In today’s world of mass produced products, finding quality at an affordable price can seem almost impossible and it is often wiser, not to mention cheaper, to restore rather than replace. Wood finishes are the face of your classic pieces.
Rather than replace them at today’s cost and lose an old friend, a new finish is a cost-effective way to give your wood furniture a new lease on life. Refinishing is not as difficult as you might think and with the right wood finishes for restoration, safety equipment, and a little elbow grease, you can make your old wood furniture look new again in no time.
Adding a New Finish
Suppose you have an antique, a chair that belonged to your grandfather or a buffet that’s been in the family for generations and that you can’t just throw out. By maintaining their existing wood tone and wood surface appearance, we honor the past and the artistry of previous eras, ensuring that these pieces remain visually captivating and valuable for collectors and enthusiasts. Moreover, restoring wood surfaces with the right antique finish can address structural issues and prevent further damage, enabling them to withstand the test of time.
Professional restoration can run into the thousands of dollars, but a great new look can be achieved by the average person in a matter of hours with an easy-to-apply finish. Wood finishes are not complicated and take no skills or training to use, so they make a great alternative to the person that can’t afford the more costly options. However, to complete refinishing job, here are some tips from our Pros at Real Milk Paint.
Wood Finishing Process
With a few basic items that can be easily purchased online, you’re on your way. The first thing you will need is a well-ventilated space to work in, and then some safety items such as glasses, rubber gloves, scratch cover and a long sleeve shirt and pants.
The next thing you will need is something to clean the furnishings, a soft cloth, tack cloth, steel wool, stain remover and mild solution paint strippers to clean the existing finish. While paste chemical strippers are usually the easiest to use for the wipe-off process, you must be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully to avoid any problems or hazards.
Sanding is a much more environmentally-friendly option as it literally strip white heat rings and clean the antique, but you must be careful to instruct yourself on the proper technique beforehand. If you sand too much in any given area, it can damage the piece, so you’ll want to make sure to take care and read up on the right way to do the job.
Once you have cleaned the item, apply your new finish. Choose the appropriate oil finish or wax depending on your desired outcome.
The Best Wood Finish at Real Milk Paint
Our finishing oils don’t contain traditional ingredients that most wood finishes would have like linseed oil that darkens with time or mineral spirits which are classified as carcinogenic to humans. Instead, we use tung oil as our main ingredient that helps preserve and restores beauty of antique pieces. Don’t replace valuable family heirlooms with flimsy new pieces just because they look a little worn. With wood finishes from Real Milk Paint, you can ensure that your furniture looks like the quality that it is at a price you can live with.
