I'm still new to this, but already whenever I'm searching for answer, I breathe a huge sigh of relief whenever I find one of your videos in the results! I know I can trust what you say not only to correctly address the problem, but also that your solution won't ruin the piece later on. Not to mention your relaxed low-key delivery in your excellent voice. Pretty sure I could listen to you read the phonebook, as they used to say. (Oh my, we're starting our second generation of people who don't know what a phonebook is, aren't we?! Doddering back to my workshop now....)

I needed a scientific method/ comprehensive education on this subject, from context of repair rather than refinish. This was a perfect delivery of the content with great jumping off points for the next content

I have a mid-century walnut table that I wanted to find out the finish as I wanted to re-new rather than start from new. This was super helpful. It was lacquer. A million thanks!

Thank you so much . I have a bunch of old furniture from my great-grandmother and the finish needs some tlc but I had no clue what to use/do. So happy I found your channel.

Wish I had found this channel earlier. You have unlocked the mystery of our 135 year old table!

I've understood the concept, but seeing how you actually spotted the material on the finish and WAITED 3 minutes was golden. Thanks!

‘I’ve spent hours and hours looking for how to test a finish. You can’t learn this process in jumbled bits and pieces because the testing needs to be done in a sequence. This video is so incredibly helpful. You are without a doubt my favorite woodworker on KZread. Thank you so much for providing free information. You’ve made my life so much easier!

Found this site this morning by accident repairing a 1870s chair. Boy wish I found it years ago. Fantastic videos buddy, I'll continue my viewing eagerly, thankyou.

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you found it helpful John. I hope our other videos are as useful for you. Cheers. Scott

Great sequence tip, I like it. Also, if you can't mamage to have solvents, but have a UV light in hand, flsh it over surfaces in the dark, and whatever glows orange is more likely shellac.

@FixingFurniture

8 ай бұрын

Great tip! Thank you!

I've watched this video repeatedly. So useful

@FixingFurniture

Жыл бұрын

Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for sharing that. Scott

Is there no need to distinguish between polyurethane and varnish finishes when it comes to over-coating the existing finish? Can I scuff sand a polyurethane finish and over-coat it with a varnish, and vice versa? And finally, what about Minwax Polycrylic?

Another great video. You are a great teacher and provide vast knowledge that is second to none. I have 35+ years in painting and decorating, so I hope my word means a lot to anyone who watches your posts. Many thanks.

@FixingFurniture

Жыл бұрын

Wow, thank you! I appreciate that! Scott

Very concise and helpful. Thanks!

Awesome video, thanks! Really helpful.

So very helpful. Subscribed! I have an early 1900s rolltop desk im refurbishing and wasn't sure how I was going to refresh it you.

Excellent. Just what I was looking for. Thank you.

What a fantastic video. Offering great information and value

This is a really helpful video, thank you so much. I definitely subscribed.

I really in joy these videos. Thanks for for sharing!

@FixingFurniture

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Samuel. I appreciate you taking the time to post a comment and show your support for our work! Scott

Wow this is EXACTLY what I needed, and so well done. Wish I had found you sooner!

Wonderful....now I gotta get to making a few repairs I have been putting off because I could not identify for sure what finish was used. Thanks a MILLION!

Thanks very much for the videos, they’ve helped a lot in my restoration of an antique rocker my family passed down.

thank you for these videos! very instructive

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. It's nice to hear you're finding them useful. Scott

This is such a fantastic video. I’ve been following your channel for years now and this is one of the videos I keep coming back to.

Great video. Paint Thinners = Turpentine used for normal oil paints, varnishes and polyurethane. Lacquer and 'sand and seal' are nitro cellulose and need lacquer thinner for thinning. Denatured alcohol = Methylated spirits (UK and Ireland) is used in shellacs and can be used to make waxes instead of turpentine. Back in the 70's and 80's Methylated spirits had to be regulated because people used to drink it. Oils (Teak, Tung, Linseed and Danish) allow wood to breath somewhat. Mineral oil is the favorite for end grain chopping boards etc. It is food save and hydrates the wood. It is also used in creams, lotions and ointments etc. I now live in The Philippines where I will be soon teaching fine woodworking

@FixingFurniture

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and terminology from the UK. Good luck with your teaching - that sounds fun! Scott

@soulgaard

Жыл бұрын

Can acetone be used to test for lacquer?

Simply excellent explanation that I've seen elsewhere. Both Simple & Excellent! Many thanks.

Great video, thanks!

Wow, great video! Some of the best I’ve seen are from this channel!

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Richard! Scott

Thank you! This is really informative and well organized.

