What tool for renovating furniture

[kitfit1]

I'm from the UK, so to me "renovation" is not the the same as "restoration".
Not much experience of renovation, but huge experience of restoration.
In my experience the only way and best way to restore anything is to be sympathetic to the  manor that it was made in the first place. Also during the process of restoration, little is more. In other words, going "overboard" is not a restoration at all, it's destructive and devalues the original work you are trying to bring back to life. There is no point in using anything that destroys the underlying charm and authenticity of an object.................just to get it looking new. Why bother....................just make it from scratch and keep the original.

 

[Packard]

I’m addicted to sanding.  It makes me feel good—like a craftsman.  I especially like to hand sand the final grits. 

I have sanding discs up to 800 grit.  I use a 5” random orbital sander (Rigid).  It works well, but the dust collection hose does not always stay put. 

The built in dust collection works well, but hooking up to the shops dust collection works better.

I have not shopped for sanding discs for Festool’s sanders.  Since the cost of sanding discs can add up, it would be good to compare those costs before investing in the system.

“Normal” people only get discs to 400 grit.  I think I am an anomaly with the 800 grit discs. 

I also keep 0000 steel wool and paste wax on hand to use after the final coat of finish (and after the full cure—about 200 hours).

For hand sanding, I like the Gator Velcro blocks.  I buy full sheets of Velcro sand paper and cut to size.  The Gator blocks come in three sizes and I have all three. 

Shown, is the largest size.  It is good for block sanding (making sure that the surface is flat and has a uniform level of finish.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Sanding isn't the primary way to do "stripping" of old finish. A chemical stripper is always the best bet as sanding can very often damage furniture in ways that are hard to recover from, especially with a lot of use of veneer over both solid wood and composite substrates. Any of the sanders you mention can be helpful with the overall process, of course.

 

[derekcohen]

I fully agree with Jim.

Do not purchase any tools, especially sanders, until you have watched a dozen reputable videos on restoration (try YouTube). One tool is a scraper, to remove the residue from strippers. abut understand this, you are removing PATINA, and this could destroy the value of furniture. Not all furniture has patina worth saving, but can you (a declared novice) tell the difference?

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[OhNoMrBill]

For what is worth, I attempted to use a EC125 to strip yeas of Pledge and thick gooey stain from a coffee table. Took forever as the paper was gumming up. Probably should have done a stripper, then lightly sanded.
I almost bought the RO90, but be aware that tool accessories costs will stack up more than the tool costs.  However,  super versitible device. It has the triangle attachment that uses festool sized paper which would have been handy for the corners. Also, it can be a polisher.  The tool is not well balanced, so using it for a long time would not be fun and rocking could cause swirling. To Rotex could also ear vener before you know it.  I still have it on the radar. EC125 did well enough.

The other thing about furniture is to be sure the details and edges are not changed by the tool. The RTS with a extra soft thick pad would be good option, but not for the edges.

I think you will see a lot of furniture flipper youtubers using the Surfprep. I am guessing they give that tool to anyone that has a youtube channel. Their kits are more expensive than the RTS, but come with assorted paper/pads. It is similar to the RTS.  Hartville has the thick pads in stock for thr RTS.

 

[mino]

..
I almost bought the RO90, but be aware that tool accessories costs will stack up more than the tool costs.  However,  super versitible device. It has the triangle attachment that uses festool sized paper which would have been handy for the corners. Also, it can be a polisher.  The tool is not well balanced, so using it for a long time would not be fun and rocking could cause swirling. To Rotex could also ear vener before you know it.  I still have it on the radar. ...

This. For STARTING/PLAYING with furniture renovation, the RO 90 + accessories + a good vacuum (CT/CTL 26) are THE starting package.

No, RO 90 is NOT the most efficient sander out there. By far. BUT. But you can be darn sure you CAN do pretty much everything with it as far as renovation sanding goes. Including polishing.

