Suggestions Needed for Furniture Restoration

Katie Fitz · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 651 Location: Santa Cruz, CA

Hi all, I have a furniture restoration project coming up. The client asked if I could do it. I said “Of course!” This will be my first restoration project, but I have faith in my research skills and my FF friends. I pick up the pieces in two weeks.

The projects are spot repairs, not major reworking. The furniture is not antique, but most certainly 1970’s or before. There are 3 bark textured chairs which need to have the wicker backs “freshened” so they look antiqued instead of grungy, and have worn sports repainted. A bamboo chair with scratches that needs repairing and a hole filled, and a screen in the dining room with dings.

Question one – does anyone have any basic restoration references they would recommend, either books or online?

I am assuming all products used should be oil based? I am most concerned with compatibility of the product I use with the original finish.

I’m envisioning the process to be pretty basic. Yes?:

Much thanks!

anita · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2738 Location: upstate New York

I did some wicker chairs that had the wrong color for the client. I used spray paint for the base color and it used up more paint than expected. I glazed with a F/E glaze and then spray varnished it. I purchased the spray paint at Lowe's and at Joann's Fabrics.

It has been a year and I have recently seen the chairs. They look like when I did them and that is good because they are the kitchen chairs used daily.

Anita

lynne · Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 4960 Location: san francisco

paintchick · Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Posts: 779 Location: Canton, GA

Lynn's right, it's a lot easier to redo it than to 'touch up'. It looks a whole lot better.

Janie

Katie Fitz · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 651 Location: Santa Cruz, CA

Thanks for comments, everybody.

Lynne, I knew I could count on you for a book reference. Thanks for coming through as always. I went ahead and ordered a copy. Should be here in a few days.

I’m not really assuming anything, which is why I’m asking questions and in research mode. The bark chairs are carved wood. They look grubbier in the photos than they actually are (except the wicker backs, which are gross). The areas I’ll be working on are where paint has been rubbed off down to white primer. From the research I’ve done, after cleanup, I should be okay with oil based primer on those spots, even if the chairs were lacquered and built up from there. The chairs really aren’t worth the price of completely redoing.

I also concluded that the screen is lacquered.

Katie Fitz · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 651 Location: Santa Cruz, CA

I completed the first three stools in for my client's furniture repair project. She was very pleased with the outcome! Other chair and screen next.

shadowpainter · Joined: 22 Aug 2010 Posts: 202 Location: North Carolina

Nice work. The chair back really looks so much better - easy to see why your customer is happy.

Katie, was the repair work as straight forward as you thought it would be? It looks like you had more than just a few places to repair, if not, nice blend.

Susan

Katie Fitz · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 651 Location: Santa Cruz, CA

Hey Susan,

The work was pretty straight-forward. The only problem was I did a light cleaning on the stool before starting work on it, and a lot more of the existing finish came off. It looks like these stools were never sealed with anything. So it ended up being a lot more work that I thought. I tinted a primer and used that as the base coat, glazed, then sealed with varnish. The repairs were very seamless.

If anyone is interested in the step-by-step photos, they're on FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.436652266368012.105306.175798479120060&type=3

I just finished the bamboo chair, but now I'm stuck on that screen. I've done some test repairs on the underneath, and none of the sealants, including several types of shellac, match the existing sheen. I beginning to think it's not sealed either, especially with the number of dings it has. My client is on vacation, so I need to chat with her about options before I go any further with repairs.

cleta · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3232 Location: Chapel Hill, NC

Katie, that chair back looks SO much better! Looking forward to seeing you at IDAL this year!

Katie Fitz · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 651 Location: Santa Cruz, CA

Here are the final photos on the screen I was restoring and the bamboo chair. The chair came out fabulous and I had no problems with it. The photo is only of the worst of the damaged areas, although there was damage over most of the legs and arms.

The screen also turned out really well. I have to send out a HUGE thank you to Theresa!

When I did test patches on the bottom of the screen, nothing matched the existing sheen – it’s not shellac, varnish, or flat paint. I came up with a mixture of ½ paint and ½ varnish that matched pretty well. Much of the bottom of the screen was really chewed up with exposed white primer. I was able to repair this area fairy easily as it was solid black using the varnish/paint recipe. Before I started working on the image area, I did tests on index cards and thought the match was ok. The color was fine, but I couldn’t get the sheen to match and it stuck out like a sore thumb. I ran through tricks I thought I had and was freaking out. The more I feathered and tried to blend, the bigger the sore thumb got. I called Theresa. She did a wonderful job of talking me down from the ledge and helping me realized that I knew I had an option that was too shiny and an option that was too matt – find the right answer in between, which I subsequently did because she helped me see it. Thank you Theresa! Even though I have pulled out of big mistakes in the past, my mind simply froze this time. I am so appreciative to have people I can call on to help me see the way through. All the other repairs I did on the screen were spot on. Even my husband, who saw where all the chips were and looks at things with the eye of an artists’ spouse couldn’t see the repairs.

When I delivered the final chair and screen to my client today, she said “They look better than they did when they were new!” What a turn-around in feelings for me!

Katie Fitz · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 651 Location: Santa Cruz, CA

More photos . . .

shadowpainter · Joined: 22 Aug 2010 Posts: 202 Location: North Carolina

Whatever you and Theresa came up with works so well - nicely repaired.

Susan

sonol'artista · Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 7:54 am Post subject:

Awwwww...Katie! You didn't have to mention me. Embarassed

We all need "fresh eyes" on a job some time or another. So glad it worked out and on time for client!

Theresa

You guys can always call me to talk about paint! I love it!

Mimi1 · Joined: 09 Jul 2007 Posts: 446 Location: ma

Katie and Theresa it was nice meeting you both at IDAL.
mimi

sonol'artista · Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 8:30 am Post subject:

You too, Rima!!

marilyn · Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 744 Location: Boston, MA

Katie, nice to have a happy ending. Wish I could have seen you guys at IDAL, but couldn't make it this year. My client was in Paris and I was stuck home with installations.

That book that Lynne mentioned by the Marxes is excellent. Have you had a chance to take a peek?

Katie Fitz · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 651 Location: Santa Cruz, CA

Mimi, you too!

Marilyn, yes I got “Furniture Restoration.” I’ve been driving around with it in my car so I can read a little bit whenever I have a few moments to kill. Lynne needs to get a kickback for all the books I’ve purchased on her recommendation. I did miss seeing you at IDAL. At least you couldn't go due to a client. Maybe we'll both make it next year!