How to polish wood at home. Sanding and polishing wood: Methods and necessary tools. Products used to polish wood

05.11.2019

Polished furniture has a very "ceremonial" look. It is quite specific, but many people like it. The difficulty lies in the fact that it is easy to spoil a shiny surface, and it is difficult to restore its attractiveness. Often the only way out is to polish the furniture.

The most common problem is scratches. You can still get rid of small ones with the help of polishes with special properties. Deep, with damage to the very wood or veneer, can only be removed by new polishing (if this old furniture Soviet times, covered with nitro-lacquer). To do this, first completely remove the entire old coating, then apply varnish and grind the entire part completely. That is, polishing furniture - new or old - occurs according to one algorithm, with the only difference being that the old layer of varnish has to be removed.

If the product is newer, it is most likely covered with a thick layer of varnish. If the scratch is deep, but has not reached the veneer or wood, the situation is somewhat simpler. First, the scratched layer is peeled off with sandpaper at 80 and 120. Then it is polished with finer grains. Then one or two layers of varnish are applied, after drying - polished.

Another case where furniture polishing may be required is when the varnish becomes cloudy or yellowing. This often happens. The treatment is also not easy - the complete removal of the old varnish and the application of a new one with polishing. Similarly, problems are solved with all other traces that cannot be removed by conventional means ().

Another point: furniture polishing is done only and exclusively in a horizontal position. To do this, you often have to disassemble everything. It's difficult, but there is no other way. You can only work on a horizontal surface.

Pre-sanding

Furniture polishing is a long process and it starts with polishing. First, all cracks and other defects are covered with putty on wood that is suitable in color. After its complete drying (the period is indicated on the label), grinding begins.

A sander is best for polishing wood or veneer. Tape go disk - a matter of taste and preference, it also depends on the complexity of the shape of the furniture. You will also need a set of sandpaper with a grain of coarse (80) to very fine (1200).

In extreme cases, an angle grinder with a special nozzle (disc and Velcro) may come up. But when working with it, it is difficult to achieve a really good result - there is no required mobility of the sanding platform, so the result of such wood polishing will not be above average.

We start grinding with grain 80. We work with it carefully, removing only large irregularities. Then we repeat the treatment with a sandpaper at 120, then - 180 and 240. During the work, it is necessary to periodically remove dust and inspect the surface for irregularities and other defects. sometimes they are better defined by touch.

Then we take water and sandpaper with a grain of 320. Wet the surface to be sanded and the sandpaper. We grind everything again, but with water. At this stage, you should get a good result - everything should be smooth. If everything suits, we move on, if not, we grind for some more time.

Primer

It is necessary to prime wooden and veneered surfaces so that the varnish lies more evenly. When grinding, we opened most of the pores, released some of the fibers. If you immediately cover them with varnish, it will be absorbed unevenly, due to which the surface will become stained. The primer closes most of the pores, so that the varnish will lie more evenly.

Priming veneer coated furniture can be done in two ways. The first is fast, but accompanied by a strong smell. It is necessary to take a nitro varnish or polyurethane varnish, dilute it by 10-20% (depending on the initial density), cover the surface.

The second method of priming is long, but correct and almost odorless. We take epoxy glue, a soft cloth swab. Better - flannel, preferably - white color so that it does not shed and does not change the color of the furniture. With this swab we rub the epoxy into the veneer.

While everything dries, dust will definitely stick to the surface. It must be removed. Again, this can be done in two ways: scraping and grinding. If scraping - we take a sharp blade (it is possible from a wallpaper knife) and we clean off everything superfluous with it. In order not to damage the veneer, you need to move the blade along the fibers. With grinding, everything is known: sandpaper with a grain of 320 and water. The prepared surface is cleaned of dust, washed with water, dried. After drying, varnish can be applied.

Actually, further polishing of furniture may not be necessary. Already at this stage, the product looks decent.

Lacquer application

Immediately about which varnishes are best to use. The best are alkyd (Tikkurila Unika-super series), polyurethane and water-polymer (good - Swedish Bask).

Despite the lack of smell, water-based varnish is not the most the best choice for the first varnishing experience. It is essentially a water-based suspension. But it is not nearly as harmless as it is commonly believed. The composition of water-based varnishes contains very harmful solvents, however, in small quantities. Just the usual acetone and others cannot keep such a composition in a stable state. So you have to use much more "cool" solvents.

