A Photo Finish
One of the most enjoyable ways to spend a fall weekend is to take a foliage and antique tour through the Hamptons and Montauk, in upstate New York, or along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. I love tooling around the countryside after a long workweek, making leisurely stops to poke around flea markets and vintage shops. And what a score of excitement I feel when I come across the perfect little side table or chest of drawers.
The most important lesson I’ve learned about great vintage furniture finds is that they don’t always start out being pretty…you have to learn to look beyond peeling paint or hideous brown stain to the structure and silhouette of a piece. A soundly built, nicely designed piece of wood furniture can be refinished in a number of ways – and made modern, beautiful and useful once again. Recycling at its best!
It’s easy. Before you buy (or rescue your piece from a dumpster or grandma’s basement) make sure your chair, table or chest is solidly built. Sometimes furniture repairs are hard to do well, and breaks or loose joints are often a sign that the piece was not well made.
Let me tell you that most items you unearth at country collectable shops and flea markets are not valuable antiques and you will not be destroying a piece’s value by refinishing them. If you have any doubts at all, of course check with an expert. But frankly, 90% of the time you can have at it with sandpaper and stripper without worrying about destroying the importance of an old piece of furniture – in fact, you’ll probably add to its intrinsic value!
No matter what you do you have to get the unpleasantness out of the way first, removing the original finish. So let’s get started. Assemble your stripping materials:
· Drop cloth
· Mild liquid soap and water.
· Plastic bucket with the capacity to hold 2 gallons of hot water
· A roll of paper toweling, or several clean cotton rags A good quality green or eco-friendly paste stripper such as Bio Wash, 3m Safest Stripper, Ready-Strip Pro and Citrus Strip.
· A two-inch-wide inexpensive brush for applying stripper.
· A metal coffee can or other metal container
· Neoprene gloves
· Plastic scraper
· Coarse steel wool
· Medium grit sandpaper
· One or two sheets each of 120, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper
· Tack cloth
Make sure you have good ventilation in your workspace, whether it is on your patio or terrace, in your living room, or the back yard. Protect your area by spreading a drop cloth under your piece. Then, with some mild soap and warm water, and paper towels or rags, clean the piece and dry it thoroughly. Next, follow the manufacturer’s directions to apply the stripper. Green strippers may take longer to work than conventional ones, but they are safer to use – and ultimately just as effective.
When the manufacturer’s stripping time has elapsed (which could be from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the brand you are using and the number of coats you are removing from your item) use a scraper to remove the finish and stripper. Remember to go with the grain of the wood, not against or across it! Use the steel wool dipped in a bit of water to remove any remaining finish and stain, then rinse the piece with a clean rag or towel dipped in water. Wipe it dry and let it dry thoroughly over night.
Before you stain or paint you have to sand your piece really well. Sand in the direction of the grain of the wood, first with the 120 grit paper, then with 150, and finally with the finest grit, the 220 paper. After each sanding, use the tack cloth or remove dust.
Right now painting furniture is very modern, especially when you use a contemporary color that helps highlight your piece’s “architecture.” If your item is made of a fine wood like mahogany you may want to just bring out the natural wood tones with a new stain and wax.
If you decide to paint, apply one coat of primer and one or two coats of the paint of your choice, following manufacturer’s directions. Mythic and Ecos both make eco-friendly paints. Sand with the finest grit paper between coats of paint for a beautiful, smooth and professional looking finish.
If you decide to stain, look for eco friendly brands such as American Formulating and Manufacturing (AFM) Safecoat stains, Auro USA, or AGLAIA natural finishes. Again, follow manufacturer’s instructions for application. Once the stain is dry you can top your piece off with a coat of natural wax, varnish or polyurethane.
Then stand back and admire your work. If I can do it so can you!