@FixingFurniture

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! Scott

Very easy on the ears and super informative. Thank you.

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful! Scott

Honestly, this is so well explained and through… I have to share your channel with my friends 🙌

Great video!

This popped into my recommendations. I wasn't particularly looking for it but had in mind to fix the finish of the foot-board to my bed. It's an Ethan Allen French Country Slay-bed from the 80's. Wear is showing on the top of the foot-board from placing things over it and I use to sit in bed with damp long damp hair and the finish in that spot on the head-board is damaged too. I don't mind some nature wear on furniture, but now it's looking very tired. I have some woodworking knowledge to build, but little on repair. Thanks for the tip, I wasn't sure what finish it was and your other videos showed me how to approach the wear on the finish. Looks more like it's chipped away.

Thank you so much! 😃 This information is invaluable to a newbie furniture refinisher and explained in a way that's easy to understand.

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it was helpful Kimberly. Thanks for the supportive comment. Scott

very helpful and detailed explanation. great to note the importance of doing it in the right order. thank you for sharing!

@FixingFurniture

Жыл бұрын

Glad to hear you found this helpful. Thanks for sharing that! Scott

Great tutorial ! Thank you for the information.

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. I'm happy you found this useful. Thanks for posting your comment! Scott

Perfect, just what i needed!

@FixingFurniture

3 жыл бұрын

That's great to hear. Thanks for sharing that. Scott

Scotty, love your channel! I'm addicted. Bingeing on your vids. 👍

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them Pete!

Love this video! Thank you so much. This single video just gave me the answers to 3 projects I’ve been needing to finish but hesitant because I’m new to restoring and / or painting furniture. I subscribed and will share. Thanks again!

@FixingFurniture

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for subscribing Dawn! Scott

Outstanding video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us.

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! Scott

thank you for this video i liked and subbed just because this helped me

Fantastic video. Thank you!

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it! Scott

Thank you! This is a remarkably well done, informative, no-nonsense and easy to follow video. I have a friend's danish modern dresser to refinish and this was *exactly* what I needed, as I wasn't sure what the original finish is.

Your videos are very informative and explained very clearly, thank you .

@FixingFurniture

Жыл бұрын

Glad you like them! Thanks for sharing that. Scott

Really helpful guide.

I'm now ready to refinish a side table that is quadruple ugly. Thank you for the lesson.

Thanks for the tutorial sir

Great video, thank you for posting - Do you have a remedy for a waterbase poly that appears slightly cloudy?

Extremely helpful! Thanks!

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

@ryantownsend2720

4 жыл бұрын

@@FixingFurniture for sure. Trying to figure out how to refinish some original mid century doors in my house without breaking out the sandpaper (thin veneer). How does one tell the difference between a varnish and poly? Does it matter if I just want it gone?

Thank you for your tutorial videos. They are very helpful. I am looking for guidance regarding two areas on a second-hand dining table I purchased and would like to make some minor repairs on without causing more damage. After watching your video I am pretty sure the table has a polyurethane finish. The 60" round tabletop is solid wood but appears to be topped with particleboard sections covered by veneer to create a slat design (Imagine a round table separated into quarters and slats running on a 45°angle toward the center, creating 90° angles with the quarters next to it). 1: Two of the tips of the slatted sections are missing veneer and appear to have gotten moisture under them because they are raised. They are small areas, but I would like to flatten the raised area without causing greater damage to the table. After flattening them, I am considering using a marker to replace the wood color. 2: There appears to be a very small amount of silver paint (or something) on the tabletop that does not come off with polishing. I would like to remove it without removing the finish of the table. I should say I have NO experience with wood working or repair and would like to do the project as economically and simply as possible (and did I mention I don't want to cause greater damage?)

Very educational!

@FixingFurniture

4 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful! Scott

I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.

Awsome video!

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it. Scott

fantastic video.

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Scott

What finish would you recommend to a woodworker who needed to finish a dining room table they built knowing that eventually it would need to be refinished down the road? Excellent video

You are the best

@FixingFurniture

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the complement Jorge. Scott

Heard about you from the Thomas Johnson site. Subscribed !

@FixingFurniture

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for subscribing Deb. Tom is a wonderful craftsman!

Very good. Right on

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Scott

Thank you

Finally! Now I have a way of testing the odds and ends I pick up and want to refinish. This is such an easy and common sense video to follow. Thanks so much for posting it!

