Refinishing an Antique Oak Dresser?

Question

I want to refinish an antique oak dresser (early 20th Century) but I don't want to lose all the "age." The piece has not been exposed to moisture or extreme heat. It just seems to have been in the barn for a long time and most of the old finish is gone. Any ideas? Thanks.

Answer 1

wipe it down with tsp, then restain it & seal it

Answer 2

Good man...preserving the character of an old piece is the way to go.
Formby's has good stuff as saaanen mentioned.
Their "restorer" kit works very well if there is not too much bare wood showing.
It has cleaner, "restorer"& polish.in it.
If the finish is really gone in places Formbys & others have liquid "restorers" which do not completely strip the piece
If you get results you like with either.... just stop.
Used to do repairs for antique shops & basically just cleaned & waxed older pieces esp on hardwoods
If you think more than the kit is needed, an easy way is to wipe it down w/ mineral spirits to get the barn dust off.
Then a couple of applications of the "Restorer" which is "stripping" , but not quite.
Just wipe it off w/ bronze wool & cloths to clean up.
The bronze wool will not scratch or dull edges , details.& actually "burnishes" rather than scrapes the wood.
The piece will not get that raw wood look & retain some patina.
You can then rub on an oil finish, The minwax oil is good for over the counter stuff,
You can"sacrifice" the first coat by wiping it completely off with the wool as a cleaner, & then apply until you like the look.
A couple of rubs with a hard pastewax will finish it off.
Not he only way to go ,but it is easy & will not do anything to harm the piece the way all out stripping & sanding will.
You might spend $25 for everything & get that nice glow you see in antique shop windows.
Best regards

Answer 3

Check your local hardware stores for the Formby's line of products.They make all kinds of stuff to do exactly what you want to do.