How to Restore Antique Cottage Furniture

Remove hardware from the furniture using hand tools.

Clean the furniture. Make soap jelly paint cleaner for furniture with a flat paint finish. Mix white soap flakes and boiling water in a container. Wipe the furniture with a large sponge saturated with the soap jelly. Alternately, use a solution of 1 teaspoon of washing soda to a gallon of hot water for furniture with a glossy paint finish.

Evaluate the results. If washing produces an acceptable result, no further work is needed. Prepare to strip the paint if washing is inadequate.

Repair the piece, if necessary. Stabilize wobbling table legs, for example, and close separated joints by scraping away old glue, re-gluing, then clamping the repair closed until the glue has dried.

Melt reflective paint with a heat gun. Aim the gun at a section of the paint, as if you were blow-drying it. Scrape the paint with a putty knife as it bubbles. Use a wire brush for sections that are difficult to scrape with the putty knife. Alternately, sand away flat paint with the finest grit sandpaper that's effective. Smooth the surface with fine-grit sandpaper after the paint has been removed. Wipe the furniture with a damp cloth to remove sanding dust.

Prime the furniture using a paintbrush and an oil-based paint primer. Allow the primer to dry completely.

Apply latex paint with a paintbrush. Use light coats. Let the paint dry completely. Sand the dry paint with fine-grit sandpaper. Wipe away the dust with a damp cloth, then let the paint dry again.

Apply one or two more coats of paint in the same manner, or as many as are necessary to achieve the desired finish. Let each coat dry thoroughly, then sand it, wipe it clean and allow it to dry again before applying the next coat.

Brush or spray on a protective coat of polyurethane, following the manufacturer's instructions, if desired.

Allow the paint and polyurethane to cure before you use the furniture.