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Expert: - 1/16/2010


Question
I have a dining room table and chairs that belonged to my mother-in-law. It is maple and was purchased in the 1960s or 70s. The finish on the back of the chairs is rough although the rest is in pretty good shape. Is there a way to refinish just this area of the chairs? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer
Hi Patricia
Nice to hear from you.
I have encountered this problem with my own maple chairs.
I use mineral spirits and medium steel wool to remove this.
Dip the steel wool in the spirits and give the area a good scrub.
Try to work in the direction of the wood grain.
Dry with clean rags as you go.
This should remove the roughness. Its actually crud from handling over the years.
Then I simply wipe on a coat of low sheen tung oil with a rag.
Chairs look like new.
Hope this helps
Regards
Eileen

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Eileen Cronk

Expertise

Hi..I can answer most questions about the repairing,stripping and refinishing of all your old furniture and wood items(the things we call antiques)I can give advice about what to buy/avoid at auctions/flea markets. I do not give appraisals on antiques.

Experience

I have been refinishing antiques for the past 30yrs. While I have taken several courses over the years,I have found that "hands on" learning is the best teacher. Perhaps I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made while learning.

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