
The notion of saving and reusing things goes back to the dawn of time. But more recently human beings have become much more wasteful with the ‘throwaway culture’. The funny thing is, we often hark back to an earlier time – when everything we had we really valued. This urge for the vintage, collectable and desirable, can only be partly satisfied by what we find or are given – possibly as keepsakes or heirloom items.
We can affirm these ambitions of a comforting past by creating our own history. For example, by the upcycling and recycling of things. Often it is the finishing touches, or the surface texture that lends an antiquated aesthetic. Here are some examples of how different finishes can create loveliness from sometimes lacklustre, unfashionable worn-out objects.
Abrasive ‘renewal’

Often, simply working over a surface can give it new life and a new appearance. Dirty, dusty pallet wood, used to create all kinds of upcycled projects, can be made to look clean and fresh just by using coarse abrasive fitted on a sander. This can achieve a nice effect by itself, or it may benefit from a clear coat of varnish to improve the colour and protect the surface. Always use a good quality dust mask and goggles when doing this work.
Colour sanded back

Weathered

If you like the natural driftwood colour, leave your pallet wood outdoors for several months to make it turn a silvery grey when exposed to the elements – great if you aren’t in a hurry
Clear finishes

Oil, wax oil, French polish and lacquers are generally reserved for good quality cabinetwork and joinery – not upcycled or recycled projects. However, if you have a nicely finished surface then it deserves the best treatment.

It’s much more likely that you will want to use a sealer coat between paint layers or a final top coat to finish a job off. For this, you can’t beat quick drying, non-yellowing aqueous (water-based) varnish. It comes in matte, satin or gloss, is easy to apply and clean up afterwards and isn’t expensive.
Dyes

Wood dye penetrates enough to give a colour layer while still allowing the wood grain to be visible. Spirit dye penetrates better than water-based dye and doesn’t raise the grain, but isn’t as lightfast.

Water-based wood dyes do raise the grain once the wood is wet. As such, the wood needs flattening with finishing paper abrasive between coats, before applying a finish coat.
Pigment

Whereas dyes are soluble in the correct medium (spirit or water depending on type), pigments won’t dissolve. They are good for adding to other materials like wax or woodfillers and obscure the wood more than dye does.
Grain fillers

Liming – the application of wax with white pigment added, is a traditional method of emphasising the grain in wood for effect. Oak (Quercus robur) is the most obvious candidate for this because it has such open grain pores. There are other timbers such as ash (Fraxinus excelsior), that can be used too.

Rub it into the wood on mutton cloth until the pores are full and then rub off the surplus completely.

In this case, black has been used, and then a gilt cream rubbed into the pores for a striking effect. You can buy different shades of gold or silver creams.

Paint effects

Here, a strong colour is being overpainted with a cream paint, adding a sealer coat of aqueous varnish in between.

Both of these colours are from the Milk Paint range by General Finishes.
Paint technique

Now completely out of fashion, this type of finish does present quite a challenge.


First, sanding back with an orbital sander and then applying a coat of varnish gives the initial finishing option – a ‘tiger’ effect.

The next possibility is to break the very harsh straight lines by applying glued-on mouldings, easily obtained from a DIY store.

That way, they could be sure the pair of units they were decorating would fit in with their room décor.

After applying paint and the sealing coat, a dark gel stain was wiped on and then heavily rubbed out using a piece of abrasive web – rather like a household scourer. Only a limited amount of the brown stain was left behind.
Hardware

Furniture wouldn’t be complete without hardware – knobs, hinges, etc. Brass can be cleaned and then darkened with a pattinating fluid.

It is then rubbed back with fine wirewool for an ‘authentic’ aged look, so it blends nicely.

Makeover examples


After a complete re-gluing, sanding and staining, it’s almost unrecognisable!


Summary
There are so many reasons to have a go at restoring old furniture – it’s good fun, it’s better for the environment, you often end up with a higher quality product, you can learn about the item’s history … the list goes on. And once complete, you can step back and view all your work and imagination in full glory. It is indeed both humbling and fulfilling. So grab an aged bargain and have a think about how you can put your own mark on a piece of history.