Tips and recommendations to restore wood
Wood is a material of natural origin that requires certain care for optimal maintenance, so one of the most common questions that professionals receive is how to restore wood. Given its particularities, the steps to restore a wooden furniture differ from those we would follow to restore another type of material.
Steps to restore wood
The main thing when it comes to restoring a wood surface is to have the right material. Therefore, we will need the following elements:
- Spatula
- Brush
- Scraper
- Steel wool
- Metal brush
- Sandpaper
- Roller
- Mask
- Paint tray
- Masking tape
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
With all these utensils, we can proceed with restoration.
- To start, it is essential to prepare the surface to be restored, so it will have to be cleaned thoroughly, removing dirt and dust.
- After that, it will be essential to examine the condition of the furniture. For an old piece with many layers of paint or varnish, it will be necessary to remove these products using a stripper. Allow the stripper to act for the set time and then remove the remains with a spatula or a metal brush. It is possible that this process has to be carried out several times to remove the paint completely, while for a more modern piece of furniture, the layers of paint will be minor and therefore this process will be much quicker and easier.
- Once this process is finished, clean the furniture with an universal solvent and let it dry completely. If there are any defects in the wood, hide them with wood filler using a spatula. Finally, it is necessary to sand the wood with a steel wool in the curved areas and with a sand paper in the smooth parts. The surface will have to be completely smooth and matt. Also, it is important to match the colour of the wood, for which it is necessary to use a dye such as Blatem hydroalcoholic dye.
- The last step is to apply the desired paint or varnish to give the furniture a new look. It is better to apply the product with a roller and roller strokes always have to go in the same direction. Then, allow the paint to dry and, once dry, clean and re-sand the surface gently.
These are the essential steps to restore a piece of wood furniture. In the following video tutorial you can see how to put them into practice.
Tips to restore wood
Although we have already seen the usual procedure when restoring a wooden furniture, there is a set of tips that will help you to get better results:
- It is convenient to restore the furniture indoors, since weather conditions can affect the process.
- It is important to cover both the floor and the surface where the piece of furniture to be painted is placed to prevent paint or any other product from falling on them.
- Before painting, brushes have to be prepared. It is thus advisable to leave them submerged in water for a few hours so that all the loose bristles fall.
- For flat surfaces it is advisable to use broad and flat brushes, while for mouldings or corners use round brushes.
- Once the brushes are used, clean them with a solvent and allow them to dry. To keep them, roll them on newspaper and leave them horizontal.
- Check that wood is not infected with woodworm. If so, it is necessary to use an adequate insecticide to treat this type of issues.
Products to restore wood from Pinturas Blatem
Pinturas Blatem is specialist, among other things, in treatments for wood. We have different products that suit any requirement. Here are some of them:
- Xilatem Aqua Mate: this new finishing product for wood is formulated with special water-based polymers and also contains U.V. protectors. They protect wood from sunlight. This product is breathable, it does not crack and does not form film on wood and has high levels of resistance outdoors.
- Aceite de teka (Teak oil): it is a varnish that is composed of natural oils. It is characterized by its ability to nourish and enhance the wood, making it ideal for the restoration of wooden furniture. In addition, it offers a good drying and a glossy finish.
Those are some of our products to restore wood, but you can discover them all in the section of treatments for the wood of our website, as well as in the section of wood for professionals.