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome Nathalie. I'm glad you found it helpful. Scott

Firstly, in the UK, denatured alcohol is known as methylated spirits. Secondly, if it is coated with polyurethane or varnish finish, then surely the oil drop won't be absorbed either because the latter puts in the impermiable barrier on top of the wood. That said, as usual, a very useful video. Thanks for posting it.

@FixingFurniture

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the UK terminology Gwyn. I'm sure that's helpful for other viewers. Cheers, Scott

I'm touching up some musical instruments, also trying to figure out how to restore the finish of a 100 year old German zither in good condition except for its finish. Research indicates it's probably shellac, but I will test it. (I don't feel I need a luthier just yet! ) This was VERY valuable info, presented very clearly. Thanks!

@FixingFurniture

8 ай бұрын

You’re welcome. Good luck with your project. Scott

Super helpful

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped

I had this small wooden statue from Hokkaido Japan ( I think it's an oil finish) , can I use "baby oil/mineral oil" to test? before I buy a can of Tung Oil. I learned a lot from your videos! Thank You

This as always been something I couldn’t get my head round and I’m share there are many others just like me would it be possible to put this in print in just the same way you’ve just described and thanks for all your efforts in making these videos thanks from the Uk

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look at adding that to our website. Scott

I'm wondering about a wax finish, how would you test for that? I guess repair is then just to reapply and rub in more wax?

THANX!

Nice job

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Scott

Thank you for your videos! I have several pieces of Ethan Allen furniture from the late 60s or early 70s that need refinishing. I am trying to determine the finish. Tung oil does not absorb. Denatured alcohol does seem to soften and remove the finish - my rag turns brown. Lacquer thinner also softens the finish. Could these pieces be shellac underneath lacquer? Thank you for any information that you can provide.

Very informative. Nice speaking style. I like no music. Only quibble. Ah! Shellac, Lacquer, Polyurethane are all types of varnishes. I am in the school that considers varnish a general category. In addition. when you just say varnish, what do you mean? What sort of varnish.

When it comes to varnish finishes, can you do a video on how to sand a piece of furniture with lots of grooves and carved details? I have a chair I want to fix and refinish, but I am afraid of sanding off a lot of detail.

Is there also a way to determine if your table is finished with Beeswax? Thank you for your video!

very good video thanks. i have a modern piece that a drop of perfume totally dissolved the finish. any thoughts?

For the first test, would any oil work (cooking oil)? I am trying to avoid buying a quart of oil for a single drop test and use something around the house if possible.

Awesome. I would love to be involved in furniture design and repair. 🥰

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

That's great. It's something I'm really passionate about. I hope our videos help you learn the craft. Scott

we purchased a 100 year old Victorian home and I want to repair the dents and scratches in the wood work of the baseboards and the pocket doors. I'm pretty sure its shellac but I will test as in this video. My question is how do I repair the dents and scratches? Do I use wax? Wood filler? Do I remove the shellac first? Thank you, and great video, very helpful.

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

If the marks are on painted surfaces, I would use a wood filler. If it's a wood finish, my go-to tool is burn-in wood fillers as you can match the color after the finish is applied. Here's a video that shows burn-in wood fillers. kzread.info/dash/bejne/in2O1ZmDervAZdY.html

I have a tabletop that is finished with dewaxed shellac, not french polish but brushed on. Over that it has 3 coats of polyurethane. I am sure of this finish because I applied it myself. The table now has 3 small circular areas where the finish was eaten away by something. I am wondering what is the best way to go about repairing those spots?

What are the possible varnish finishes? Isn’t varnish a general term for different types of finishes? Do you have a video on how to determine a type of varnish?

I really enjoy your channel and I found this video particularly helpful. I have a question re: finishing oil and oil-based wood filler putty. I'm in the process of refurbishing the tabletop of an extendable round teak dining table. I've sanded it down and plan on finishing it with tung oil. I'm currently at a standstill because I need to repair some gouges on the inner edge of the table where the two semi-circle halves meet. I'm trying to determine a) if I should use water or oil-based wood filler/putty, b) if the tung oil will take better to one or the other, and c) if I should color match the filler before or after I apply the first coat of tung oil. Any insights on how I might move forward?

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

Water-based wood filler will work with oil finishes, but not the other way around. Depending on the damaged area, it may be easier to fix with hot wax sticks after the finish is applied to match the finish. Wood fillers take finishes differently so if you choose to go that route, I suggest doing a test first with the finish on top to see how it works. I hope that helps. Scott

i applied denatured alcohol - it didn't seem sticky to me but it did lighten quite a bit. I want to make sure if it is shellac. Thank you for your great info.

