Thread: Old Chair Needs Restoring

I would always choose a separate stain followed by separate top coats where I can. The only time I would choose a combined varnish/stain product would be where the item is in particularly bad shape and you have a lot to hide. That doesn't seem to be the case here but I can't see enough to tell.

Combined varnish/stain products tend to be more turgid and difficult to apply then a straight varnish. Also, where it's uneven you get different levels of intensity, and if things don't go as expected and you find you need to apply more coats then planned then you get a darker finish then desired.

I know combined stain/lacquer products are used extensively in the volume furniture industry but they typically have elaborate spraying setups to achieve their results.

If this was mine I would start by getting some similar timber, stain it, then mix up some filler till it closely matches the stained result. I have a collection of Timbermate in various colours which I mix together till satisfied.

If the timber is porous I would put some Timbermate or similar in the microwave till it is a soft slurry, and wipe this all over the frame, kind of grinding it in. This is 'grain filling'.

After it's dried, I'd sand it all off. Then I'd look for all the holes and divets which were not filled by this process. These will be larger holes like nail holes etc. then it's a matter of filling these with the filler mixed up to the right colour as above. This is 'gap filling'.

A lot of people complain about this type of product sanding low or even falling out. I think maybe they sand it too soon, before it has fully cured (ie it's dry but not fully cured). Not sure about this though.

Then I would stain it. I am unable to give a recommendation because we are living in temporary accommodation and all my stuff is in storage so I am unable to consult the can. I usually use something in a yellow can, which is more of a 'sit on top' product then a 'sink in' product like a spirit stain. Thus it tends to hide stuff a bit, and doesn't accentuate flaws like that felling shake. Sorry I can't remember the names.

Then I would apply several coats of top coat. I would use an industrial spray lacquer, but if you are not set up for spraying then no problem, use polyurethane varnish by brush. Most people on this forum don't like polyurethane varnishes, largely because they are not repairable, should you get dings or scratches (shellac and lacquer are repairable). In this case I don't think it matters - people very rarely repair finishes on chairs - they just get knocked around and people tend to accept that till it's time to do the complete strip and refinish. Another problem with poly is brush and lap marks. You can largely get past this by using Penetrol additive and a good brush. Penetrol is a good product and can leave a finish nearly as smooth as spray lacquer with experience.

Be careful about recommendations to use spray unless you have some prior experience. There is a learning curve involved and chairs are one of the worst things to learn on. Big flat things are easy for beginners but chairs have a lot of angles and hard to reach bits.

I wouldn't use a rattle can - costly, and giving a delicate, low build finish. I wouldn't use a wipe-on poly either - again a delicate, low build finish of short lifespan - not suitable for furniture.

Whatever I did, I would do it first on a test piece.

I'm not crazy about the arms on those chairs - otherwise they have a good shape and are a project well worth doing.

Just found a can of the stain I use in this situation. It's 'Wattyl Interior Stain'.

It's described on the can as semi-transparent, so it's what I use over old timberwork when I want to do a bit of hiding. its not really semi-transparent, more like 20% transparent.

Sorry, in the previous post I meant to say 80% transparent, not 20%.