I acquired an old 4-drawer hardwood filing cabinet which could use a
facelift, as I'm thinking of using it in my living room.I guess it was
made in 1950s. Nice brass fittings. Could be oak, although the wood
does look a bit more orangey than typical oak. I saw one of these
things in an antique makll in California for $400. So I was delighted
when I was offered this one free from a relative here in England.
The woodwork is rather attractive, so I'd like to bring out the beauty
of it as much as possible. I'm really not sure what sort of finish it
has had. Should I sand the whole thing down to bare wood and refinish?
Or should I use a less drastic approach?
Anyone got any tips on renovating the piece? (materials, techniques?)
Thank you,
Jake
Jake asks:
>I acquired an old 4-drawer hardwood filing cabinet which could use a
>facelift, as I'm thinking of using it in my living room.I guess it was
>made in 1950s. Nice brass fittings. Could be oak, although the wood
>does look a bit more orangey than typical oak. I saw one of these
>things in an antique makll in California for $400. So I was delighted
>when I was offered this one free from a relative here in England.
Use some alcohol to see if the finish dissolves. If so, it's shellac which
might account for the orange look.
>The woodwork is rather attractive, so I'd like to bring out the beauty
>of it as much as possible. I'm really not sure what sort of finish it
>has had. Should I sand the whole thing down to bare wood and refinish?
>Or should I use a less drastic approach?
Clean it first. Remove the hardware and clean well to see what really needs
doing.
If it's shellacked, cleaning is a start. You may then only need to recoat to
restore it.
Charlie Self
"Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit
soft."
Theodore Roosevelt
On Tue, 23 Sep 2003 11:51:43 GMT, "Wilson Lamb"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>>DON"T SAND.
>>I often rub with paint thinner to get all the old grunge off. Sometimes
>>remarkable colors emerge. Even if they don't, it's a better place to start
>>than freshly sanded wood.
Wilson, Thanks for the tip. Any particular type of paint thinner?
Jake
On 23 Sep 2003 08:31:02 GMT, [email protected] (Charlie Self)
wrote:
>>Use some alcohol to see if the finish dissolves. If so, it's shellac which
>>might account for the orange look.
Charlie, I'll try to obtain some alcohol. Thanks.
Jake
DON"T SAND.
I often rub with paint thinner to get all the old grunge off. Sometimes
remarkable colors emerge. Even if they don't, it's a better place to start
than freshly sanded wood.
Wilson
"Jake" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I acquired an old 4-drawer hardwood filing cabinet which could use a
> facelift, as I'm thinking of using it in my living room.I guess it was
> made in 1950s. Nice brass fittings. Could be oak, although the wood
> does look a bit more orangey than typical oak. I saw one of these
> things in an antique makll in California for $400. So I was delighted
> when I was offered this one free from a relative here in England.
>
> The woodwork is rather attractive, so I'd like to bring out the beauty
> of it as much as possible. I'm really not sure what sort of finish it
> has had. Should I sand the whole thing down to bare wood and refinish?
> Or should I use a less drastic approach?
>
> Anyone got any tips on renovating the piece? (materials, techniques?)
>
> Thank you,
>
> Jake