This is by the way, but the reason is essentially different - the complexity of processing. When varnish is applied, water is absorbed into the wood fibers, they rise. As a result, after the first treatment, the surface is far from smooth, but very rough. This effect is especially pronounced on pine products. So after the first layer of water-based varnish has dried, we take an angle grinder or a grinder, we cling a sandpaper with a grain of 320 to it and grind it to smoothness. If you are lucky, the next layer will lie flat and the pile will not rise again, if not, you will have to repeat the operation again. The situation is not fatal, of course, but unpleasant. This does not happen with other varnishes.

How to apply varnish

Now a little about how to apply varnish. Professionals believe that the best is spraying from a spray gun. Maybe it is so, but not all home craftsmen have such a device, and you also need to be able to work with an airbrush. From manual methods a popular method of application is application with a piece of foam rubber (you can use a new kitchen sponge) or a cloth swab (the fabric is soft, white, lint-free). To decide, you need to try what is more convenient for you, how it turns out smoother (if it works at all).

The next method is with a small foam roller. Suitable if a surface of a simple shape without small details is varnished ( door leaf, For example).

Applying varnish with a brush is the most unpopular way

The use of a brush when varnishing furniture, oddly enough, is in last place. The fact is that it is difficult to apply a layer of varnish evenly in this way. You need a good brush with soft, thick, natural bristles, which in no case should climb.

Technology

Regardless of the chosen method of applying varnish, its layers should be thin, of uniform thickness. On a brush / sponge / roller / swab we take a little money, rub it over the surface as thoroughly as possible. We dip in the varnish next time only after the “tool” no longer leaves traces. In this way, cover the entire surface, leave to dry.

The applied layer of varnish does not dry completely, but the time indicated on the package of varnish in the column "to touch" or "applying the next layer". On average, for water-based varnishes it is 1 hour, for alkyd - 5 hours. The next layer is applied in the same way. The total number of layers is usually from 5 to 9, depending on the quality of the veneer and preliminary grinding. When the surface becomes absolutely even, the varnish is dried until completely dry - 2-3 days. After that, grinding starts again.

polishing varnish

The process is the same as in preparation, only we use skins with a finer grain - starting from 400. Be sure to grind with water - moisten the surface and sandpaper. Having finished processing, we attach sandpaper with 600 grain, then with 1000 and 1200.

This stage is the last one before the actual polishing. After this treatment, the surface must be absolutely even, uniform, without defects.

Furniture polishing

The final stage is finishing with polishing paste. To do this, you need a polishing paste. You can use furniture, but more often used automotive. Any one that does not contain wax is suitable (for example, "Antitsirapin"). A good result is given by those in which there is at least a small percentage of Teflon. They also smooth out small scratches and inhomogeneities.

Polishing furniture after varnishing requires less time than all the others. For this stage, natural felt is required - they rub the paste over the surface. In order not to work manually, a felt circle cut to size is attached to the Velcro of a grinder or angle grinder. Paste is applied to the surface to be polished, the grinder is turned on at maximum speed and the furniture is brought to the desired degree of gloss. With good preparation, it is possible to get a mirror surface.

You have used the right finishing compounds and applied them correctly. A strong protective film has formed on the surface of the product, and you like the way it looks. What to do next? Perhaps nothing. In some cases, it's time to take the finished project out of the workshop so everyone can see it. However, most of the time the final coat is not good enough for you to be proud of your work. Carefully examining the surface with your eyes and fingertips, you can easily detect dried dust particles, shagreen or roughness. Get rid of these defects with polishing. This operation consists in leveling the coating film and giving it the desired degree of gloss with the help of fine abrasives. You can achieve a perfectly glass-smooth surface using a simple technique similar to sanding the underlying wood surface. We can't let you feel the finished surface with the polished lacquer film, but you can see the difference by comparing photos A and B.

First of all, you need to polish products with surfaces that are located in plain sight, which are often touched. These include table tops and doors. Start honing your skills on them. Polishing is not difficult, and it more than pays for the effort expended.

