Furniture polishing at home: cosmetic or major
Decorating rooms in vintage and retro style is a popular trend this season. Therefore, timely polishing of furniture will help breathe new life into tables, cabinets and trellises of the Soviet era. Due to this procedure, items can shine luxuriously for a long time. At the same time, a lot of dust and dirt will not accumulate on their surface. Of course, the polish can be bought at the store without any problems. However, several interesting ways to make such a tool on their own have long been known to many housewives.
Place polished furniture away from radiators and fireplaces, otherwise the warm air will lubricate the greasy substance. It is not advised to install it in cool rooms, very close to windows. Otherwise, the surface will begin to crack.
Furniture polishing: choosing the right folk remedy
Often, homemade polish is made on a fatty basis (olive oil, petroleum jelly, turpentine or wax) or with the addition of vinegar, lemon and ammonia. It is advised to mix the main ingredients just before use. Only then will they be effective. In order to understand how to polish furniture in a particular case, it is important to know some of the features of these substances.
For the preparation of polishing mixtures, use only glass or ceramic dishes.
Scraps of cotton or flannel are used as cleaning attributes. Suede, soft leather and cotton pads are considered ideal for this procedure.
"Fragrant" ammonia
A mixture of ammonia and water is suitable for cleaning kitchen set or bar counter. The suspension does not leave streaks on glass surfaces, as well as on metal fittings.
To prepare such a solution, you will need:
- heat up 1 liter of water;
- enter 2 tsp. ammonia;
- stir the suspension thoroughly;
- pour it into a spray bottle;
- after applying the mixture to the countertop, rub the stains with a cloth (preferably lint-free).
This composition is perfect for all painted as well as varnished items. Moreover, it has been stored for several years.
"Powerful" vinegar essence
Vinegar-based compositions (70%) are used to degrease objects, as well as clean them. Since the acidic environment neutralizes alkaline compounds, it is used to remove limescale that remains on the tables after the mugs. To obtain such a furniture polish disinfectant, you need to dilute with 2 tsp. essences in a liter of warm water.
Many people don't like the acrid smell of vinegar. For this reason, a few drops of essential oil are injected into it. It is worth knowing that the ether tea tree used to kill mold.
Original tandem - lemon and vegetable oil
Lemon juice with olive oil should not be used for polishing furniture varnish, as the top layer of the surface will not be able to completely absorb the greasy emulsion. In addition, after it, antiques with a fine finish are very often covered with a "haze".
All other products can be processed with a simple product made from:
- 250 ml of any vegetable oil;
- ¼ a glass of lemon juice;
- the liquid is stirred until it becomes homogeneous.
Before polishing the tree with oil, you need to check how it "reacts" to the mixture.As an experiment, the composition is applied to a small area of the table and left for a while. If nothing happens, then polish all parts of the trellis.
Lemon juice can be substituted with wine vinegar. It is also an excellent cleaning and disinfecting agent. Dilute oil and wine in equal parts. The mixture is evenly applied to the object, and then rubbed with a soft cloth.
Wax and its "competitors"
Furniture polishing paste with wax removes all cracks and chips. Tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender or juniper essential oil is added to the mixture as a disinfecting ingredient. The resulting composition is applied to objects, wait until they dry and only then polish them.
There is another easy way to make furniture shiny:
- 1 glass of beer is poured into the pan;
- immersed in liquid wax / paraffin;
- bring the mass to a boil;
- leave for a while to cool.
Do not touch cabinets polished in this way, because all fingerprints will appear on them. Among other things, some housewives rub the headset with ordinary talcum powder or baby powder, others use denatured alcohol, shellac or turpentine.
Sometimes folk remedies for polishing furniture do not help the first time, since the mixture is completely absorbed into the surface. For this reason, after a few hours or days, the composition is applied again.
In addition, you need to know how else to polish the furniture if there is no polish. Many people liked the tea brew. It not only cleans the products, but also gives the wood a richer and deeper shade, refreshing it. To do this, you need to squeeze out the tea leaves with high quality, transfer the mass to a shred of dense material and roll it into a bag. With the resulting ball, wipe the entire set, and then polish it to a shine with flannel.
Complete furniture polishing at home
Sadly, too often, homemade wood polish does not remove cracks that are too deep on tables. The reason is that this damage can penetrate to the very base of the wood or veneer. In addition, over time, lacquered furniture acquires a yellowish tint or becomes dull. In such cases, experts advise to carry out real restoration of products, which includes grinding, priming and finishing polishing of furniture at home. Having considered each stage in order, the master will be able to determine whether he can do the procedure on his own or will have to use the services of professionals.
Grinding works
The cabinet or trellis is disassembled and all fasteners are removed from it, because the polish must be applied only in a horizontal position. Therefore, it will not be difficult for the craftsmen to understand how to polish the table. Then they fill up all deep cracks with a special putty. For grinding use angle grinder and several types of sandpaper.
The process of removing the top layer takes place in several stages:
- large irregularities are removed with sandpaper with marking 80;
- then use abrasives with a grain of 120, 180, and also 240;
- Finish sanding with 320 grit sandpaper.
As a result, the surface should be very smooth. Throughout the entire process, it is necessary to check the quality of processing, otherwise you can overdo it and remove more coatings than necessary.
Priming and re-sanding
At this stage, the wood has many open pores and fibers. In order for the varnish to lay on it in an even layer, the surface is primed. Veneer items are covered with nitro varnish or polyurethane varnish diluted by 15-20%.
There is a more professional way of priming:
- a tampon is made of soft fabric (white so that the furniture does not stain);
- moisten it with epoxy glue;
- after drying, remove the remnants of dust with a sandpaper with a grain of 320, moistening it with water;
- when the surface is dry, it is painted with varnish.
Each subsequent layer (there may be 2-3) of the varnish is applied after 6-8 hours.Acrylic compounds are diluted with white spirit. At the same time, they are carefully rubbed into the wood so that there are no streaks or other formations.
In conclusion, finishing grinding is carried out, starting with abrasives with a grain size of 400 and 600, and ending with 1000-1200. Both the object and the skin must be moistened with water.
Polishing is the final stage of restoration
For this, a suitable paste is selected, which can be both furniture and automotive. It should include Teflon, which smoothes out all small irregularities. To apply the mass, a furniture polishing machine operating at 1200 rpm is used. The substance is applied in small quantities and in several stages, evenly distributing it over the entire surface. At the end, be sure to wipe the item and check it for scratches or cracks. Since these procedures are quite complex, they are recommended to be carried out on the test sites of the headset.
Polishing the wood with sheepskin felt will give the products an extraordinary mirror shine. It can also be done manually using felt fabric.
As you can see, making old things look presentable and shiny again is not difficult at all. You just need to properly prepare the polish and polish the furniture. In some cases, talented men can even restore damaged items on their own.