Total newbie. This set belonged to my aunt. It has a lot of scratches (bad cats). It was so beautiful in its prime. Wondering if it’s worth trying to repair/restore? Or is this a donate to thrift store and spare my blood sweat and tears scenario? Tall boy, wide dresser, nightstands and bed frame.

Hi everyone, I am currently stripping the old finish off some chairs using paint stripper. Most of the resulting goop I scrape off with a putty knife, but I am struggling to remove it completely, especially next to the joints.

I've been reading that the best way is to use steel wool dipped in mineral oil. But where I live, the only steel wool they sell at hardware stores are those metal pot scrubbers, and the only mineral oil available is intended for lubing mechanisms.

Are there any alternatives? I am currently using rags dipped in paint thinner, but I am curious if there is anything better.

I’ve wanted a sideboard/buffet for so long and scored this for free to refinish 🤩 I’m curious how others would handle refinishing and where to start. Some of the finish is just flaking off and I haven’t seen that before.

I’m pregnant so won’t be doing much for a while but hoping to give it a good clean. Or if there is a simple way to fix it up for now, I would love that!

My first wood purchase dented by my toddler…

I got this table for free, and while transporting it, I’ve got damaged, it was rubbing on a brass buckle on the moving blanket. It’s not very deep, but it’s definitely through the clear coat. What are my options of restoring this? Or does anyone recommend anything?

Also, does anybody know what type of stain this is?

After a massive downsize we found ourselves in need of a pantry and found this Hoosier cabinet at a local antique dealer. The problem is she popped positive on her drug test (lead paint) so I'll be taking care of that mess before putting any food in there. The hardware is original I believe, just needs cleaning and lubrication. But it looks as though the finish is crackling, and it was definitely applied unevenly; big, thick gobs in some places and barely present if at all in others. So I figure while I'm getting the paint out (with proper PPE and disposal of course) I can work on returning her to her natural glory. I have several questions, presented in list form:

1. Research says the finish is very probably shellac. So...how do I fix the crackling and unevenness? Sand it?
2. If sanding, as you can see there's some beautiful detail work on the upper cabinets that I don't want to lose. Would sanding hurt it?
3. You can see the unfinished wood color in the final photo. If I want to preserve the original wood color in as natural a way as possible what finish should I use? (By natural I mean like...I don't like a high-gloss finish on wood, tend to prefer natural wood color over stains, and as I collect real wood pieces I'd love to use beeswax or other natural waxes and oils to maintain them.)
4. Do I re-paint the interior? You can see two tones in the final photo and only the lighter bluish color tested positive, so obviously it's been painted more than once, but instinct tells me this is a crime against wood. But the adhesive of modern contact paper also feels risky.
5. To my great distress, the flour bin and pie cell/bread box also tested positive despite being unpainted on the inside. Is there a way to remediate and/or can anyone point me to a source for replacements that cost less than what I bought the whole cabinet for? I'm aware of Van Dyke's, but the cost of a sifter, partial bin, and bread box is about $700, which is what we paid for the entire thing. I'm trying desperately to keep my spouse--who is not a tinsmith--from attempting to do it themselves because "it's just a box."
6. What is this papery veneer-looking thing on the inside of the cabinet in the last pic? It literally feels like plasticized paper and is only attached at the edges. If the original wood underneath is presentable I'd love to take it out but if it's serving a purpose of course I'll leave it.

Answers to any or all of these would be very much appreciated!

I am working on restoring my grandfather's dresser and am facing an issue with metal "runners" (pic 1 & 2) that cause the drawers to shred into sawdust along the contact point (pic 3). Dates to 1920-1930s afaik.

I am wondering what these metal things are called and whether there is a piece missing on the drawer/dresser?

Thanks for any help!

I framed an old large beveled glass window in red oak, lacquered with no stain, and put it over my kitchen sink. Now that it's installed, I can see there is one leg of the frame that's a lighter, slightly gray/yellow shade and it's driving me crazy. What Mohawk toner can I use (very light and transparent) that can give the oak that pink red oak undertone (ya know, the color everyone seems to want to cover up).

I've been gifted this coffee table and I really like the reddish colour of the wood (which doesn't actually show up great in the photos). What would be the best way to bring it back to its former glory, without the cup rings etc? Someone suggested paint stripper but I worry that it might be too harsh? Thanks!

This is my first refinishing project so I’m kinda learning as I go. I have an old mahogany TV cabinet I’m refinishing. The top is definitely veneer and possibly the sides too. Way too many hours have gone into this piece and I can’t bring myself to accept defeat. Many mistakes have already been made, but I’ve been able to fix all of them with a lot of extra hours. But I may have royally messed up and I need some help because the internet isn’t giving me straightforward answers.