First, let's list the polishing methods

COATING POLISHING METHODS
Coating type	alignment	Matte or semi-gloss	Mirror gloss
Oil or oil varnish polish	#320 waterproof sandpaper and finishing compound as lubricant	Polishing with white abrasive pads with wax paste	unattainable
Polyurethane, alkyd-oil varnish, water-based formulations
Nitrolac and shellac	#600 waterproof sandpaper or white sanding discs for random orbit sander	Polishing with a wool roller with polish or white abrasive pads with wax paste	After obtaining a silky-matte shine, polish with wool and fine polishing paste or sandpaper No. 800-1500

First necessary condition for polishing is a coating film, which must be thick enough not to rub through it. To do this, at the previous stage of finishing, it is required to correctly apply several thin layers of varnish. In addition, patience is needed. Allow the film to dry completely before polishing. Remember that insufficiently hard, elastic film cannot be glossed. Depending on the finishing compositions used, film thickness, temperature and humidity, drying of the coating can take up to a month.

If you want to achieve a mirror finish, it is especially important that the surface of the wood under the varnish is perfectly smooth. Fill open wood with a special filler paste or use a wet sanding method.

You will need various abrasives (photo C). All abrasive materials create small risks-scratches on the surface of the film, the size of these scratches affect the reflection of light by the surface (Fig. 1). The finer the abrasive particles, the smaller and finer the scratches and the more shiny the surface will be. Large abrasive particles leave rough scratches, and the surface will have a dull sheen. A well-polished glossy lacquer looks like glass, reflecting light and surrounding objects.

Any other varnish contains some amount of matting additives, mainly in the form of small particles of silica. These additives reflect light in different directions, giving the coating a soft sheen. You can reduce the gloss level of the finish, but you won't be able to make a matte varnish as shiny as a glossy one, so you should determine the desired gloss level in advance and choose the appropriate finishing compound.

Glossy varnish provides more options. Its gloss can be easily reduced down to matte. If you decide that you overdid it, you will be able to return it to its original gloss. Remember that on not too shiny surfaces, coating defects become less noticeable, and on glossy surfaces they appear clearly. To obtain a mirror gloss, the coating film must be very hard. Such a film can be obtained using shellac or nitro-lacquer for finishing. Polyurethane, pentaphthalic and water-based varnishes give a softer, more flexible film and generally cannot be polished to a high gloss. The surface will be, at best, semi-matte with a slight silky sheen. Oil varnishes and oil varnishes almost always remain matte, only slightly increasing the shine.

Grinding and polishing: if done correctly, it is quite simple

Start mastering the technique of polishing from the very easy way. Apply a layer of wax paste on the surface finished with oil-lacquer polish. When the coating is completely dry, use a soft swab from nonwoven fabric spread a paste of a mixture of soft beeswax and hard carnauba wax over the surface (photo D). Rubbing the paste, you smooth out all traces of dust particles, making the surface smooth and pleasant to the touch.

Photo: A – B: During spray coating, the so-called orange-peeled pebbles often form on surfaces (left). To make such a surface smooth and shiny, you can use polishing (right). C: Polishing pastes can be found in car cosmetics stores, a lambswool roller and sandpaper in a hardware supermarket, and felt block, Abralon discs, abrasive sponges and pads in specialty stores selling everything necessary for professional finishing. D: small scratches on a walnut table finished with oil varnish, can be polished with non-woven abrasive pads using Briwax dark brown wax. E: When dry sanding nitro lacquer with fine-grained paper, the top layer of the film turns into white dust. Change the paper frequently to avoid clogging. After finishing sanding, clean the surface with a cloth or compressed air.

The probability of rubbing the coating film through is small, and the product acquires a soft shining sheen. Surfaces finished with shellac, nitro-lacquer or alkyd-oil varnish tend to have more defects than those treated with oil-lacquer polish. Often you can find dust particles, brush marks, bubbles and streaks. If the defects are minor, polishing will be as simple as in the previous case. At the same time, numerous microscopic risks-scratches are created on the surface of the film, giving the coating a soft sheen.

Open pores, bumps and other defects will not disappear anywhere, but on a semi-matte surface they will be less noticeable. You can use mineral spirits, soap, or any other lubricant instead of wax, but it's best to repair defects while applying wax.

More defects - more work

Now let's imagine a thicker coating film with a slightly larger number of defects, among which dried dust particles are more often found, especially on slow-drying oil-lacquer coatings. Most of them are easy to scrape off with a knife blade after the next layer dries. Hold the blade almost vertically with your thumb and forefinger and carefully scrape the surface in a gentle motion towards you.

