Give Your Furniture A FaceLift by Bruce Johnson (NAPSA)—Weall havea favorite piece of furniture that we wouldn’t want to part with, whether it’s a family heirloom or a flea-market find. Instead ofretiring that timeworn chair, table or dresser, why not take on a fun project to bring back its natural beauty? = ‘ First, examine the wood to determine if it needs to be revived or if the finish is so scratched, worn or scarred that it needs to be refinished. Revive and Renew If the furniture finish looks a little dull and worn with minor scarring you can probably just revive it. To make the job easier, Formby’s has a prepackaged kit that includes the essential items needed to renew wood furniture. Formby’s Furniture Face Lift Kit allows you to clean and revive wood furniture without changing the original color. The kit includes a cleaning liquid to removebuiltup dirt, a buffing cream to smooth away minor scratches and a Face Lift Finish that provides a beautiful glossy finish. These products work best on dull wood surfaces with built-up wax and dirt or scarred finishes with minor _ scratches, blemishes or white, water ring marks. Take the Cotton Ball Test If you’re interested in removing a finish, whether it involves stripping an old piece or restoring fine period-style furniture, you'll need to determine the original finish first, so that you can remove it without harming the wood. You can figure this out easily with the “cotton ball test.” Take a cotton ball dampened with acetone-based nail polish remover and dab it on the furni- It’s a nice reflection on you when you bring the shine back to your favorite piece of furniture. ture in an inconspicuous spot. If the cotton sticks or the finish softens, you have a varnish, lac- quer or shellac finish. If there’s no effect, then it’s a polyurethane finish. Removing Finishes Furniture with varnish, lac- quer or shellac finishes can be treated with Formby’s Conditioning Furniture Refinisher. This refinisher dissolves the old finish and conditions the wood bringing out the natural patina while preventing cracking and drying. To remove a polyurethanefinish you can use Formby’s Paint & Poly Remover. It removes layers of paint and polyurethane without bleaching the wood or raising the grain. Once you remove the old finish, your piece is ready to be stained and have a newtopcoat applied. For more tips on wood care and refinishing or for a free brochure, visit the Formby’s website at www.formbys.com. Bruce Johnson is an author, craftsman and expert on wood finishing and antiques restoration.
