Repair of damaged Indian wooden furniture
Indian wooden furniture, like any other furniture, is prone to damage. In general, wooden furniture often suffers from nicks, splits, minor cracks, and broken or splintered sections. Many times, porous wood like maple can crack and dry out. Maple, however, is not used much in Indian furniture making. In South India, where the climate is tropical and the temperature is humid, wooden furniture can easily warp. Furthermore, cosmetic flaws can also damage Indian furniture. These include paint peeling and varnish melting. It is not impossible to repair your damaged Indian wooden furniture and restore it to good condition. It just requires a little care.
Before you begin the actual restoration process, transport the furniture to a dry section outside if the weather permits. Open all the windows to ensure ventilation if you find that the furniture is too big to move outside. Put some old newspapers on the floor to protect it from wood dust and chemical spills. Before starting your work, put on disposable rubber gloves and wear a safety mask.
To begin the job of restoring your damaged Indian wood furniture, use any of the available chemical stripping agents to remove the old varnish or paint. Take a clean brush, dip it into the stripping agent, and then spread it over the Indian wood furniture. Wait at least seven minutes for the agent to oxidize. Then start scraping off the top layers of paint or varnish with a putty knife or scraping tool.
Now put on a new pair of gloves to protect your hands from splinters. First, rub the surface of your Indian furniture using power sanding equipment to smooth it evenly and get the grain out. Use sandpaper to gently rub the remote sections of the furniture by hand. After that, remove all the dust with a clean brush.
Use some wood glue to re-glue any of the raised pieces of wood. Now look at the furniture and carefully examine the joints. Re-glue any loose table or chair legs. As usual, first rub the surface with the sandpaper inside the joints to remove any old glue residue. Then apply glue to the inside surface of the joints and reattach the legs. Apply clamps to secure the pieces in place. Remove the clamps only after six to eight hours when the glue dries.
Apply a wood sealant to any splits or hairline cracks. Allow the sealer to dry. When both the glue and the sealer are dry, gently rub the surface again. Next, clean the wood dust off your Indian furniture.
Having done all of the above, stain your Indian wooden furniture. You can use a water-based staining agent for your wooden furniture in a humid or dry environment. You can also choose latex enamel-based paint if you want to paint your furniture. A couple of coats would suffice. Lastly, apply a waterproof and insect-proof gloss finish to the wood.