Be careful not to scratch the film. Dried dust can remove by grinding, but the blade allows you to do it faster and with less effort, especially on flat surfaces. Curvilinear, profiled and carved areas should be sanded. The scraping method also reduces the risk of penetrating film damage, as occurs when sanding at the edges of flat surfaces. The finishing composition applied in liquid form seems to tend to the middle of the surface, forming a thinner layer along the edges, where it can be easily damaged.

Spray finishing can increase film thickness at the edges, but it is almost impossible to achieve a smooth transition with a brush or dip. After scraping off the dust particles, it is required to additionally grind the coating in order to even it out and get rid of other defects. This operation will not take long if the dried layers have been sanded down in succession during the coating process. For film leveling, water-resistant silicon carbide abrasive paper wrapped around a bar with glued felt, felt, cork, or rubber is best (photo E). If dry sanding is desired, stearate-coated paper (usually gray) is the best choice. This paper contains a soap-like substance that prevents the abrasive from clogging. However, it should not be used when an additional coat is to be applied. For sanding water-based varnishes and polyurethane, it is better to use waterproof paper with silicon carbide (usually black).

If you prefer wet sanding, choose a plain waterproof paper without a stearate coating. Lubricants protect the abrasive from clogging with coating particles that stick together into tiny lumps and get stuck between the grains of the abrasive.

These lumps can leave noticeable marks on the coating film. Soap water, white spirit, kerosene, wax or oil can be used as lubricants. Experiment with them to get a feel for their properties. With soapy water, the process is more active, but the paper clogs faster. With oil, sanding slows down, but the paper stays clean for a long time. Speeding up the process may seem effective way saving time, but this often leads to through grinding of the coating (photo F). The likelihood of this exists when using any lubricants. You can remove a large area of the coating, creating a hard-to-repair defect, and not even notice it until the grease dries.

To even out the coating film, sand gently and little by little. Then clean the surface and shine a bright light on it. If shiny areas are visible, the surface is not yet leveled. Continue sanding the entire surface, not just the shiny areas.

Each new layer of the composition on (nitro-varnish or shellac) softens the previous layer and firmly connects to it, forming an almost single layer (Fig. 2). However, each layer of so-called reactive (or polymerizable) compounds dries as a separate layer, which can create problems when sanding and polishing. If you sand the coating unevenly, you can remove some of the top coat and affect the bottom, resulting in irregularly shaped areas with sharply defined light borders. Level the coating film so that it looks and feels good, then apply a layer of wax paste using an abrasive sponge, as in the previous cases.

Figure 1 (top): How polishing changes gloss

Figure 2 (bottom): Two types of coatings: solvent-based and polymerizable

Each new layer of a composition based on organic solvents, such as nitrolac or shellac, is firmly connected to the previous one, so this coating is easily polished. Polymerizing (reactive) compounds like polyurethane form separate layers. Sanding through the top layer results in unsightly streaks.

How to achieve a mirror finish

If you want a surface finished with nitro-lacquer or shellac to shine like a mirror, first level it as described earlier. Then continue polishing, gradually moving to finer abrasives, until the desired result is achieved. You can use abrasive paper with a grit of 800-1500 units, polishing pastes and microabrasives, the grit of which is measured in many thousands of units.

Leveling and polishing pastes, as well as polishing liquids (polishes) for cars, suitable for our tasks, are easy to find on sale, and they do an excellent job with furniture coatings. Most leveling pastes that are orange or pink in color will achieve a matte finish. After using them, move on to white polishing pastes for a glossy finish.

These pastes can be rubbed over the surface by hand or by machine. For their application, a piece of felt or a swab with a short pile is suitable. It is better to polish the coating with a sheep's wool roller (photo G). These rollers are commonly used in hardwood floors and can be found in hardware stores. A special polishing machine will help speed up the processing of large flat surfaces, but you can also use a regular eccentric one. Many models are equipped with an additional sole for polishing (look at the manufacturer's instructions).

Photo 2: F: If the coating film is thin, it is easy to rub it through with sandpaper and expose the wood, as happened with the mirror frame. G: The lambswool roller is comfortable to hold with two hands, applying pressure in the right places. Polishing compositions are sold in auto cosmetics stores, car dealerships.

One of the most difficult types of finishing work on wood products is the process of polishing them. But this is a necessary action, as a result of which the coating becomes transparent and very beautiful. After polishing, you can enjoy the pronounced texture of the wood, as well as its shades.

