Photo from TheDiyHammer
Originally Posted On: https://thediyhammer.com/make-wood-look-new/
Wood is that one thing that you will find almost everywhere – your doors, window frames, furniture, you think of it and there would be wood almost everywhere around you. With so much wood around, it is often easy to ignore the fact that they too need a lot of care and upkeep. Not taking proper care of the wood around your home can often lead to the wood parts being spoilt and dilapidated and tarnished completely. Wood is prone to damage due to changing environments. And hence it is important that you take proper care of all the wood fixtures and surfaces in your homes.
The good thing is that taking care of wood is not so difficult. It is all about providing a proper finishing to the wood. And in this piece, we bring to you 7 tips to refinish furniture, floors, decks or woodwork that is in your home. Read through for the list:
Tip # 1: Decide whether you need a color or colorless wood finish
If you wish to carry out a perfect wood finishing job, you need to determine what kind of finishing you want.
For instance, if you are looking forward to providing a perfect finish to your living room table with a certain color scheme of the room, you have to opt for a color finish based on the room setting. The same goes for the dining table or the kitchen furnishings as well. If you are planning to provide a finishing touch to the doors and window frames, you will have to accordingly choose what is required.
So, the first thing is to determine whether it would be a colorless or a vibrant color-filled wood finishing.
Tip # 2: Decide on the durability and resilience required
Now that you know whether color or a colorless finish is required, the next very important thing is to ascertain the coating/deck requirements that you would want to use for wood finishing. To make sure you do that you would need to know how durable or resilient you want your wooden material to be.
For instance, if it is a door or a wooden component or part that will be exposed to harsh weather conditions or external environments, you would need to ensure that such wooden components are given proper durable and resilient finish.
This would mean you will have to use types of finishes such as varnish, polyurethane or oils that will provide them with the required durability and resilience to any wear and tear.
Tip # 3: Consider the ease of application, your experience and time commitment
Maintaining or doing wood finishing work is not some rocket science unless you choose one of the more challenging types of wood finish. As such you need to adopt a method that allows easy application of chemicals and materials that aid in the wood finishing process.
While doing so, you make sure that the entire experience is not a very complicated and cumbersome experience and delivers the result you are expecting. And the most important thing to keep in mind is, of course, the availability of time.
You need to ensure you are able to devote enough time to complete the wood finishing work properly because haste would only make waste. It would be good to consider the drying times and the number of coats needed as well that would differ for different finish types.
Tip # 4: Use paint if you want to color a workpiece or furniture
A water-based or oil-based paint is one of the best ways to give your wood furniture or fixtures a perfect finish and make them look brand new. So, if you have an old piece of furniture that has been eating dust in the storeroom for a long time or have a piece of wooden handicraft that you would love to restore, painting it would be the best option.
Choose your favorite hue and color, mix it with turpentine oil or other paint oils that come with the paints and start your artwork. Make sure you do it layer by layer for best results. This means apply one layer and let it dry and then apply the next to give it a perfect finish.
Tip # 5: Choose color or colorless lacquer if you prefer spray application
Often you may just find it unnecessary to paint the whole wood when only a part of it is a little worn out and would need some amount of restoration. In such cases, using a lacquer spray for wood finishing is, in fact, the best option.
And even if it is the whole piece of furniture or wood that you wish to restore, just spraying lacquer all over the wooden piece can simply take care of the job.
You can use either a colorful or colorless lacquer spray and either way it is a quick and effective way of wood finishing.
Tip # 6: Apply Varnish or Polyurethane where resilience is needed
Varnish to wood is as good as garnish to food. It is basically used to lend that natural shiny finish to the wood surface once it is all done and ready. It is usually the top transparent coating that is applied to lend the required look and resilient feel to the wood surface.
Polyurethane is a similar substance that is used to provide a somewhat shiny and durable coating to the wood. It is basically a coating in the liquid form and once applied upon drying, it forms a thin and durable protective layer on the wood. Poly is also one of the most popular finishes for hardwood floors.
Tip # 7: Use oil or a wood stain to enhance the appearance of the wood grain
Using oil as wood finish is a tried and tested way of ensuring that your wooden surfaces, furniture, doors, windows, and fixtures are in their best state. Oils can enhance the natural look and sheen of your wood in a great way.
Using oils not only protects the wood from some wear and tear it also enhances the textured look of the wood by hydrating and nourishing the wood from within. This ensures that the wood becomes more durable and is able to stand to prolong use without any substantial wear and tear.
Photo from TheDiyHammer
Apart from that, you can also use wood stains to get the desired hue to the natural color of the wood. However, a stain is a colorant that does not provide much resilience. For a protective layer, the treated wood needs to be finished with colorless lacquer or polyurethane, for instance.
The Conclusion
To conclude it is fair to say that while taking care of all the wooden stuff in your homes is not that difficult, it is however about doing it right and in the most effective way. Use these DIY tips for ensuring all the wood in your home is well kept and is always in the best condition.
So, pick up the brush or sprayer today and let your wood look new with some fresh lease of life.