@FixingFurniture

3 жыл бұрын

You may have just cleaned off some dirt. Shellac will get soft and sticky with denatured alcohol. I hope that helps. Scott

I have a mcm tallboy. I've tried everything you showed with no luck. I assume it's a poly or varnish finish. How do I get that off? It's driving me crazy! Thanks

So I have a steering wheel with a varnish finish that is chipping from UV exposure through the windshield. Could I just pull off any cracked or chipped pieces, sand down the rest of the wood underneath and neighboring cracked varnish and then put another coat over it all?

Hi, I am restoring a very old settee. May I send you some pictures to see if you can identify the wood? Thanks so much!

Just curious. I have a painted metal piece that I’m trying to determine if it is just paint or if it has a top coat. Is there any way to determine with certainty one way or another?

I'm trying to find out the likelihood of any of these clear finishes on antique items having lead in them? I usually just think about colored paint or white paint having lead but can chilack or lacquer or any type of glass cover contain lead? Thank you

Awsome

@FixingFurniture

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Scott

In canada we don't have denatured alcohol, are there any subsitutes possible?

WNAT IF I AM GETTING A POSITIVE TEST FOR BOTH SHELLAC WITH DENATURED ALCHOL AND A POSITIVE TEST FOR LAQUER WITH LAQUER THINNER? BOTH MAKE IT STICKY AND OULL OFF THE STAIN. THANKS

I followed the video and tested for oil and then shellac. The alcohol took the finish off but also some of the color. could it be that it was a colored shellac? btw thanks for all you do.

@FixingFurniture

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, you're correct. That's exactly what happened. Powered stains mix well with shellac, so the colour and finish were applied at the same time. I hope that helps. Scott

Thanks for your video. After watching I learned my MCM table has a shellac finish. I got denatured alcohol to remove the finish but wonder the best way to apply it and then clean the remnants. Last, I’m going to refinish with teak oil (the table is very similar to the MCM coffee table from your other video). My teak oil says to mix with teak prep. Is that necessary? I dont have that and am struggling to find. Thanks! Really appreciate your helpful vids!

@FixingFurniture

Жыл бұрын

Hi. To remove the old shellac, you can apply the denatured alcohol and scrub it with steel wool or synthetic steel wool. As for the Teak oil, I'm not familiar with Teak Prep so I can't offer any advice there. Sorry. Scott

very useful, thanks, I'm making a flow chart to summarise this. For repairing the oil finish on the cutting board (04:32) you say you use a mineral oil, is this a food-safe one? I would have thought Tung oil might be better but would appreciate your advice on this. Thanks.

@craftgirl1831

3 жыл бұрын

Hemp oil is food safe

Does the first test need to be tung oil, or will other oils do?

I actually have a question. I have a wooden table, I'm not sure what the finish is, but a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol I had out for cleaning my laptop spilled overnight and soaked into the table via through a cloth and now it's all wrinkled. Is there a way to fix it without having to sand it and refinish?

Mineral spirits is probably called 'white spirits' in the UK.

How can I test for a finish if I don't have the alcohol or lacquer thinner on hand? I have an Amish made kitchen table that I would like to refresh the protective finish.

Good video but I got some old walnut paneling that the finish come off when you scratch it with finger nail .what would that be paste or wax?

@FixingFurniture

3 жыл бұрын

It's hard to say without testing it with chemicals. It sounds odd

How do you check varnish finish?

Just curious to find out if you have used the 3M buffing pads to achieve the same effect as the steel wool? I have used the 0000 steel wool and 3M pads and have found the 3M pad to be less abrasive. I even used the 3M pad to buff out scratches on a table top.

@FixingFurniture

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Terry. I use both steel wool and synthetic steel wool (scotch-bright pads). I haven't done a direct comparison between them but now that you mention it, I do use them for different things. I use the synthetic for scrubbing a surface clean or applying wax to a finish whereas I use traditional steel wool for cleaning off finishes or in between finish coats. I don't know if that answers your question but I hope it's helpful. Scott

Thank you. That was very informative. I suspect my kitchen cabinets were finished with lacquer and the only thing I don't have is lacquer thinner. I wonder if acetone would do it. My wife has that for her fingernails.

@FixingFurniture

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry, I don't know the answer to that. Scott

I have a table I bought at a yard sale. that stains very easily. Everything seems to stick on it. Dishes, cups., Placemats, everything. I am guessing it has lost its finish. Do you suggest I buy all the above items to test for the original finish.

@FixingFurniture

4 жыл бұрын

It's likely a failed lacquer finish. It might be shellac too. I suggest testing for shellac with denatured alcohol first, then try lacquer thinner.