Any suggestions on cleaning or refinishing old woowork. Have used a product called restore a finish on furniture with some success, but not sure if that wood be the way to go. Woodwork is in decent condition but some areas need a little TLC. Wondering if a good cleaning with….? and then top coating with a poly or …? (I have tested small area with polyurethane and did not get a reaction with the old finish, same with General Finishes Armor Seal).
Thanks
Replies
What finish do you think is on there now?
And how dingy is the old stuff. A mild stripping of the top layer of (?) can be accomplished with one of those liquid strippers that you rub on with steel wool, rinsing and ringing out the pad......then repeating. Formby used to have a product like that. Hope's might have. Klean Kutter I've used recently. http://www.kleanstrip.com/ They've got cleaners in addition to their heavy duty strippers.
Denatured alcohol will disolve Shellac. I've used lacquer thinner b/4, paint thinner, xylene, and naptha. Having them around affords the opportunity to try various methods. Steel wool, old toothbrushes, those plastic scouring pads of different courseness. Dish detergent. Whatever takes off whatever you got. Around a kitchen you've got a lot of grease-many chemicals won't touch that. Basebd as well might just be dirt.
Yeah, it depends on:
What kind of finish it is
What kind of wood it is
What kind of dirt it is
What quality of result you want
What sort of finish you're apt to apply after
Normally start with soap and water, then, if need be, the appropriate solvent (alcohol or spirits) and rag or fine steel wool (some recommend SS wool for shelac), then one of the "refinishers", if the first two didn't do the job. Avoid using a furniture oil product if you're planning to recoat the work.