Polishing helps the wood retain its natural look, and the surface has a mirror-like sheen. About twenty years ago, this method was very actively used when polishing wooden interiors cars, a variety of luxurious pieces of furniture made of wood. Thus, the beauty of wood was emphasized, without the use of varnishing.

The wood is polished at home, only with the help of a special composition called polish. This solution has its own advantage over conventional alcohol-based varnishes, and it lies in the fact that the polish contains about three times less resin. This allows you to make the decorative coating very thin and mirror-transparent.

Types of wood for polishing

The fact is that not every wood can be polished. Large-layer trees such as oak or pine are completely unsuitable for polishing. While mahogany, apple, pear and maple, hornbeam and boxwood, birch, are considered fine-grained and ideal for polishing.

Polishing and its compositions

Nowadays, on the shelves in building supermarkets there is a huge variety of polishing compounds. But at the same time, it will not be difficult to make such a composition yourself. The most common polish in use is shellac, which can be easily prepared at home.

For its preparation, you will need crushed shellac resin, about 60 grams. The next ingredient in the future mixture will be alcohol. At the same time, there is no particular difference between ethyl and wine alcohol. The main thing is not to forget that the alcohol strength should be at least 90, but not more than 95 degrees, in a volume of 500 milliliters.

The solution is prepared in a glass or ceramic container with a lid, into which you first need to pour the resin, and then carefully pour in the alcohol and close tightly. Be sure to periodically mix the composition until the shellac resin is completely dissolved in alcohol. When this happens over time, the resulting mixture must be passed through the filter, while pouring into another clean container.

Stages of polishing work

wood sanding

The polishing process itself is carried out in three rather complex stages.

Stage #1

At the first stage before polishing, it is necessary to prepare the surface:

sand wood;
remove all dust and lint from it;

Stage #2

The second stage will be the primer of the prepared wood. You need to carry it out using varnish and a swab made of woolen thread or, in the absence of such, you can take a cotton one and wrap it with linen cloth. Why choose linen? Because only this fabric does not leave small fibers. Cotton fabrics are absolutely not suitable for this process, as they leave villi, which are not acceptable during the polishing process. Remaining on the surface of the wood, they will noticeably spoil appearance products.

Wood waxing

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Proper wood processing

Stage 3

The last step in wood polishing at home is polishing.

If you correctly follow the above described wood polishing technology, then the end result of the work done will have an excellent appearance.

With a decrease in the layers of polishing or incomplete drying of the workpiece, the polishing turns out to be of poor quality and cloudy.

If there is no experience in polishing, it is recommended to practice on something small and not very valuable before starting work with the main product. This must be done in order to practice a little, understand the subtleties and complexities of the entire polishing process and not spoil the main product.

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Video: How to polish furniture

In order for varnish, wax or polish to lay down evenly, first of all, carefully level and clean the surface of the part. Even boards that are very well processed with a planer and cycler have scratches, bumps, and pencil marks. Be sure to remove them. And this can be done only by carefully grinding the surface with sandpaper (sanding paper) with grains of different sizes, starting with large ones and ending with the smallest ones. For processing wood, the most convenient sandpaper with glass grain. If this is not available, use carborundum or silicon skin.

In order not to break the small parts of the product, perform their skinning on a completely flat table or board. Glue the skin to a wooden block measuring 120 X 60 X 20 mm with a flat bottom plane and rounded edges, after gluing a piece of cloth under it. After lacing, be sure to remove all the smallest, barely perceptible to the eye and even invisible villi, crushed and pressed into the pores of the tree. If you leave this seemingly imperceptible pile, when finishing with wax, varnish or polish, the surface will turn out to be rough. To reveal the "disguised" pile, to make it rise, front side Moisten the details lightly warm water with a sponge or swab. After drying, remove the raised villi with the smallest sandpaper. It is necessary to dry for several hours in a dry, warm place, free of dust, so that all moisture evaporates not only from the surface, but also from the pores of the tree.

Waxing- the easiest way to finish the product. It helps to bring out the natural pattern and give the surface a soft, velvety gloss. Waxed hardwood products are especially good: ash, walnut, hornbeam, oak. Soft woods - birch, alder, linden - can also be coated with wax mastic, but to give them a more spectacular look, first protonate them with brown, dark red or gray dye. Wax mastic is commercially available in a ready-to-use form.

