Restoring Wood Treasures
You often find treasures where you least expect them. This can also be true of your home. An easy woodworking project is repairing old wood furniture and floors. By finding vintage furniture, refinishing it, and caring for hardwood floors you can bring out the beauty of wood in your home.
Vintage furniture can be found in a variety of places, including in your home or outside of it. You may already have great old furniture in your basement, attic, or living room that just needs some fixing up. Or you may find it at garage or estate sales or thrift shops. This may include wooden chairs, benches, stools, armoires, or other items. But to help identify a piece of furniture as vintage, look for details such as hand-carved elements or intricately shaped legs. You should also look for signs of damage, such as cracks or warped surfaces that will need to be repaired before any refinishing is done.
If refinishing is necessary, it involves stripping the original finish, applying wood conditioner, staining, and applying a clear topcoat. Sometimes all you need to do is remove years of dirt and grime from the original finish. There are products that will do this without damaging it. But, if you need to refinish, the first step is stripping to the bare wood. You may do this yourself or have it done by a professional. Next, you will want to apply a wood conditioner. This ensures an even stain. Then, read the directions on the can of stain and apply it with a rag or brush by wiping in the direction of the wood grain. Then, after the recommended amount of time, wipe the excess stain off with a rag, again in the direction of the grain. The final step is to apply the clear topcoat to give the wood a protective finish that will preserve it for years to come.
Another hidden wood treasure that may be in your home is a hardwood floor. You may need to remove carpet to expose it in some homes. If the floor is not badly damaged with gouges or excessive wear, you may easily revive the floor with a reviver product every three to six months. Once the floor is revived, you need to maintain it by sweeping or vacuuming once a week, dust mopping in between the weekly cleanings, immediately cleaning up spills or mud, keeping mats or rugs by door entries, using gliders on furniture to avoid scraping, and keeping the humidity in your home to between forty-five and fifty-five percent.
You can use the beauty and elegance of wood to enhance your home by cleaning or refinishing old wood furniture and repairing and maintaining hardwood floors. This is a doable woodwork project that brings out the potential of items you may already have.
