How to Repair Dining Room Furniture

Repairing old dining room furniture can be time consuming and requires a lot of patience and materials. Using a variety of glues, oils and waxes, you can repair most furniture damage, large or small. No matter the problem, a little determination and a lot of free time are the keys to an attractive dining room set. Follow these steps in order, starting with the structural damage and ending with minor scratches and polishing. Make decisions that will best suit your individual needs, choosing stain and wax colors that will go with your vision of a great dining room.

Olive or linseed oil
Wax crayons designed to retouch furniture
Furniture or wood glue
Clamps, various sizes
Wax polish
Oil or water-based furniture stain
Shoe polishing brush
2 cotton rags

Instructions

- 1
  Repair the chairs. Remove any metal joints on the chairs and carefully take them apart. Use furniture glue to glue the parts back together and reinforce the chairs.
- 2
  Repair the table. Once again, take the table apart, and reinforce the joints with wood glue. Use clamps to hold the pieces together as the table resets.
- 3
  Repair surface damage. Find a wax crayon that matches the color of your furniture, or mix two colors. Take small pieces of the crayon or crayons and melt them over an open flame. Pour them into the crack or dent, and use a blunt knife to smooth the surface.
- 4
  Remove marks and stains. Using a soft rag and an oil solution made of olive or linseed oil, gently rub the mark or stain. Let the coat to dry for 3 to 4 hours before wiping it clean.
- 5
  Re-stain the surface. Choose a stain color. Apply the stain to a cotton rag, and wipe the rag across the surface of the furniture, following the wood's grain.
- 6
  Apply a wax finish. Run wax evenly across the furniture's surface using a shoe brush. Use a cotton rag to remove excess wax, and then let it sit.

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