Home › Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes › Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes: Furniture

Adhesives, Paints, and Varnishes: Furniture

To Polish Varnished Furniture. - First apply finely powdered pumice stone with a piece of flannel moistened with water. Rub the varnished surface with light, uniform strokes, working from the center with a circular motion. Follow with finely powdered tripoli, using a woolen cloth or chamois moistened with olive oil.

Care must be taken not to use more strength than is necessary to give a smooth surface. Wipe off the tripoli with a soft cloth, let dry, and apply whiting with the palm of the hand.

To Wax Furniture. --Melt with gentle heat 2 ounces each of white wax and yellow wax, and add 4 ounces of best rectified turpentine. Remove from the fire and stir until cold. This gives a thin coat, as the oil penetrates the pores of the wood, brings out the grain and color, and causes the wax to adhere. When polished, it gives a luster equal to varnish.

Polishing. To polish furniture or cabinetwork in general, work down the surface with sandpaper, smooth with glass paper, and polish with rotten stone, putty powder, and tripoli in the order mentioned. Apply pumice stone with a cloth moistened with water, and tripoli with a cloth moistened with olive oil or boiled linseed oil.