Basic Guide to Furniture Restoration Toronto

If you have a piece of furniture that you absolutely love or you are holding onto furniture that is considered to be a family heirloom, here is a basic guide to furniture restoration Toronto. Restoring your old furniture can breathe new life into it. You should understand, however, that restoring furniture is not a fast process but rather one that will require some time and patience.

Furniture restoration Toronto is a process that must be done step-by-step. You will need to choose the right products and tools for the job in order to do it right. Everything involved in the process will be simplified when you have these products and tools at hand before starting the job. Therefore, it’s very important to take the time first to get the proper supplies so that you are ready to start your project on the right foot.

Antique Furniture Restoration Toronto

Here is a quick rundown of the steps you should be following for antique restoration Toronto. Whether you have an older piece of furniture that is an antique or newer furniture that you need revitalized, the following steps should be taken to ensure that the project is done properly.

1. Put Your Safety First
Antique restoration Toronto may require the use of chemicals that may be damaging to your health if you don’t take the proper precautions. You should gather up protective gear or go out and purchase some if you don’t have any already. The following restoration protective supplies are highly recommended:

• Protective eyewear
• Masks
• Rubber gloves
• Long-sleeved shirt
• Long pants
• A safe work environment

It’s important to keep your whole body covered when you are working with potentially dangerous chemicals to prevent getting burned if any chemicals should splatter. A safe work zone must also be set up where there is adequate ventilation. In some cases antique refinishing Toronto involves removing paint that contains lead. This can be especially damaging to the lungs and should only be attempted in an area that is well ventilated.

Oily rags should be stored according to the specific instructions provided on the package of solvent you purchased. Oily rags can lead to combustion and if you store these rags in your home they can emit dangerous fumes. If you aren’t comfortable working with these safety precautions or have any doubts at all about doing the job, it’s time to call up an antique restoration Toronto company to help get your furniture piece looking great again.

2. Identify the Finish
Once you have your safety protocol well in place it’s time to take a good look at the piece of furniture that you want to renovate to find out what type of finish the wood has. It can be difficult to identify the different finishes such as lacquer, varnish and shellac and you may have to experiment in order to figure out what type of finish is on the furniture.

Start by trying to wipe away the finish with alcohol. If the alcohol removes the finish you can safely assume that the furniture has been covered with shellac. If the alcohol doesn’t take it off, try using a lacquer thinner. If the finish can be removed this way you’ll know that you are dealing with lacquer. If neither the lacquer thinner nor the alcohol removes the finish, the odds are good that a varnish has been applied to the furniture.

Enamel and paint can be easily identified since they present themselves with a finish that is pigmented. If you notice that the furniture looks dull and isn’t shiny, you may be dealing with a wax or an oil finish. Furniture restoration Toronto does require some experimentation at first in order to determine exactly what you’re dealing with.

3. Stripping or Re-amalgamation
In certain cases an older furniture piece will require complete stripping of the finish while in other cases it can be re-amalgamated. Re-amalgamation involves using a solvent on cracks and scratches to buff them out. The solvent chosen will depend on the finish. If it is lacquer then a lacquer thinner should be used and if it has shellac on it then denatured alcohol will buff out these imperfections. If the furniture piece has been varnished, however, re-amalgamation won’t work in most cases.

Once you determine that re-amalgamation would work, the solvent should be applied to the surface where the imperfection is found with a bristle brush. Rub back and forth with the brush quickly before the solvent dries out. At first, you’ll notice that the surface looks glossy and then once it is fully dry it will become duller. The scratch or the crack should have disappeared. The area can then be buffed lightly using steel wool in the direction of the grain. A hard wax paste can then be applied to make the area shine again. Many antique restoration Toronto projects can be handled this way.

Stripping involves taking all the finish and paint off of the furniture. The stripping formula should be applied at the top first and then the finishing will take place from the top down. The stripping agent should be applied in one direction with extra product applied to any areas that have been carved. You’ll need to wait up to 20 minutes for the stripping formula to do its job, and then it’s time to scrape the furniture surface using either a stripping tool or a putty knife.

This can take quite a bit of time, and you’ll need to be patient. As well, it will require multiple applications in order to remove all the paint, stain or finish entirely.

4. Refinishing
The last step in furniture restoration Toronto is refinishing the furniture to make it look its best. If you’re going to be applying a stain, use a bristle brush and wipe up any excess that has accumulated with a cloth. The next day it can be sanded using sandpaper with a 220 grit and then this step should be repeated. The furniture piece can then be finished with polyurethane, varnish, lacquer, shellac or wax.

Antique Furniture Restoration Toronto Company

When it comes to restoring furniture the process can be quite complicated – especially if you want to make sure that the piece looks as good as possible. If you have a family heirloom or an antique that is very dear to your heart, it’s well worth it to use an antique furniture restoration Toronto company to make sure that the job is done properly.

Find out more about our furniture restoration services in the Toronto area by visiting our website now at lancianofurniture.ca.