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Miscellaneous Furniture Q's & A's Stain Removal | Glues | Other Problems | Refinished Can't find a solution to your problem? Post a question in our Forums. Stain Removal Removing stains from bare wood furniture I have been stripping an old wardrobe that has several two-toned stains and uneven coloring under the old paint. I was told by handyman-type of fellow to use STRAIGHT BLEACH on these areas! Then, I'm to heat it (in the sun, strong lamp, etc.) until desired effect. This is not to be washed off. My question is... Is this for real?? I would hate to damage the wood with what I suspect to be a quick-fix that wouldn't benefit the wood in the long run. Please advise if this is recommended, also, are there more wood-friendly options that I could use? This is an elbow grease project that I would hate to takes any unnecessary risks at this point. Thanks for any ideas/information shared. Advertisement Contact me to place your ad here Never used plain straight bleach, but I believe it would work. Also, the sun will definitely help lighten it. I think they were steering you straight. A couple things .. Only use a white rag. The bleach will raise the grain, and you should sand after with 220 grit sandpaper.. After bleaching you will need to neutralize the wood. Use a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water and rub the solution into the surface with fine steel wool. One thing always.. try it on the back of the dresser or side of a drawer first... to gauge the results. Glues Chair reglue I bought the stuff at the local hardware store. It is called Chair-Loc. I tried it on a chair I have, and well after a few hours it was stuck tight. Now, it says it is not a glue. So I would have to imagine it did as advertized and swelled the wood. Chair-Loc is made by Graphic Vision Inc. East Swanzey, NH 03446 (got that off the packaging) I gave it a try... we'll see. It should work, at least for a while, and I have often considered trying it. Generally when I have repaired rungs I have opted for glue and a mechanical fix. I will cut a slot in the end of the rung and insert a wedge which will be pushed in and expand the end in the hole as the rung is pushed into the hole. Getting the right size wedge has often been tricky, and you only get one shot at it. But it holds real well. Other Problems Fixing a gouge in a tabletop I was wondering if anyone could advise me on how to repair a deep gouge in the top of an antique table, believed to be oak. The hole is about 3" long and 1.5" at its widest. Sanding the top down and refinshing it will eliminate the gouge, however you may not want to remove the original finish or that much wood. They also make and sell fillers that you can match to the present finish. Bleaching wood What do I use to bleach pine furniture Just saw extensive directions on this on the Sal Marino's woodworking home page. Lots of good advice there. • http://www.woodcourse.com/bleach_wood.htm

Repairing heat marks on varnished coffee table

A hot dish was placed on my dark wood coffee table, leaving a white mark on it. How do I get it back to the original finish?

Try some cigar or cigarette ashes mixed with water to form a paste. Then buff it out with a white or cotton cloth... or The Antiques Roadshow said to use a soft cloth and wipe the white marks with cheap Liquor alcohol (the kind you drink, NOT rubbing alcohol.) Haven't tried it yet. Haven't found any cheap, clear alcohol at the stores. It looked like vodka, etc.

Whitewashing

I have a chest of drawers with some stenciling that I want to paint over. I want to know, step by step, how to remove the stenciling and repaint the drawers.

. It's easy....SAND off the stencils and old paint,prime it and repaint.

Another Idea:
NO need to sand them right off, you just want to make sure there are no raised areas to show through the new paint. Then prime with a stain hiding primer like Kilz, then paint.

Refinished

Refinishing furniture

I have a cheap particle board bed room set. I'm in college and can't afford new furniture. I wanted to know if particle board can be refinished? If so, how do I do it?

What is covering it now? It isn't plain particle board, is it? Is there a vinyl wood veneer stuck on it?
You can buy that vinyl veneer stick on stuff and fix any bad areas.
Or you can always paint it.

Refinishing 45 year old oak baby bed

I am trying to strip and refinish an old oak baby bed. I have never refinished a piece of furniture before. I am using formbys stripper, but find that I still have a sticky stain like residue after the varnish is gone. Is this normal, have I not stripped the wood enough.

You can clean the residue with laquer thinner, soapy water or sanding depending on the stripper used.

If you are going to be using this bed for a child and it has side rails of some type, be sure to read the following.

IMPORTANT NOTE Older baby beds and furniture usually have large spacing between railing pickets which are a choking hazard. Make sure these spaces are no further than 3 inches apart.

Refinishing wood

I removed stain from a piece of furniture only to find the sides of this end table to be particle board...must of had a veneer or something over it...what can I do to put a wood grain back on this...I want to refinish the whole bedroom suite.

How did you remove the stain? The wood grain could have been a veneer. or it could have only been a vinyl stick on sheet.

In either case.. that is your choice. You can apply veneer or buy the vinyl stick on stuff. Obviously there is a price difference and a quality difference. That would relate to the furniture's original quality and price...

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