Minwax 786004444 Paste Finishing Wax, 1 Pound (Pack of 1), Dark, 16 Ounce

Minwax 786004444 Paste Finishing Wax, 1 Pound (Pack of 1), Dark, 16 Ounce

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veringer posted on r/centuryhomes2w

OK. I've restored 4 older homes (1896, 1911, 1914, and 1923) in a careful and historically appropriate manner. I'm guessing yours is a late Victorian--maybe 1895-1905? The woodwork I see here doesn't need much, IMHO. I assume by "restore" you mean improve the worn finishes? If so, less is more. Some rapid-fire points: This looks to all be quarter sawn oak. The material and workmanship is absolutely top-notch. A master built this and it should be preserved. These are almost certainly finished with shellac. You can find hundreds of great YT videos showing how to work with shellac. It's very safe and very forgiving, but requires some dexterity and practice to achieve best results (because it's soluble in denatured alcohol and thus dries fast). Keep the old shellac intact. Do not strip. Do not coat in polyurethane or some other film finish. For areas like the bench, you can see that the shellac itself is tinted and imparts a lot of the amber/brown color. You can also tint shellac, but it's unlikely to match perfectly. I would address each face board individually and wipe on a few thin coats of fresh shellac and call it good. But you can also use denatured alcohol to re-mobilize the old shellac and feather it into the damaged areas. This is a more advanced technique, and is going to be easier on the horizontal surfaces. Fresh shellac tends to be glossy, so you need to knock down the finish with a buff. I highly recommend scotch brite pads. You start with the red, then do the gray. That will give a nice flat finish, but you can do the white if you want more satin polish. After that, you can decide if you want to use paste wax to add another layer of buff and protection (I usually do). For areas that are abraded down to bare wood you can also attempt to color match with dilutions of brown and amber transtint dyes in water, then seal with clear shellac. I would only do that for larger affected areas. Similarly, you can also (as implied above) add transtint dye to shellac and mix to approximate the original. Again that's best for large areas, or you risk making things splotchy/inconsistent. If you end up needing to repair or replace pieces or moldings with new wood. You're going to want at least clear red or white oak--quarter sawn if your budget allows, rift sawn otherwise. There may be veneered options out there, but I have no experience with that. To match new wood with the old I recommend General Finishes water-based dye-stains. I'd guess you'd be looking at light or medium brown. This is basically what they would have used back in the day and (having tried alternatives) I would not bother with anything else. You'll probably want to replace the runner on the stairs. There are some cool hardware options to jazz that up too. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about finishing / repairing wood.

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