Although in these modern times, most wood finishes available in stores are synthetic based, meaning they have been expertly formulated using various chemicals that are tried and tested to resist specific fungal attack. And these also have the ability to resist damaging UV rays.

What I would like to concentrate here is on the old fashioned, tried and tested, and often-cheaper alternatives. Wax and oils. These have been around for decades, and when used correctly, they can really bring out the true beauty of the grain, and can also give your furniture reasonable protection. I also like applying these natural oils, as there’s a feeling of euphoria as you reminisce of how your ancestors once finished their furniture, and that are now your antiques.

Oil products

Probably the most widely used of the oil family would be Linseed oil. This is a clear yellowish oil that is also known as Flax seed oil. It is made from cold pressing the seeds from the flax plant. Linseed oil is readily available from your local hardware store, and sometimes you may find it in the local supermarket.

It can be applied directly from the bottle onto the furniture by way of a rag. I always apply oils with a rag, or pad, never a brush. Brushing tends to leave streaks on the surface, and looks unsightly. Linseed oil upon application will harden and dry when exposed to the air. For those of you who like the sport of cricket, you’ll be interested to know that cricket bats are soaked, and left in Linseed oil before use.

Other oils to consider are, sunflower, poppy seed, soybean, and walnut. Another great oil would be Tung oil. This is pressed from the seeds of the Tung tree. It has very similar qualities to Linseed oil. Upon drying, it produces a very tough, and an extremely water resistant seal. Whereas Linseed will darken with age, Tung oil will remain a slight golden color.

Tung oil has been around for centuries and has been a great favorite of the Chinese who found use for it on marine timbers and masonry.

Wax products.

The obvious and most common of these would be Bees Wax. This is produced as the name suggests by bees. This wax dries to a hard coat, but needs several consistent applications over time to help in protecting the furniture. It is very easy to apply and will give lasting protection. It’s also impervious to water spills, making it a very natural choice.

Other waxes to consider are, paraffin wax, and carnauba wax. Carnauba wax is taken from the leaves of the Carnauba palm. The leaves are collected and beaten to loosen the wax. This leaves a very hard surface when applied. When mixing with bees wax, the finish is even better. You may also be interested to find that carnauba wax is the main ingredient of surfboard wax.

Wood is a very natural product that that if left untreated will expand and contract due to the changes in humidity. This is the amount of water that is present in the air, and this changes on a daily basis, from season to season. Different parts of the world experience different variations of humidity. All wood retains a relative amount of moisture, and humidity will change the moisture causing the wood to expand and contract. This would not be a good idea for any wood product, least of all furniture.

Furniture being left to age on its own accord will experience those changes mentioned. It will contract, expand, crack, twist and eventually start to look unsightly. An example would be: Lets say we have a cupboard/dresser. If we were to leave this untreated over a period of time, several things are going to happen. If it is being used on a regular basis, day to day handling will leave the wood looking dirty. This is a reaction from the oils in your skin, but this is only the beginning. Humidity changes will cause it to warp, and contract. The smooth surface that was once the top will start to split and twist, causing the grain to open, thus allowing even more movement. Those drawers that used to slide back and forth along the runners are now binding. They will either fail to open, or they will never close, and the problem will only worsen over time.

Now lets imagine our cupboard/dresser has received adequate protection from a good finish, and received the correct amount of layers recommended from the manufacturers. You will no longer be able to discolor the grain with the oils in your skin. It would also have a certain protection to withstand a certain amount of direct heat by way of a hot drink. The finishes applied will trap the moisture content helping it remain stable. The top portion of the furniture will remain smooth and flat, and the grain will look as good as when you first purchased it. The drawers will slide back and forth along the runners, just as they did when they left the factory.

In order to maintain the beauty of your furniture, care must be taken to ensure adequate protection is given to it.

The benefits of buying this type of furniture are many. Manufacturers often sell this type of furniture at considerably knocked down prices. Often in the region of 35- 50% less than a finished item. Now imagine if you had the knowledge on how to transform this unfinished item to something that would compliment your home, the savings would be huge.