DO note that a great /not good, great/ vac is a must. Without a vacuum do not even think about renovating stuff. CT15 is the absolute bare minimum that makes sense, CT26 well worth its price in gold, do NOT cheap here. This part of the advice is NOT Festool specific, their vacs are CHEAP compared to the capability and TCO they provide.

Eh. Did I just use "cheap" and "Festool" on in sentence? Duh!

Once you do your first, second, piece with the RO 90, you will have a WAY better understanding what you are missing than any video or advice can give you.
What I can guarantee you though, you will not stop using the RO 90. Just will end up augmenting with more specialised tools which are more efficient at the specific tasks they are geared to. While the RO 90 will keep being your "tool of last resort" that never fails you, yet is not the most efficient in most tasks it can do.

 

[mino]

Sanding isn't the primary way to do "stripping" of old finish. A chemical stripper is always the best bet as sanding can very often damage furniture in ways that are hard to recover from, especially with a lot of use of veneer over both solid wood and composite substrates. Any of the sanders you mention can be helpful with the overall process, of course.

To me a stripper is not a "renovation/restoration" tool. At best it can be a "repair" tool for specific parts. But mostly a recycling/re-manufacturing tool. Too destructive to use for anything worth -renovating-. IMO.

 

[Packard]

I’m addicted to sanding.  It makes me feel good—like a craftsman.  I especially like to hand sand the final grits. 

I have sanding discs up to 800 grit.  I use a 5” random orbital sander (Rigid).  It works well, but the dust collection hose does not always stay put. 

The built in dust collection works well, but hooking up to the shop’s dust collection works better.

I have not shopped for sanding discs for Festool’s sanders.  Since the cost of sanding discs can add up, it would be good to compare those costs before investing in the system.

“Normal” people only get discs to 400 grit.  I think I am an anomaly with the 800 grit discs. 

I also keep 0000 steel wool and paste wax on hand to use after the final coat of finish (and after the full cure—about 200 hours).

For hand sanding, I like the Gator Velcro blocks.  I buy full sheets of Velcro sand paper and cut to size.  The Gator blocks come in three sizes and I have all three. 

Shown, is the largest size.  It is good for block sanding (making sure that the surface is flat and has a uniform level of finish.

I should have mentioned that my “restorations” are typically what is referred to as “upcycling” older bits into usable and (I think) attractive more modern bits. 

I have two 70+ years old-original-to-my-house 18” x 80” louvered doors with probably 8 or 10 coats of paint.  I intend to use these as the sides of a shelving unit.  Removing enough of the paint and revealing enough of the original Douglas fir will be labor intensive. 

The louvers will be the greatest challenge.  And note that any paint that old will likely contain lead.  So wearing masks is essential. 

Carbide hand scrapers remove a lot of paint with very little dust.  If it chips off easily, I will use mechanical means only.  If not, then chemical strippers.

The current crop of chemical strippers are not nearly as effective as the older versions (now outlawed).  Some restoration shops have large tanks that the pieces are dipped into and then removed once the paint is gone.  I have not found any of those shops near me.

Also note:  If you use chemical strippers, you must remove 100% of the stripper before attempting to add a finish.  That last step might be more challenging that you would imagine.

I have an oscillating multi tool saw.  Affixing self sticking sandpaper to an old blade is how I have dealt with hard to reach areas in the past and it seems likely that is the route I would use for the louvered doors. 

Once I have the effect I want, I will probably spray it with clear poly for protection. 

So, not really “restoration” but resembles it in that it requires removal of older finishes.  I would not tackle anything of historical value however.  My methods are too vigorous for that purpose.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

I'm from the UK, so to me "renovation" is not the the same as "restoration".
Not much experience of renovation, but huge experience of restoration.
In my experience the only way and best way to restore anything is to be sympathetic to the  manor that it was made in the first place. Also during the process of restoration, little is more. In other words, going "overboard" is not a restoration at all, it's destructive and devalues the original work you are trying to bring back to life. There is no point in using anything that destroys the underlying charm and authenticity of an object.................just to get it looking new. Why bother....................just make it from scratch and keep the original.

