How Easily You Can Repair Antique Chairs

How Easily You Can Repair Antique Chairs 

If you have a beautiful piece of antique furniture, but the furniture is really not showing its best or if some parts are coming off, you have to take steps to restore and repair it.

Restoring and repairing antique furniture through a set of processes helps to bring back the look and appeal of the original piece.

The process of restoring and repairing antique furniture must be done really carefully because in no way should you ruin the antique quality of the piece. So, modern furniture fixing products cannot be used. Let’s take a closer look on how to restore an antique wood chair and also make minor repairs.

1. Light dust cleaning

Begin the process of repairing your antique chair by giving it a light dust cleaning. This gives you a clean work area on which you can work better.

If your chair has any carvings, you would need a toothbrush to get the dirt out of that area. Some people resort to using steel wood pad, but the problem with using it is that it might remove the painted finish that is applied to such types of old furniture. So, the only alternative is to use toothbrush for areas which have carvings and for edges and use a soft cloth to clean the remaining areas.

2. Stripp off its old finish

Now how do you refinish antique chair? First the chair is ready to be stripped off its old finish.

In order to do this you require using a semi-paste stripper. You have to apply it using a paintbrush and you should apply it evenly, but not overdo the thing.

After two or three minutes from application, gently scrape it off the surface and you can see the old finish coming off.

3. Apply lacquer

The next step is to apply lacquer as this helps to neutralize the work of the stripper.

4. Remove old stains

Now comes the part where you have to remove old stains. You need to use oxalic acid for this purpose. Follow the instructions on how to a use it and apply with a paintbrush on all areas where stains have to be removed.  After it has been applied on the surface, it leaves a powdery reside, which should be cleaned off using warm water and a sponge.

5. Looking into minor repairs

The next aspect is looking into minor repairs. If you find any small joints to be missing or if a leg is wobbly, you need to find replacement parts to get it into proper condition again.

The problem here is that you have to buy the exact replica of the original, otherwise your furniture won’t be an antique piece at all.

So, check out online sites and shops that specialize in offering such parts and finish your minor repair work.

6. Gluing for fixing

While repairing, you might also find that some parts need gluing for fixing. Do not use any of the modern glue products in the market. These once again replace the antique value of your chair. Go in for hide glue, because this is the kind of glue that was used in the making of these chairs and you have to use the same ones. If you can’t find one in your area, order it online.

In case of major repairing, unless you are experienced in building wood furniture, you cannot do it yourself as the process of fixing such broken pieces is quite complicated.

Therefore, find a professional antique furniture repair shop, to get the job properly done by a professional, otherwise you might land up doing something that reduces the original look of the piece and hence its value.

Look into these points on how to restore antique wood chair and you can be sure of repairing your antique chair so that it get’s back its original look and appeal. Remember since materials used in its making date back to more than a century, using any replacement parts will reduce the value of the piece.

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