You are here:

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Refinish/Polish old oak dining set

Advertisement

Expert: - 7/7/2010


Question
Hello Greg,
I have a oak dining table, chairs and china cabinet. It is about 10 years old from Seaman's Furniture (before it went bust). It has lost its shining and the table has some scratches and two small chips while moving. Please suggest me how to repair the scratches and chips and how to polish/refinish to restore the shine. I have no knowledge/experience in this area but want to give it a try.

Answer
Hi Akhil, it is likely lacquered, and therefore restoration/refinishing is pretty specialized repair work requiring experience with lacquer, and familiarity with the methods/techniques, and materials, and spray equipment....not something I can recommend to you, or teach you from here. One should not apply anything other than lacquer to a lacquer based finish....so you could strip it and use another, more user friendly finish to refinish it,(wipe on poly or a oil/Varnish) but again, this is not your typical DIY exercise unless you have experience with this type of work. You could easily make a mess of it, and it will not match the other pieces if you decide to go this route. This type of finishing is not easy, especially if you've never attempted something like it. I would call in a Pro Restorer to evaluate it, or try to start with a smaller piece, doing a similar,complete restoration to gain some experience and knowledge of what's involved. These techniques can be learned, but it's not something one wants to just jump into on a full set of furniture.Hope that helps- please post back if need be- regards- Greg  

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

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.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.