Wood Refinishing – midcenturyobsession

Remember this guy? Well….I made him my biyatch this weekend.

Actually, I think it was the other way around….but who’s keeping track? Buckle your seatbelts, because I’m going to take you on a magical mystery tour of the how-to’s and what-not-to-do’s of refinishing a really old chair.

Here’s what I used: 400 Super Fine Sandpaper, Elmer’s Wood Glue, Murphy’s Oil Soap, Watco Danish Oil (Medium Walnut), a Wood Stain Marker Pen and Howard’s Feed-N-Wax (like conditioner for wood.)

It started with this: The veneer was curling up in one corner of the chair. backrest. I decided to give this Wood Glue a go. — It started with this: The veneer was curling up in one corner of the chair’s back rest. I decided to give this Wood Glue a go. You had me at sandable and paintable.

003 — Then I realized I didn’t have clamps. Suddenly, the MacGyver in me came out. Office binder clip. Ha! You can’t fool me, chair!

004 — Sanded with 400 grain super-fine sand paper and fashionably clamped.

005 — Murphy’s oil soap provides cleaning power.

011 — Having a ninja helper oversee the Danish Oil bath is always a good choice. (Watco Danish Oil – 7 bucks at Home Depot)

014 — Whoops. Even though I’d sanded down the glue, the Danish Oil slid right off my “repair” spot.

016 — Not to be beaten by an old crusty chair, I had to get creative. Lucky for me, I had a similarly hued Wood Stain Marker. The marker worked wonders on the sanded and glued portion of the chair. VOILA!

Chair in waiting... — Chair in waiting for fabric delivery…

Here is what I would have done differently:

1. I wouldn’t have sanded the chair in my kitchen. My “Ah-ha” moment was realizing that I was quite possibly releasing really nasty crap into the air….IN MY KITCHEN…where I prepare food. Dumb.

2. I wouldn’t recommend using Danish Oil in conjunction with a repair job. But if not for my glue spot, the chair would have had a perfect finish. Alternatively, I would have sanded, cleaned and applied the stain BEFORE the glue so that there would have been some stain underneath the repair. Turns out the “sandable, paintable” glue isn’t Danish Oil-able.

This was a quick and easy project to complete. Most of the products I already had in my arsenal and so far, this project has cost a total of $18 in supplies, including the cost of the chair. Not bad for a weekend of DIY entertainment!

I located vintage 1960’s orange fabric on Etsy.com for only 10 bucks including shipping. If you’re not currently subscribed, please come back next week, as I’ll feature a seat re-covering tutorial.

I’m not a big fan of Charlie Sheen, but as I drove away from a garage sale this weekend, I found myself grinning like a fool, and yelling Charlie’s signature phrase, “WINNING!” to my son in the backseat.

…And maybe I am a fool. That remains to be seen. I did notice some warping on the seat bottom that indicates this poor chair was left outside, or was exposed to moisture at some point, but luckily it’s still pretty sturdy. This Danish modern piece is just what I’d been hoping for: a PROJECT…..a lost and forgotten piece of furniture, just waiting to be brought back to life. For $5 and some elbow grease, I’ll find out just what I’m capable of in the wood refinishing department. I’ll be employing some of my favorite refinishing tips to get this chair a warm walnut color. I’ll get the privilege of learning how to re-cover a seat pad; I don’t even know where to buy the foam. Hopefully when it’s all done, this chair will comparable to these guys:

Anyway, my project commences this weekend. Until then let’s forget about all the sweat and tears! It’s more fun to pick out fabrics. Feel free to cast your votes. I’m not dead-set on these….my only requirement is that they have a tiny hint of orange….that will be my accent color in the room this chair will grace:

Credit: Full Swing Textiles - Chevrama in Grapefruit — Credit: Full Swing Textiles – Chevrama in Grapefruit

The lesson for this week: Don’t discount garage sales. Truthfully, I had…until I spotted my chair. You can still win it big.

Spoiler alert:….This chair will go in my guest bedroom with these newly delivered beauties I shall tell you alllllllll about later this week.

Tag: Wood Refinishing

Weekend Warrior, Whaaaaa? A How-to and What-not-to-do.

WINNING!