Like all other types of finishing work, waxing should be done in several steps.

First, cover the surface, cleaned of lint, with a thin layer of wax mastic. After drying, rub it evenly across the fibers with a clean, soft cloth. The first layer should fill all the cracks and holes and create a completely smooth base for further processing. After covering the product with wax, place it for an hour or two in a warm place. Apply the second layer with a soft, loose cloth and rub along the fibers at first with a weak, gradually increasing pressure until a matte sheen appears. Finally, rub the product with a dry brush and apply a thin layer of light-colored furniture or shellac varnish.

Varnishing- excellent protection of the wooden surface from moisture and dust, not to mention the fact that the transparent film not only preserves the freshness of the wood texture, but also makes its pattern deeper and richer. Alcohol varnish is especially good for varnishing wood with a beautiful texture. It gives the thinnest and most transparent film.

For varnishing with alcohol varnish, you will need a swab - a piece of soft cloth or cotton wool wrapped in a clean canvas cloth. Paper cloth for wrapping a tampon is unsuitable - when rubbed against a tree, it leaves small fibers that spoil the gloss.

The first two coats of varnish are the primer for subsequent varnishing. Apply them with a richly moistened swab so that the varnish penetrates into all the pores of the product. When the varnish dries, sand the surface to be treated with pumice powder or fine sandpaper, thus removing the varnish from the entire surface and leaving it only in pores and cracks.

After grinding the second primer layer, clean the product from dust and for the third time cover with a very thin layer of varnish. Place the product in a tightly closed cabinet or cover it with a drawer so that dust does not get on the varnished surface during the drying period. After one or two days, apply another coat of varnish, this time slightly diluted with polish.

The last two layers cannot be applied with a richly moistened swab - smudges make the product spotty, untidy. That is why, after moistening the swab, first run it over an unnecessary smooth board to remove excess varnish. Varnishing, do not drive the swab several times in the same place. When moving again on the wet layer, the tampon rips off the varnish film that has not yet hardened. Therefore, apply varnish in strips overlapping each other by no more than half the width. The next layer of varnish can be applied only after the previous one has completely dried.

Swab movements should be uniform and fast. With a delay, the alcohol contained in the swab can dissolve the previously applied film and leave a stain that is very difficult to remove. Light wood is covered only with light varnishes. In the light they are clear, with a yellowish or yellow-red tint. The best film gives shellac varnish. Furniture varnishes are worse - they darken greatly over time. Oil varnishes differ from alcohol varnishes in a thicker and more durable film, but they are less transparent.

Before covering the product with oil varnish, prime it with liquid wood glue, which is prepared by diluting 200 g of wood glue in one liter of water. When the glue dries, clean the surface with a pumice stone or fine sandpaper. Pour varnish into a wide jar or saucer. It shouldn't be too thick. If it thickens, dilute with turpentine. Take a wide bristle brush and, dipping it periodically up to half, apply varnish to the surface of the product; make sure that it does not drip from the brush. Remove excess immediately. Sharp movements with the brush lead to the formation of bubbles on the varnish surface. Therefore, move the brush smoothly, evenly, avoiding drops and streaks. Oil varnish, unlike alcohol varnish, dries for a long time - from six hours to a whole day, and varnish diluted with turpentine dries even longer. The film of oil varnish, as well as alcohol, must be protected from dust during drying.

When the first coat has hardened, varnish the piece once or twice more.

Polishing- the best, but also the most time-consuming method of finishing. The mirror-smooth surface, while retaining the almost natural color of the wood, brings out the finest patterns of wood grain, almost invisible on the unfinished surface. Not every wood takes polish equally well. It depends on the structure and density of the wood. Large-layer pine and oak wood is poorly polished. Hard rocks (small-layered) - maple, pear, walnut, Karelian birch, hornbeam, boxwood, mahogany - are remarkably polished and retain their polish for a long time.

Soft, small-layer rocks are often polished - linden, birch and others, having previously painted them “under mahogany” or “under walnut”. The most resistant and beautiful polishing gives shellac polish. Light filtered polish is used for light wood, red polish for dark and red woods. In addition, there are cloudy unfiltered and black pali tours. The polishing process consists of three stages. The first one is primer. It is produced not with polish, but with varnish. Pour a little shellac varnish onto a large swab and, without pressing too hard, lightly run it along and across the fibers of the surface of the product.