Perfectly put [member=76994]kitfit1[/member]. I'm also in complete agreement with [member=4358]derekcohen[/member]. Taking a sander to the canvas of the Mona Lisa won't ever improve it - it'll just destroy it. My advice to the OP would be to tread very carefully before stripping away the entire history of something. If you want new & shiny, go to IKEA.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

[member=74278]Packard[/member] You’re right about modern strippers. Most of them are benzyl alcohol-based and take forever to do a poor job. They’re also water based so raise the grain very significantly. I make my own using ‘proper’ methylene chloride with around 2% cellulose thickener added to turn it a gel. Both chemicals come from an online laboratory supplier. The only ‘traditional’ stripper available over here is Paramose, still made using the above, but only available to professional users.

 

[Packard]

Not every “restoration” needs or deserves to protect the original patina.  The former owner of my house added a sunroom and in the process removed two of the 70+ years old exterior doors.  The photo at the top shows what the door looked like before I attacked it. 

About 4 hours of scraping with a hand scraper and probably 10 hours of sanding (random orbital and hand block sanding plus hand wiped poly resulted in an interior door that I felt I could re-introduce to the house.

So while I took away some originality, doing so made it presentable (by my standards) to restore to the home in a different capacity.

Until Zulan defines “restoration” we don’t know what to recommend.

 

[derekcohen]

Not every “restoration” needs or deserves to protect the original patina.  The former owner of my house added a sunroom and in the process removed two of the 70+ years old exterior doors.  The photo at the top shows what the door looked like before I attacked it. 

This is not apples vs apples.

Also, upcycling furniture is not restoration. You can do what you want when upcycling because the originality is deliberately destroyed, to be replaced with something new. Sand away!

So be sure to use the appropriate terminology. Restoring aims to be true to, even retain, originality. Sanding must be done judiciously.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Steve1]

Sanding isn't the primary way to do "stripping" of old finish. A chemical stripper is always the best bet as sanding can very often damage furniture in ways that are hard to recover from, especially with a lot of use of veneer over both solid wood and composite substrates.

OP may want to check out John's Furniture Repair on Youtube.

She always uses chemical strippers.  She has a "Shop Tour" video that discuss the various strippers, finishes, etc that she uses.

 

[Packard]

I agree.  But we still don’t know how the O.P. Is defining “renovating” and if that means “restoration” or something else.

We need more context; more information.

There is a show on Motor Trend TV about restoring Mopar automobiles.  One episode spent most of the hour long show debating whether the car should be left all original and just cleaned up or if it should receive a full restoration.  There were good arguments on both sides. 

As I recall they cleaned it us as a “survivor car”, though I suspect most buyers would prefer a pristine new looking and running version over the authentic “survivor” version. 

I think, until you get to really valuable antiques that are largely irreplaceable, it is just a matter of what you want in your home.  Or if it is really valuable, and you don’t treasure it, then sell it and buy what you do like. 

 

[ChuckM]

Also, upcycling furniture is not restoration. You can do what you want when upcycling because the originality is deliberately destroyed, to be replaced with something new. Sand away!

So be sure to use the appropriate terminology. Restoring aims to be true to, even retain, originality. Sanding must be done judiciously.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Agreed. Upcycling is something else.

Renovating is NOT restoration either, whether we go by a dictionary definition or this:https://ultimaterenovations.com/what-is-the-difference-between-restoration-renovation/

By renovating, I can only assume that the OP is meaning to do whatever he wants without regard for the original color, shape or condition.

Furniture restorer Thomas Johnson usually doesn't use a sanding block when hand-sanding to avoid altering (flattening) the original shape.

 

[Willy Eckerslike]

I agree.  But we still don’t know how the O.P. Is defining “renovating” and if that means “restoration” or something else.

We need more context; more information

Given that the OP asked this question almost two years ago and hasn't been active since then I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for clarification.

My late father was a professional wood carver and furniture restorer.  I'm not even sure he owned a sander. 

Upcycling, in the UK at least, appears to be a licence to part people that really should know better with vast sums of their money for some tarted up tat that I would think twice about using for firewood.