How To Refinish An Old Wood Desk

Home & Garden Blog

Many people enjoy the rustic look of an older piece of wood furniture. Desks can look very pleasing when they are made from real wood. If you have found an old wood desk, perhaps at a yard sale or auction, you may want to try to bring out the natural beauty by refinishing it to give it new life. Here are some instructions you can use to refinish your own wood desk.

Finding The Flaws

You will want to do a complete check of the piece of furniture to see where there are flaws that will need to be repaired before refinishing. Place some mineral spirits on a clean cloth and rub it over the entire wood surface of your desk. This will make any flawed areas noticeable to the human eye so that you will know what kind of repairing you will need to do.

Cleaning Your Desk

You will want to clean the desk before refinishing. This can be done using a few tablespoons of liquid dish detergent mixed in a small bucket of warm water. Use a non-abrasive sponge to scrub the desk with the soapy water. You can use a small paintbrush to clean out any crevices or scroll work that may be carved into the wood desk. Remove the soapy mixture using another sponge that had been rinsed and wrung out. Dry using a soft towel.

Repairing Flawed Areas

To remove any dried paint from the surface of your desk, you can use a razor blade to scrape it off. Wrap each end of a razor blade with some painters tape so you have a spot to grasp the blade with fingers on each hand. Run the sharp blade across the paint to remove. The tape will keep the blade raised a bit so it will not scrape the finish off of your desk.

If there are any white rings on your desk as a result of a glass that may have been left on the wood without a coaster, you can attempt to remove them by applying petroleum jelly. Rub the jelly into the ring and let it sit overnight. Often it will remove, or at least fade, the color of the ring.

Filling in missing chips of wood can be used by using an epoxy putty. Knead it between your fingertips to make it pliable and apply it to the area where wood is missing. When it hardens, you will be able to sand it down to match the level of the rest of the wood.

Adding Some Color

Gel stain can be used to give your desk a burst of new color. It can be found in hardware stores and is easy to apply. Simply add some stain to a clean piece of soft cloth and rub into the wood on your desk. If you feel you have added too much color, you can remove it using mineral spirits. After you rub the stain into the wood, use another piece of cloth to remove whatever excess color can be mopped up. Allow it to dry overnight before adding a coating of wipe-on finish.

Finishing The Desk

Wipe-on finish will give your desk a shiny coating that will protect the stain from fading. It will also offer some protection to the wood of your desk. Add the finish by using a clean cloth to apply. Rub it onto your desk in a circular motion and rub it off going with the grain of the wood. This will ensure you have gotten finish in every area of your desk. Talk to your local furniture experts, such as Complete Claim Furniture Service LLC, for more information.

Share

16 January 2015