Our furniture receives many blows lying around the house and deteriorates in so many ways. For instances, placing wet glasses on wooden table leaves white rings. In the same fashion, our tables and chairs keep getting chipped, scratched and dented every now and then. There are many simple and easy ways of bringing the sheen back of your old furniture. You can now reverse the damages by using the methods mentioned hereunder. However, before starting your repairs, make sure that you clean the furniture thoroughly with a solution of water and dishwashing liquid.
Removing white ring stains
Usually wooden furniture has a protective coating on top of it. You can repair the coating, but you need to see the depth of the impact. For instance, condensation and spills from glasses can leave white rings to the wood finishing. To get rid of these unsightly rings, you can use liquid furniture polish after buffing the surface. If this does not work, then you can wipe the stained area with little denatured alcohol. You can also use a gentle abrasive. Rub it over the area and then wipe the surface with a soft cloth. Then use wax and polish to give it the finishing touch. Ensure that you do not do this too deep.
Getting rid of blushing
Blushing is the white hazy hue that appears either on large part of the furniture, or the entire piece. This is mainly due to some issue with the old lacquer or shellac finishing. Moisture is the reason behind the discoloration. For this, you need to buff the surface and then even it by using steel wool immersed in linseed oil. After that clean the wood and apply two coats of hard furniture wax and buff up the area again to make it nice and shiny.
Eradicating black spots
Black spots often occur on furniture of a lighter hue owing to water seeping through the finishing if the wood. You can treat black spots by getting rid of the finishing first. So, work on the area that has black spots and strip it off the finishing. Then bleach the stained spots by using oxalic acid solution and finishing the furniture again.
How to get rid of ink stains
You can easily remove ink stains that have not penetrated beyond the finish by lightly bugging the area and using mineral spirits. However, the more serious ones need to get their finishing stripped off by using steel wool immersed in mineral spirits. Wipe the surface with it, wax it and then polish the same.
Felt Tip markers to camouflage colored scratches
This is a handy way of getting rid of unsightly scratches. The markers are available in various colors at home improvement stores. Use the marker on the scratch only and wipe of anything extra immediately that gets on to the finished areas.
Using Coffee and Black Tea for camouflaging scratches
Now you can use your beverages like black tea and coffee to get rid of ugly scratches. For this, you need to make a strong concoction of the tea bags with hot water to form a dark color. Use a cotton swab and slowly dab it across the scratched surface. Immediately get rid of the extra that escapes to the surrounding wood, to prevent staining. Alternatively, you can make a coffee paste with some water and rub it across the scratch.
Summary:
Wooden furniture looks extremely elegant, but it also suffer from scratches, wear and tear. You can easily fix superficial damages using simple materials without even burning a hole in your pocket. However, if you have antique furniture, then you might want to leave the work to a professional. You can find most of the repair materials at the home improvement stores.]]>