Reviving wood - A Top Tip!
We are lucky enough to have a shed in our garden which is spacious enough for me to do projects. It isn’t really smart enough to be called a workshop and there is also quite a bit of general storage stuff in there as well because we converted the garage but we did put a bit of insulation in and a storage heater so it is more than a shed but at this time of year it is still quite chilly!
I have a number of pieces that are stored up ready to be renovated but it is just too cold and unappealing to get started in a meaningful way. Plus I am really missing my weekly upholstery classes and so my creative zest has rather diminished this year.
What I would like to do though over the weeks ahead is to share some of my do ups and also talk to you about techniques and products that I am using. I really hope that you will join in with comments if you have tried other things. I am no expert so it is always really helpful to find out what others are doing and what products you recommend.
This week I thought I would share a really good tip that was given to me by my upholstery teacher, Liz. If you have a piece of furniture where the wood is good - by good I mean that it doesn’t need sanding or taking back to the bare wood - but it is dull and dirty, she has a ‘magic mix’ which cleans, feeds and revives the wood brilliantly.
The recipe is to mix together equal parts of (raw) linseed oil, methylated spirits and turpentine. Shake them altogether in a screw top jar. You then apply with 00000 (0000 minimum) wire wool and rub gently. Clean off any excess with a piece of old tee shirt fabric or similar.
The transformation is amazing. I used this formula on a set of mid century chairs that I upholstered for a friend. She helped me with all the cleaning and they came up so well and honestly looked as if they had just left the factory! I also applied it to my fabulous Borge Mogensen drinks trolley which I bought from the auction house. It was very dirty but came up beautifully. It works on any wood, not just teak, and will clean it and feed it, breathing new life into the piece. I also have an old oak dining table that I inherited which my husband has been using as his WFH desk so it has had more action than usual and it has come up really well. So much better for the wood than silicone furniture sprays or sticky wax.
I should say that if the wood is damaged, stained etc then there are other wood treatments and renovations that you may need to undertake. I plan to cover some of these in future blog posts.
So use the magic mix and let me know how you get on. Or let me know if you have other wood revival tips of your own.
Finally I would love it if you would subscribe to my blog and join me on my furniture and home treasure adventures :)
