When it’s probable to Diy
If watermarks are your only problem, Gendron suggests Mohawk’s Tremendous Blush Retarder aerosol spray as a fast deal with, calling it “the business magic formula anyone who owns wooden home furnishings requires to know.”
Shift your piece to a perfectly-ventilated place, these types of as the garage, and apply a couple of light-weight coats of the spray to clear away the white moisture marks — no further ending demanded. Whilst there are lots of methods and hacks out there for getting treatment of drinking water rings, Kennedy advises staying away from “home remedies.”
If you have a piece with a a little failing complete (assume uninteresting coloring and only the lightest scuffs and scratches), you could not want a full refinishing. Alternatively, attempt the “scuff and spray” system: Sand evenly with a higher-grit sandpaper (at the very least 400 grit) or a eco-friendly Scotch-Brite scour pad, then spray on a layer of expert-grade lacquer. The pros I spoke to propose the aerosol products and solutions sold by Mohawk — more on all those underneath. Bear in mind to usually do the job in a perfectly-ventilated room. “See how it appears to be like,” Duffy claimed. “If it will come out seeking cleaner, it is correctly satisfactory to cease there.”
If you can see bare wooden or your piece has deep scratches, numerous water stains or ink marks, you will need a full refinish. You are going to strip, sand and most likely address colour with stain, glaze, toner or a mix of all three, ahead of finishing with many coats of lacquer.
For the reason that both the stripping goods and the finishes are severe, you are going to require a nicely-ventilated house for your project — not just a place with the windows open, Duffy reported. “When I say ‘well ventilated,’ I genuinely necessarily mean very well ventilated, like with a powerful supporter,” she reported. “And you however require a 3M respirator mask with P100 cartridges.” A garage is great, but a covered porch or pop-up tent can perform. You are going to also require this space for a while: Kennedy estimates that a conventional dresser will take a rookie about 20 hours to refinish.
To strip off the aged finish, Duffy endorses a solution named Stripwell QCS. Strippers by the Klean Strip brand name, she claims, are also low cost and powerful. Just after letting the stripper to do its work, use a putty knife to scrape away the residue. (In its how-to films, Stripwell suggests utilizing a plastic edition as a substitute of metal as a precaution from harmful the veneer.)
The moment you have taken out the finish, observe the product’s directions for cleaning the stripper from the wooden, then permit it dry fully prior to sanding. Kennedy and Duffy both of those propose investing in a random orbital sander, a software designed for extremely-smooth sanding that charges much less than $100. A person of the most typical blunders beginners make is sanding via veneer, so go little by little, the execs say.
Now you are going to utilize the new end to your piece. Men and women usually believe that all mid-century home furnishings was finished with teak oil, Kennedy claimed, but most was finished with sprayed, toned lacquer. Hence, you very likely won’t want to use teak or Danish oil. “It’s like placing olive oil on a car finish,” Duffy reported, adding that if you strip and sand a piece, then set teak oil on it, you have not definitely recognized a surface long lasting plenty of for day-to-day use. When hoping to attain a specified color with your new finish, she recommends working towards first on a spare piece of wooden. (If you’re uncertain which goods are appropriate for your product, Kennedy gives free assistance in his Facebook group the Mid Century Modern Home furnishings Refinishing Useful resource.)
The execs I spoke to advised steering clear of the finishes available at hardware and huge-box shops in favor of specialist-quality possibilities. There are several brands, but for newcomers, they recommend people by Mohawk, which features numerous of its solutions in aerosol format, so you will not need to have to commit in a sprayer.
When making use of the end, Duffy said, “you will need to establish up five or 6 coats to develop a truly stunning area that is potent adequate for day-to-day use and will maintain the furniture for an additional 50 or 60 many years.” Let each application dry according to the bundle instructions in concerning coats, you are going to have to have to evenly scuff the surface area with substantial-grit sandpaper.