The varnish will saturate the upper fibers and fill the pores. After two hours, when the primer dries, sand the surface with a fine sandpaper. Remove any dust with a brush. After that, wipe the product twice in a row with a swab slightly moistened with varnish. To prevent the tampon from sticking, moisten it periodically with a few drops of raw linseed or sunflower oil. After a short drying, cover the surface again, this time with varnish, diluted in half with polish. Then dry the product for two days in a place protected from dust. The second stage of polishing is polishing.

Wipe the dried surface with a fine sandpaper to destroy the remnants of the pile and all the unevenness of the primer. Perform polishing with a swab moistened with polish and two or three drops vegetable oil. The tampon is brought to the polished surface from the side, their movements should be smooth, loop-like, sliding. In no case do not moisten the swab abundantly: stains will remain. A properly saturated tampon with light pressure should leave behind an instantly disappearing mark.

Polishing carried out three times with breaks for drying for several hours. Before the second and third application of polish, wipe the product with pumice powder. It is easy to get such a powder: cut a piece of pumice stone in half with a jigsaw and rub one half against the other directly above the product. Remove the rest of the powder with a soft cloth. After the third polishing layer, a slight gloss should appear on the product.

Put the polished product to dry for two or three days. The third stage is polishing, i.e. finishing to a mirror finish. Wipe the dried product with the smallest sandpaper with oil, then with a soft swab dipped in polish and oil, bring the entire surface to a gloss. Use oil very carefully: no more than one or two drops per square decimeter of surface. Excess oil can cause delamination of the polish spit. For greater durability of the coating, polish twice. After that, wipe the surface with a cloth moistened with a mixture of polish and water. The product is ready.

Despite the fashion, lacquered furniture has been and remains in great demand due to its beauty and presentability. But it has a significant drawback - it is difficult to clean from dirt, so stains must be removed as they form. Furniture polish gives wood products an updated look. It also restores the polishing of furniture at home, and interior items again acquire a well-groomed appearance.

Lacquered furniture has a number of negative qualities:

Dust quickly settles on it;
There are stains from the hands;
The surface of polished products is easily scratched and cracked.

Polished furniture needs special care if it is not observed, serious flaws may appear. In order for interior items to serve for a long time and retain their appearance, you need to pay attention to factors that harm lacquered products:

Excessive dryness of wood;
High humidity;
Direct sunlight on the wood;
Large accumulation of dust;
Proximity to heaters.

All this spoils the appearance of polished wood. Furniture becomes unattractive, quickly ages, fades in the sun, deforms. Spots and cracks appear on the varnish layer. To avoid damage to the wooden facade, furniture polishes are used. The right tool will extend the life of polished furniture. How to restore polish for each look wooden furniture, will help to find out more detailed information about each of them.

Varieties

To effectively polish furniture, you need to choose the right product for a glossy surface, which will protect it from minor damage, scratches and chips. Properly applied to the surface of the furniture, the polish gives it a shine, evens out the shade and prevents the accumulation of dust. With regular use, the product helps to restore the beauty inherent in the new product, as well as protect it from damage. negative impact environment. Car polish and conventional wood polishes differ in their action - some with a tinting effect, others - giving shine. Therefore, choosing them, you need to familiarize yourself with each type.

Furniture polish with wax

So that scratches are not visible on lacquered furniture, and shine appears on the surface, wax-based products are used that reliably protect wood from damage and also hide minor defects. The advantage of wax-based polishes is the long-term effect of the product.

It is rarely possible to cover wood with a composition, since the film keeps on it for a long time, while maintaining powerful protective properties. negative quality wax composition, it is believed that traces of any touch are visible on the surface polished by it.

Tinting compositions

If minor damage and faded spots are visible on polished furniture, a polish with tinting agents is required. This composition contains antistatic components, they repel dust from the treated surface and it retains a fresh look for a long time. When using a tinting polish, the wood does not need to be varnished, as the product itself will make it bright and well-groomed. Polishing furniture with such a tool is equivalent to painting. As a result, the restored wooden surface will acquire a glossy look. A tool that masks scratches, as well as preventing their appearance on the facade of the headset.

If polished furniture is covered with scratches, it is recommended to use wax-based compounds. This component of the polish fills in minor damage, making them invisible. And the thick film that appears after applying the product prevents scratches on the furniture.

