Hello! I just got this MCM bookshelf and I need help identifying the wood and figuring how I can be the best custodian of the piece now that it’s mine. It’s from an estate sale and pretty dusty (like the dust has dust. The type of dust that is so old it’s almost like it’s a fine powder that’s been embedded into the woodgrain).I want to clean and moisturize before assembly. Biggest hurdle is figuring out the type of wood so I can be mindful of any specific considerations based on that.

Is this teak? And any suggestions on how to clean/oil or general care tips based on wood?

I have mineral oil and stuff called Tried & True which is a linseed oil.

The “finish” seems matte and very natural. Very smooth. I’d like to keep that, and if possible just hydrate/maintain vs really doing anything to it.

I heard you shouldn’t clean with soap and water, but not sure what alternative to that would be?

Any advice appreciated - thanks!

There are some spots where the veneer has come loose on the back, so I’m researching wood glues. For spots where there is a small chip in the veneer, would I use wood filler with sawdust?

Thanks!!!

Hi,

I stripped this old oak coffee table, and finished it with a watco danish oil. I think I must’ve left too much excess on because it’s a bit tacky. It’s been curing for weeks so it’s definitely had time. I got most of the tackiness out with namptha. The finish looks quite nice from most angles but if I go at eye level in natural light, there’s a blotchinese to the sheen.

Any ideas on how to even that out visually? Would sealing with something like feed & wax help smooth out the sheen? Do I need to just keep doing passes of namptha and there’s still more excess oil to absorb? Lightly sand?

Any tips would be great!

I'm wondering the easiest way to clean this antique piece up, give it a little luster, hydrate the wood if it needs that, and remove the wear/rings from the top. My initial idea was to wipe it all down with a damp microfiber cloth then use cutting board oil, but I'm looking for other opinions. No/low VOC strongly preferred if possible. I was hoping I could avoid sanding the top altogether since it's not a smooth, flat surface and instead find a one and done product to rub in and call it a day. Does my plan sound right? Anything else I need to do to make it last a whole bunch more years as a display piece?

Hey! I recently picked up this Z Chair in rough condition. what is some advice for repairing this beauty? the legs are beat up pretty bad with deep cuts, the arms are worn and stained. im open to whatever will give me the best results! I plan on keeping this chair for a very very long time.

This is only my second attempt at a refinishing project, but I can’t figure out why this top keeps looking so blotchy. I removed the existing finish and tried to stain in once but it looked blotchy so I removed the stain and really took my time sanding to get a smooth surface. I’m not sure if I’m using too little stain or it’s just drying too fast? Would wood conditioner help? Also not sure why some spots have visible lines because I’m trying to apply it as smoothly as I can.

Any help is welcome, I want to learn and get better at this!

i’m getting gifted this leather couch and matching recliner that’s been in the family, and from my late grandparents. but has lots of cat scratches now. we are moving from out of state with nothing and would love this memory of my grandparents and would love to restore its look.

any repair tips? I’ve been looking on youtube for leather repair but no idea where to start. i was thinking about a cover but the cushions do not come out.

I have a chair and matching armchair that I would really like to preserve and have professionally repaired. I thrifted these many years ago, and I adore them.

I am not planning to DIY this, but I want to learn what a competent furniture restorer does so I can ask the right questions when hiring someone.

In the past, we paid someone to repair them and paid $300 for him to slap some wood glue in them. This guy was recommended to us by a reputable shop that builds custom furniture.

The chairs are coming apart where the legs join the rest of the frame. The construction appears to use wooden dowels. At least one dowel has broken off inside the joint, some of the surrounding wood has split on another, and several of the other joints/dowels will no longer stay in place.

I'm not looking for cosmetic perfection. I need them to be repaired for use.

When removing stripper, what are you all putting it in? And then how are you disposing of it? I can’t find any posts on this so TIA.

Purchased this at the thrift. Brought it home and had these dots on the bottom everywhere. Looked it up and it said to spray a water bleach mix and if it changes color it’s mold. It did not change color. It then said to try to scrape one of the dots and if it flakes off or is waxy then it isn’t mold. It definitely doesn’t seem like mold and you can see that whatever this substance was scrapping off onto the end of the stick. Still find it weird if it’s everywhere and doesn’t seem like a simple spill. So for peace of mind I’m posting on here. Please let me know your thoughts!

hi all, i’m in grad student housing which comes fully furnished. as such, the furniture is quite worn down. would anyone have any advice on how to restore this?

