How to Restore Your Antique Furniture

Any piece of antique furniture has an old-world charm about it, whether it is a family heirloom that you have inherited or a unique piece that you have stumbled upon at a garage sale. Antique furniture has been made with great attention to detail and with unlimited creativity. When you want to restore an older piece of furniture back to its original lustre, you can either decide to do it yourself or use the services of a furniture restoration Toronto company.

Antique Furniture Restoration: Understanding the Process

Restoring antique furniture is a mix of art and science. A systematic approach must be used in order to achieve the best results while some ingenuity may be required to restore the piece to its original form. Start by gathering up wood glue, a paintbrush, clamps, sandpaper along with any finishes you’ll want to use so that you have the tools by your side. Assess the furniture and look for any damage that must be repaired. This may include loose joints or missing parts.

Be sure to take photographs along the way to keep track of the condition of the furniture when you first start the project. Take measurements of the dimensions of the object since you may need them for future reference. To the best of your ability, determine the type of wood it is and find out more about the proper restoration techniques you should be using.

Furniture Restoration in Toronto: Bringing New Life to Old Treasures

Here are the steps you would take when it’s time to restore your antique furniture:

1. Cleaning – Before doing any actual restoration or repairs, the entire furniture piece will need to be thoroughly cleaned. All grime, dust and dirt must be removed using a damp cloth or a soft brush. Be gentle when doing the cleaning so that you don’t end up scratching the surface.

2. Start the repairs – If there are any parts that are missing or broken, use wood glue or small nails to make the repairs. If there is extensive damage or intricate repairs to be made, it’s best to call a company for furniture restoration in Toronto for guidance.

3. Removing the finish – If the furniture has old varnish or paint on it that needs to be stripped, you can use either sandpaper or a chemical stripper to remove it. Be sure to follow all of the manufacturer’s recommendations so that you don’t damage the wood when removing the old finish.

4. Smoothing and sanding – Once you have removed the old finish it’s time to sand the surface of the furniture. Use a fine grit sandpaper to help smooth out any dents, scratches or other imperfections on the wood.

5. Refinishing and staining – Now it’s time to apply the wood stain or the clear finish of your choice. You can spray on the finish or you can use a paintbrush to apply it. There should be instructions on the packaging of the finish you purchase providing helpful recommendations. Follow these guidelines since different types of finishes respond better when applied in specific ways.

Furniture Refinishing Toronto

A lot of people don’t feel confident about refinishing their own furniture and feel that it would be best left up to the professionals. If this applies to you, use a furniture refinishing company that you can trust with your valuable items. We specialize in not only furniture restoration but in furniture repair as well. Let us know what you need done and feel free to send us a picture of the furniture piece. We’ll let you know what we can do for you.