Compositions for varnished wood products

Such means for polishing furniture belong to a separate group. The fact is that if there is a varnish layer on the interior items, they cannot be covered. universal formulations that dry out the surface. In this case, the polishing liquid is required to create additional protection - a strong film over the varnish layer. Then directly varnishing becomes not needed.

Industrial

The most famous furniture polishes:

Pronto - the tool cleans stains from furniture well, and also masks scratches on its surface;
Chirton is a wax-based product that removes dust and dirt from the wood surface well, improves its structure;
Emsal - quickly copes with dust, as well as stains from water and grease. Due to the presence of natural oils in the composition of the polish, it refreshes the color of the wood, giving it a natural shine;
Luxus - cleans the surface of wooden furniture, gives it a neat, well-groomed look;
Mebelux - designed to care for wooden surfaces, extending their service life.

These, as well as other types of polish, can be bought at a hardware store or in the market.

Folk remedies

In addition to industrial compositions, it is permissible to cover wooden sets folk remedies. They also carefully care for the surface, eliminating scratches and minor damage. They are considered the best.

potato tubers

To polish the wood, take 1 tuber, clean it and cut it in half. For this, it is advisable to take a large potato. Then we draw it along the facade of the wood, which needs to be polished. After that, dry the headset with a rag. Cleaning furniture should not be done with a damp cloth or sponge, as this will remove the gloss and erase the polish. Lacquered interior items cannot be cleaned with soapy water, it spoils the surface of the product.

We cut potatoes

We process the coating

Wipe with a dry cloth

Burdock oil

To restore polished furniture, you need to apply oil to a cotton wool or soft tissue and then gently rub the wood. Upon completion of work, the treated surface is wiped with a flannel patch.

Choosing a burdock

Vegetable oil and flour

Polish the wooden furniture pieces with flour and oil. The products must be mixed in the same proportion, and then distributed over the surface of the furniture with a rag. This tool polishes the surface of scratched furniture well, which, after processing, acquires a well-groomed appearance and gloss.

We combine the ingredients

Wipe the surface

table vinegar

If the headset is heavily soiled, it can be treated with vinegar. It will give shine to glossy furniture, and mask damage. After using vinegar, as a rule, the room must be ventilated in order to bad smell stopped "chasing" the headset.

Wiping furniture with vinegar

We ventilate the room

Sauerkraut pickle

Furniture is wiped with a rag soaked in brine. The stronger the brine, the better it polishes the surface. That's not all folk ways restoring the base of wooden furniture. But such recipes are considered the most effective, they retain the result for a long time, are safe and affordable.

How to apply

Any store composition, whether it be painting the surface or restoring shine, is applied according to certain rules, failure to comply with which will ruin the furniture. To restore polishing, the composition is applied to a dry surface, previously cleaned of contaminants. Aerosol polish should be sprayed evenly.

At the same time, the distance from the cylinder to the furniture is 30 cm, which will avoid the formation of drops. Do not immediately apply a thick layer of polish, it is better to wait until the first is completely dry, then carefully apply the second.

Polishes in the form of a cream are squeezed onto a cloth or napkin, after which they are rubbed into the wood until it becomes monophonic and shiny. Before application, the surface must be clean and dry so that the product is evenly distributed and completely absorbed. How often you should use a cream or spray depends on the brand of the product, the surface of the furniture and the function of the composition.

Professionals advise treating wood with polish 1-2 times a month. This applies to cabinets, cabinets, chests of drawers and other interior items. But it is recommended to cover the countertop with the agent every week, since this piece of furniture is used more often than others. If regular care is neglected, restoration may be necessary.

How to choose

In order for the polish to give a noticeable result, you need to know additional selection criteria. This will help you choose a product that is not only ideal for a particular coating, but also does not cause discomfort to the person using it. If there is no silicone in the polish, then this tool can cover not only a wooden surface, but also marble, plastic, glass and ceramics.

As a rule, conscientious manufacturers care about the convenience of potential consumers and make packaging with polish in the form of sprays, aerosols and creams that are easy to apply, dose, and then tightly close until the next use. The popularity of the product can speak about the quality. In order to verify the authenticity of advertising, you can interview friends who have already used the polish. If the polish is of poor quality, it will be immediately noticeable.

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