Shine your old Wood Furniture with Finishing Tips

 

Even if well cared, furniture wears down and loses its shine over time. When a finish becomes dull, the commercial polishes can’t bring them to the same level. In order to overcome the sticky wax coating from the old furniture, proper cleaning is required. The sticky coating is susceptible to dust and the finishes get darken with the passage of time. Fortunately, there are easy techniques available that can be applied at home to reinvigorate your finishes and you can make your furniture shine by following the easy tips.

Cleaning Techniques

Here are some easy and simple techniques available to rejuvenate the wicker furniture. These will definitely work to bring that lackluster back to life.

• Take equal parts of lemon oil, turpentine and white vinegar in a bowl. Turpentine is easily available at any hardware store, furniture store and supermarkets. And white vinegar can be found easily at grocery stores. After combining the ingredients stir the solution. Determine the amount on the basis of size of furniture.

• Dip a sponge or a piece of soft cloth into the solution and rub it on a small section of stained wood. After massaging the solution lightly, wipe the area with a soft cloth, or a piece of old towel. Let it dry completely.

 

• Another way to clean the finish is by using a mild dish soap or liquid detergent and warm water. Don’t puddle water on the surface it will create bad spots. For hard to get areas you can use a brush. Clean the dirt from paper towel and then dry off moisture with a soft cloth. Use the best quality wax to protect your furniture. Apply a thin coat of it and then buff it lightly using a soft cloth or a soft brush. After that there will be a beautiful shine that will last for a few months.
• To remove heavy use spots from you furniture wood use iron. Place a towel or a piece of soft cloth over the spot and then iron it. Keep it there for 10 to 20 seconds at medium settings. You can turn it up a bit but don’t heat up too much. Keep that iron moving on the cloth and keep checking your progress frequently.

 

• If cleaning with a detergent doesn’t work, you may use a solvent. It is not a preferred way because it can damage the finish. Work in a ventilate area. Apply turpentine on the rattan wood with a piece of soft rag and rub it off with a piece of steel wool. Repeat the step until the old wax is completely removed. When you are done with the cleaning process rinse the detergent off and then dry the wood thoroughly with a towel.

 

• When you have dried the wood you can choose to apply polish by following certain directions.

If the wood has scratches you can cover them up with hot lacquer sticks or by spot refinishing. Shoe polish that has matching shade is also an easy solution.

Precautions:

1. Keep your furniture away from sun or don’t place it near heating units because it will cook and destroy the fine finishes over time. It may dry out and shrink your furniture wood that can result in leaving cracks in wood.
2. In drier months use a humidifier to maintain a certain humidity level require for wood.
3. Woods are not hungry! No matter what they say in advertisement, you can’t feed them with polishes or oils. Furniture cannot penetrate oil and polishes. Polish only when it is necessary.
4. While cleaning your furniture be careful not to use excess of water. Apply the coat carefully to cover the wicker evenly. After cleaning, dry the piece thoroughly. Dry it for several days before you use it.

By applying these simple Do It Yourself tricks, you can dazzle every visitor to your house. So get moving, and invest some little time to make your house a dream home!