was in pretty rough shape.  We used Howard's Restore-A-Finish (mahogany tint) and Feed-N-Wax, I believe they were called, with some light steel wool and it turned out pretty impressive.

Picked up some of each today.  I probably won't get to it today, but I'll get some before pics, then some after pics.  Worst case is it turns out like crap and I paint them pink for the wife.

[lanman31337]

Pour a little nail polish remover on an incinspicuous spot.  If it turns gummy, it's shellac, and it needs to be stripped off before you can restain.

[ChadTower]

Oh man, my wife has some antique cherry furniture that her grandmother left her.  75-100 year old stuff with perfect finishes.  When my younger son was like 2 he got into some nail polish remover and spilled it all over the dresser.  It wasn't pretty.  There are giant holes in the finish that remain to this day straight down to the wood.

[ChadTower]

We bought an old upright piano made of a dark rosewood a few years ago that was in pretty rough shape.  We used Howard's Restore-A-Finish (mahogany tint) and Feed-N-Wax, I believe they were called, with some light steel wool and it turned out pretty impressive.

So, I tried the product today on a couple of removable shelves that weren't that bad.  They look pretty good though they're still wet.  For stuff with a lot of shallow scratching, did you sand the surface to even it out a bit before applying Howard's, or did you just put it right on?

[lanman31337]

you can put a thin coat over everything, it'll fill in the grooves and scratches.  if they're deep, i'd suggest multiple thin coats or strip everything down.  i would have sanded it down with a 200ish sandpaper to get rid of any grease or anything and to give it something to grip to then put a coat down.

[Chris G]

So, I tried the product today on a couple of removable shelves that weren't that bad.  They look pretty good though they're still wet.  For stuff with a lot of shallow scratching, did you sand the surface to even it out a bit before applying Howard's, or did you just put it right on?

By going this method you are trying to repair the finish, not redo it - so I would not recommend sanding.  Obviously the first thing to do is clean thoroughly to remove any dirt, grease, etc.  If the surface is smooth, you can just apply the product.  Since you have scratches, though, you can do what we did.  Buy some 0000 steel wool (super fine), dip it in the Howard's, and go at it.  The steel wool will smooth things out just a bit and work the product into the wood.  You're not going to end up with a perfect finish in terms of smoothness but it should look pretty darn good.

Edit:  Oh, and always work in the direction of the grain.

[ChadTower]

Yeah, not really looking for a perfect finish on this.  Given that it is pine, I figure, if I sand just a bit to level it out, the stain should be fairly deep.  This stuff has absolutely no filling to it, nor would I think it would.

[Chris G]

Good luck.  Let me know how it goes.

[ChadTower]

The split photos are one case, the whole photo the other.  The flash seems to have washed out much of the scratches on the image of the whole case, it has a lot more surface issues in the finish than you can see.  Shallow, but a lot.

[Chris G]

Those are nice pieces.  Pretty rough shape, though.  I hope the Restore does the job.

[ChadTower]

Yep.  If it doesn't, I'll just paint them.  No loss, really.

[ChadTower]

Pics coming when I get the chance to transfer them... one cabinet is done, restained and waxed.  The shelves and doors are drying stain now.  The difference is large, they look a LOT better, and the wax gave it a bit of pop.  Some new hinges and knobs and these will be quite good pieces. 

Howard's Restore A Finish gets two solid thumbs up.   

[Chris G]