Thread: Help needed to refurbish childrens table/seats

I picked up a child's rocking chair in similar condition and cleaned it up with our Benevolent Dictator's Polish Reviver. It was amazing how much dirt and grime came off. Might be worth a try

Did the Polish Reviver today, and to be honest was not totally awed with the result. To be fair, it did take some marks off but some are still there despite me concentrating on the appropriate areas. There is a possibility that I did it wrong.

Maybe the guess of polyurethane was incorrect.

Obviously I need to do it again, or sand it back and redo the polyurethane or alternative.

If it were me I would be inclined to pull them apart, sand and refinish. Its difficult to tell from the photos if the dowels that are visible are covering screws or if they are through dowels. If they are through dowels I wouldn't like the idea of pulling them apart.

We purchased a cheap second hand Ikea table and chairs for our kids. For the price there was no way I could make them. The chairs and the table were painted red, and in fairly good condition. I left the chairs red and sanded the table back to natural timber and did a couple of coats of wipe on polly. It was a half restoration but think it works well.

As it was just over the other side of the room I thought I would take a photo! It could do with a clean after the weekend but you get the idea.

Only problem is the red marks left on the white wall from the chairs - I will repaint one day!

IMG_5883.jpg

They look to be through dowels, so not as easy to pull apart and reassemble.

Seriously, I think your easiest option is to remake them.
The legs appear to be 1 x 4 s, the seat rails 4 x 4s

If the chairs are through doweled, just drill the dowels out, pass all the components through a drum sander (do the seat with a hand sander) and reassemble using wedged treenails.

I won't say easy-peasy but close to

Originally Posted by cava

They look to be through dowels, so not as easy to pull apart and reassemble.

if I were building those, I think I'd use more screws than dowel.
Check that the "dowels" aren't mostly wood filler hiding a screw.

Originally Posted by ian

if I were building those, I think I'd use more screws than dowel.
Check that the "dowels" aren't mostly wood filler hiding a screw.

Definitely dowels all the way through with matching grain on both sides of the joint.

Originally Posted by cava

Definitely dowels all the way through with matching grain on both sides of the joint.

in that case drill the dowels out, cut through any glued face joints, sand, reassemble and paint

Originally Posted by ian

in that case drill the dowels out, cut through any glued face joints, sand, reassemble and paint

Not going to happen Ian.

If I have to go to that trouble, I will make a new table and chairs with refinements.

Originally Posted by cava

If I have to go to that trouble, I will make a new table and chairs with refinements.

my thinking also.

getting the existing finish sanded to the point that a new one can be applied is too much like hard work.

Build a pair of new chairs. see my post #7

Seriously, I think your easiest option is to remake them.