Over the past few years, many retailers specializing in this type of furniture have sprouted up around the country allowing the public to purchase all types of styles to take home & finish to their own tastes. You no longer have to make do with a color or stain you never really wanted in the first place. And it doesn’t have to involve a stain. Many country type residences often get a much warmer effect if the piece were painted. This is definitely the case with say, a Welsh Dresser. That would often be adorned with family crockery, giving the room a cottage type feeling.

A lot of these small retailers are often just a means for larger companies to display their goods. Lets face it. If a company had a manufacturing facility out of town, but had a small retail outlet to push the stock, the overheads are greatly reduced leasing a smaller area. They don’t require a huge showroom to exhibit. They just replenish the small store after sales. Another beauty of the way this works is that most of these companies not only let you finish the product, but most of them will custom make something for you. The choice really does belong in the hands of you the customer.

One other advantage to buying unfinished is that you get to see the furniture in its raw state, thus enabling you to see any imperfections that may be present in the grain. Dents etc. would be very difficult to hide with fillers, as would be the case if it were finished & lacquered.

The benefits of this idea appealed to not only the retailer, but also the consumer.  The merchant could not only buy ready-to-assemble furniture that was in flat packages, but found his costs incurred for storing was also reduced, as he no longer had to fill his warehouse with bulky items.

Not only was the benefit of a cheaper product passed onto the retailer, but also the ease at which he could take the product home. Because of the size, most items would easily fit in a family sized vehicle, thus avoiding the restraints imposed from a delivery company, who very rarely decide on a delivery date or time, which a customer can agree on.

Although the term ready to assemble means precisely that, meaning, you get the product home and assemble it, and enjoy.  Many companies however including Ikea often leave the items untreated, so that one does have the choice to stain and finish to match existing furniture. This is especially the case in the garden department where you will find outdoor furniture left untreated. Depending on what part of the world you live in, you can apply a preservative that is adequate to your particular climate.

When buying flat pack furniture, generally it’s a straight forward process of taking out the contents, and assembling them together according to the manufacturers instructions. However one should be prepared for the often inevitable which is upon assembly you may find an item missing. This isn’t so much as a problem, but more of an inconvenience. These pieces are generally designed with specialized fixings that are only available from the place it was purchased from, and more often than not, needs a return trip to the store. So before undertaking any assembly of this type of furniture, be sure to do a complete inspection of the items boxed, against the items listed with the assembly instructions.

Before you do so, there is one very important thing to consider. Is the furniture so unique that it could be considered an antique? If it could fall into this category, you may wish to seek professional advise, as any work you commence on it could have a negative affect in terms of it’s ability to be of a monetary gain. But I’m sure if the piece you’re considering renovating was an antique, and unique in its appearance, care would certainly have been taken throughout the years.

For the purpose of this article, I’m assuming that the furniture to be worked on is a nice piece, made of solid wood and that you have no desire to part with it, but unsatisfied with how worn and tired it looks.

Whether it was originally painted or varnished, you need to strip the finish. The easiest way would be to apply paint, or varnish remover. There are a number of brands readily available, and most of them can be found in your local hardware store. These solvents generally consist of certain chemicals such as acetone, methanol, but contain other ingredients, but these are the most common. Upon application you leave for a specific amount of time, leaving the product to chemically react with the finish. It can then be scraped off with ease by way of a scraper. These are also readily available. Depending on the toughness of the finish you’re removing, you may have to repeat the process until you can see the natural surface of the wood.

Once you have removed the majority of the varnish/paint, it needs to be wiped down with surgical spirit to remove the residue that was left behind from the stripping agent.
Once clean, it now needs to be sanded down Depending on the severity of the wood, requires a certain grade of abrasive paper, but generally 80-100 grit will suffice. Using a bench, or palm sander, apply an even gentle pressure along the wood. Let the machine do the work. Always making sure to sand along the length of the grain, and never across. By doing the latter, you will end up with deep scratches, which will take longer to remove. So sand in the direction of the grain.

Using 300 grit, repeat the process. By going down in stages, you gently, consistently remove any scratches left from the scraping, or the sander. Once your happy with the finish, the furniture needs to be dusted off, and once again wiped down with a surgical spirit.

You are now ready to apply your choice of finish.