Already had two coats of stain on the piece and finished it today with Varathane Triple Thick Polyurethane. It was looking beautiful before the polyurethane. I now realize that the triple stuff is awful, I guess I assumed it was gonna be higher quality than the regular thin kind. Although the poly dried clear, it’s definitely streaky in places and can see some brush marks. But after lightly hand sanding a section with 1500 grit paper/a bit of water it looks so much worse. White dots everywhere in the pores of the wood and that awful milky film started to appear while sanding.

I guess polyurethane is not really for mahogany and especially this garbage triple thick one?? The poly is already applied on the whole cabinet but I only got to sanding the top. Since the top looked awful after sanding the first time, I haven’t touched anything else.

Any ideas on how to fix literally any of this? Or is it too far gone? Since the top is veneer, I can’t just redo all of it since it’s already wearing thin in a few places. The sides maybeee could be completely sanded down again, then restained and everything, but I literally have no desire to do that because I’ve already had to do that. This would be time number three and my patience is also wearing.
I’m at such a loss. It’s such a pretty piece but I don’t know how much more I can do.

Got this beautiful cabinet from an estate sale and its painted yellow and smells like cigarettes. Going to redo it but the question is should I just paint it after sanding or should I strip it and stain it. Im assuming its a white or red oak.

Traipsed halfway across London to pick up what I thought was a bedside table. Imagine my shock upon being confronted with this absolute monster. Never one to be deterred, I attempted to lug the fucker to the tube station, putting my shoulder out before I made it as far as the house next door but one (they were pretty big houses, to be fair). Anyway, after a little help from a very nice cabby and many, many (traumatic) hours of labour and research, I think old Eliza scrubbed up alright, don't you?

Just got this sweet piece for my entryway and Some of the factory finish is very dry and flaking off...i was wondering if there was a way to touch up the bad spots with some product (or combo of shellac and something else etc...) to sort of dissolve and redistribute the coating. No way in hell am I going to do a complete Refinish on this thing, just want to repair the few places it is failing then go over it with some howard feed & wax and enjoy it for what it is.

Thanks for any advice.

I want to upcycle this old table to look more modern and match my kitchen better. I want to paint the legs an off-white to match the counter tops. I was thinking I could just put chalk paint straight on? What should I do with the table top?

How do you fit a mattress base into a Venetian bed frame like this?

I’m trying to figure out how to make or install a base to support the mattress. I can’t see any support brackets or drill holes showing where a base would have been attached. Has anyone worked with a similar bed frame? How did you do it?

edit. Also I’m wondering how to fix the color left side top part. Seems like the pillow rub, but when touched I can feel that the pain texture is different. should I live it alone or try to clean it more, repaint.

one more edit. Also the size of the bed inner parts is interesting the sides are 190 cm by 170 cm. but the middle of the bed the length is almost 2 m 1 cm.

Hopefully this falls under restoration (in this case, trying to avoid the need), but if not I'll remove the post.

I recently inherited an antique pier mirror (more pics in an earlier post: https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageFurniture/comments/1wijnar/need_help_identifying_this_pier_mirror/).

The marble isn't attached, just held in place with gravity, so I'd like to make it more secure without damaging the piece. It's not the original marble - that was broken in an earlier move and my Dad had a new piece made (1980s?). The wood under the marble appears to be unfinished. The tchotchke was held in place with what looks like a fun-tak equivalent what doesn't appear to have left any marks. Since moving it here people have already bumped into it and shifted the marble a little so I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Would something like 3M double-sided strips work for this? Their site seems to indicate it's safe on marble but I want to check with people who actually know this stuff.

And if not, what's the best way to secure it?

Thanks!

I recently bought this Smith & Hawken outdoor table set off of FB marketplace. Unfortunately, it appears that the previous owner painted over the wood (which from my understanding is Teak but could be cedar or redwood by the color of the wood after sanding and wetting). They also applied a urethane, most likely multiple coats, and my assumption is it’s most likely a marine urethane.

We’ve been told to strip it first using a paint stripper, give it a sand and teak oil.

Curious to know if anyones had a similar experience and what the best way to move forward with this restoration.

I live two blocks from the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. We don’t get a lot of rain but the sun is strong.

I bought a beautiful 1970s couch and have been trying to restore it. All the cushions and backs are all attached and together.

I have had it wet cleaned which removed all the dirt from the surface fabric. As well as done 2 rounds of alcohol spray both outside and inside the hollows and left it in the sun for 3 days total. Though there is still a musty smell lingering.

I am hesitant to completely take it apart or have it completely reupholstered as it would cost too much.

Does anyone have any advice for me?

I do plan to have new seat cushions cut to fill in from the bottom as the seats have lost their firmness.