Chair Repair Supplies

Cleaning

• Cleaning wooden furniture is fairly simple with the right supplies. Soft cotton cloths and 0000-gauge steel wool will be needed to remove the accumulated grime and wax buildup. Gum turpentine, mineral spirits and linseed oil work well for this.

  A small amount of turpentine, linseed oil and hot water should be mixed and applied to steel wool to gently scrub the chair. Wipe the cleaned area with a soft cloth. Clean the whole chair in small sections. If there is a leather seat covering or back rest, you will need saddle soap and leather dressing to clean them

Repair

• Old chair sometimes need to be repaired by cleaning and gluing any loose joints. Minor repairs will require you to have some basic tools. A rubber mallet, handsaw, power drill and clamps may all be needed. Get some wood filler to repair cracks or holes in the wood.

  Carpenter’s glue, small strips of cotton cloth and some small wooden wedges are useful for tightening up loose dowel joints. If the dowel end of a joint is too loose to fix with glue alone, tighten it up with a wooden wedge. Simply cut a groove across the end of the dowel, place a small strip of cloth over the wedge, and glue the wedge into the groove. After trimming away any excess wood from the wedge, the joint can be glued and clamped for a solid fit.

Finish and Covers

• Supplies for working on wood finishes include wood stripper or mineral spirits to remove old varnish or lacquer. Removing shellac will require denatured alcohol. Soft steel wool, a scraper and cotton cloths will also be needed.

  After the old finish is removed you will need varnish, stain or lacquer to refinish the wood. Often a light coat of clear varnish is all that is required to show off the natural beauty of the wood. A coat of clear polyurethane will make the finish last for a long time.

  Seat and backrest cushions sometimes must be replaced. You will need upholstery cloth and cotton batting for the new cushions. Scissors, pliers, a staple gun and hot glue will be needed to make new cushions.

  Cane back chairs will need bamboo cane in either strips or pre-made squares to press into the seat or back. A notched caning chisel is a tool you will need to clean away old glue and cane from the chair seat. Other materials that can be used to rework cane chair seats are Hong Kong grass, cat tail rush and wooden splints.