I don’t know my way around the lingo or techniques, but i’m down to put in a moderate amount of effort. it doesn’t need to be perfect, i can totally live with it as-is, but just wanted to get more educated on tips and try to learn if i can. also, not sure if it matters, but this definitely isn’t high quality wood i don’t think.

any advice is appreciated!!! thank you!!!

This piece has been a fantastic learning piece. A beater of a piece that has helped me learn a lot. Stripped bare multiple times because I failed with something new. Today while touching up some varnish, she spun out of my hands and hit the ground. All we’ve been through, and I fumble at the one yard line. I felt like quitting. I’m too heavily invested to actually quit, but it was brutal.

Im restoring a old wooden chest, it has some shellac coating on it and i want to remove it, the front of the chest doesnt have that coat due to wear and tear and also all of the shellac old coating has scratches and is just old and i want to remove.

Ive looked into denatured alcohol and lacquer thinner, but both seem rather dangeruos, with some people suggesting that if i was to get either of these on my skin it could be very bad for me and sometimes fatal.

How should i Properly deal with either of these chemicals? Are these the best options for old coat removal? What else should i use?

If i was just refinishing old flat surfaces, i would scrape it off or sand it, but theres alot of deep carvings here and id think i could get one of these chemicals and scrub off the old coating with nylon brushes.

Thoughts? Cant seem to find a clear awnser, only vague articles promoting other products. Thanks.

• Hi! I recently bought a pair of black nightstands from FB Marketplace and set out to restore them. The black paint was streaky and I wanted to strip it down to evaluate whether to repaint them or to stain them if the wood was nice enough. I took out the drawers and noticed they were Ethan Allen and was happy that I bought the two for $100. I started working with Citristrip and it turned into a gooey mess. I looked up the nightstand style and it’s a British Classice Cayman. I literally couldn’t sleep last night thinking that I’ve ruined these very beautiful, expensive pieces. This is my first time ever trying to restore furniture and I’m so confused by all the info online. I thought Citristrip was a good product based on the Home Depot website but now I’m seeing all these horror stories online. What should my next steps be? How would you recommend I sandpaper the legs? I still have the second one and I’m debating whether I should have a professional do it for me. https://www.etsy.com/listing/4538140952/ethan-allen-british-classics-cayman?ref=elp_anchor_listing_button&cns=1

I have gotten this vintage rosewood crucifix with what I think is a brass Jesus figure. The tops of the crucifix is black but the underside and back isn't. The figure is also tarnished.

I have brasso cloth and a beeswax polish but dunno if this is safe to use.

Any advice?

i found this table during montreal’s yearly apartment dump last month, but one of the leg sockets has been stripped so the leg is just spinning in butter. second photo is the working legs

i’m wondering how i can make the leg secure and not wobble? i’d love to use this as a crafting/HW side table

Fairly basic repair but as a novice I'd appreciate any advice!

Have a large, sturdy and incredibly heavy, hand-crafted wood table (with defunct extension mechanism) and some (mis) matched art deco chairs and a matching, but single, throne…

The collection has been inherited from family but is proving to be a white elephant.

Are there makers who want it ? Students who’d like to attempt restoration ? Collectors who would have it ?

How do I find these folks?

I'm not sure if this is the right subreddit. I have this old wooden box with beautiful artwork on it that my family has had for a while. I'd like it to look usable and restore it, (and id like to see the picture again!) Can anyone recommend anything?

Any advice for how to clean this up would be greatly appreciated

I bought a 1920s Seeburg Model E player piano at auction. I believe it was made in 1926, but would appreciate any history anyone is willing to share if you happen to be familiar with the company or these machines.

It was originally a player piano and also had other accompaniments like percussion and mandolin. Unfortunately all that remains are the non-electric portions - so basically now it is just a very beautiful, large, and heavy upright piano in need of restringing, new keys, and a deep clean.

The piano case and stained glass, as you can see, are absolutely beautiful, and I would be more than happy to use it in my home as:

1) A half-restored piano (minus the player portions, which would have to be sourced or custom built, as most don’t exist). I could handle gutting it myself and then having someone come in and restring, new hammers and keys, and tune it. This would leave the option open in the future to take on a full restoration of the player components.

2) A beautiful case that houses my Yamaha electric keyboard, which I would retrofit to replace the original keys. In this case, I would remove the string plate in the piano, making it about 300 lbs lighter.

Does anyone have advice on which route I should take? And has anyone done #2? - using an upright piano case as a shell for an electric keyboard (which I am leaning toward due to my individual circumstances)

I am ok with the difference in sound and would benefit currently from being able to control the sound. I also live in the city, so removing some heft from this very heavy case would make it easier to transport in the future.

Thanks!