Solid wood furniture is a costly commodity. Properly maintained, it can last for generations. Most light to medium damage can be fixed, saving you the expense of costly furniture replacement. Taking the opportunity to make repairs when they are initially needed will maintain your furniture in good shape and help to avoid further harm. Most repairs can be made without costly tools employing easy materials and supplies.
Tightening
Inspect your furniture to loose joints. For tables, chairs and other furniture with legs, then flip the piece over and check the underside to inspect the joints more closely. Tighten all screws and replace any that are stripped with a slightly thicker, longer screw of the exact same type. Squeeze wood paste into open joints and then tap nailed joints back together with a rubber mallet, to protect the finish. Insert a clamp to squeeze joints closed, or hold them in position until the adhesive dries.
Repairing Damage
Most minor dings and chips can be repaired with fillers. Small dents can be increased with a moist cloth placed over the place. Employ a hot clothes iron at the top for a few seconds. For stained furniture, use a solvent-based wood filler on chips and dings. They dry faster and harder than conventional water-based fillers and can even be used to build up edge details that were worn down or damaged. Pick the color closest to your stain color. Fill damage in painted furniture with car body filler. Mix it a bit”hot” by incorporating a bit additional activator, which makes it five parts putty to one part activator. Allow your fillers to harden completely, then sand them smooth with a sanding machine or rotary tool with a sanding accessory.
Restoring Color
Have a piece of the furniture, including a door, drawer or wooden pull, to the shop with you when fitting paints and stains, if at all possible. This allows the shade to be matched with the professional instead of bringing home sample chips and imagining. Always test the color on the bottom edge, the back of a drawer or any other inconspicuous place to make certain of a suit. Apply the stain or paint with an art brush in very thin layers. Allow each layer to dry before applying the next. Unless a shade just entirely clashes, let it sit a day or 2 before stripping and refinishing, to see if it actually stands out. Odds are, you will forget about it and over time it will combine better through wear.
Repairing Finishes
When the repair is complete and the color is back to normal, the finish will still must be restored to match the sheen of their original. For paint, this isn’t typically necessary, since you choose the sheen when you get the paint, just fitting it to the present. For stains, this can be trickier, but keep it easy. For low luster finishes, use upholstery wax over the repair, allow it to dry to a haze and buff with a soft cloth or a rotary tool with a buffing attachment. For gloss, use thin layers of clear nail polish over the repair.
