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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Cleaning Vintage painted Furniture

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Expert: - 8/30/2009


Question
I need to clean a painted large 6 piece king bedroom set.  I bought this at an estate sale.  It is marked 1960 and Thomasville.  It is solid wood and heavy.  It is in good condition except for being very dirty.  The finish is a cream color with some gold spatter. It has a decorative raised flower design on all the pieces which is painted a light olive green.  This same color paint is also used as an 1/2"  concave border around all the pieces.  Along with all the detail there is allot of dirty film or dust that needs to be cleaned.  Maybe film and dirt from age?  I would prefer to give all the pieces a good cleaning and use the set as is, rather than try to repaint it.  I tried some diluted tsp and water with a Q-tip in some of the grooves, and it removed the paint as a rubbed it.  What would be the best cleaning method for this type and age of furniture?  Your help would be very much appreciated.

Answer
Hi Cherie, I would try Mineral spirits and lots of rags, or you could buy Formby's furniture cleaner:
http://www.formbys.com/products/buildup_remover.cfm
You may find that you'll need a ScotchBrite pad or 0000 steel wool to pull off the grime, (especially if some of it's tobacco smoke), pour the Mineral Spirits or cleaner into a shallow bowl and dip the pad into it and rub in long overlapping strokes, wiping with rags as you work along. Look at the rags to determine how much is coming off, and you should be able to progress right through each piece.Am old tooth brush makes a great tool for carvings, crevices, etc. After thorough cleaning and hand drying, you can wipe one more time with a clean rag and the mineral spirits, and then apply a paste was, (such as Butchers Wax, Fiddes Light, etc), to seal the surface and protect it. Hope that helps- post back if need be.

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Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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