Hello all,

I recently purchased a solid cherry media cabinet off craigslist.
It's in great shape but the finish seems a little dull. The wood
appears "dry" and does not have the glow and luster of other cherry
furniture I own. I have no idea what they used for the original l
finish was but I was wondering if anyone might have a suggestion for a
finish (no glossier than satin) that I might be able to safely apply
over a preexisting-but-unknown finish.

Thanks!

Kevin

"Kevin" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I recently purchased a solid cherry media cabinet off craigslist.
It's in great shape but the finish seems a little dull. The wood
appears "dry" and does not have the glow and luster of other cherry
furniture I own. I have no idea what they used for the original l
finish was but I was wondering if anyone might have a suggestion for a
finish (no glossier than satin) that I might be able to safely apply
over a preexisting-but-unknown finish.

Thanks!

Kevin

Paste wax

Kevin wrote:
: Hello all,

: I recently purchased a solid cherry media cabinet off craigslist.
: It's in great shape but the finish seems a little dull. The wood
: appears "dry" and does not have the glow and luster of other cherry
: furniture I own. I have no idea what they used for the original l
: finish was but I was wondering if anyone might have a suggestion for a
: finish (no glossier than satin) that I might be able to safely apply
: over a preexisting-but-unknown finish.

: Thanks!

If you want an actual finish, try shellac. The downside
is it's inherently glossy, but that can be knocked down with steel wool.


Or try paste wax, and buff it to a medium shine. You can also
combine them -- shellac, with a topcoat of wax.

-- Andy Barss

On Thu, 4 Sep 2008 19:04:49 -0700 (PDT), Kevin
wrote:

Hello all,

I recently purchased a solid cherry media cabinet off craigslist.
It's in great shape but the finish seems a little dull. The wood
appears "dry" and does not have the glow and luster of other cherry
furniture I own. I have no idea what they used for the original l
finish was but I was wondering if anyone might have a suggestion for a
finish (no glossier than satin) that I might be able to safely apply
over a preexisting-but-unknown finish.

Thanks!

Kevin


If you don't want all the refinishing work, try Briwax. It will clean,
hide scratches, and produce a low sheen in one step. It comes in
several colors, including clear. Another choice is Johnsons Paste
Wax.

Phisherman wrote:

If you don't want all the refinishing work, try Briwax. It will clean,
hide scratches, and produce a low sheen in one step.

Briwax has to be practiced on an unseen area and applied lightly, though.

Briwax contains toulene, which will mess up some finishes if applied
heavily and not quickly buffed. It's good stuff, but far less forgiving
if used incorrectly.

Test it where you can't see it.

On Sep 5, 8:04*am, B A R R Y wrote:
Phisherman wrote:

If you don't want all the refinishing work, try Briwax. It will clean,
hide scratches, and produce a low sheen in one step. *

Briwax has to be practiced on an unseen area and applied lightly, though.

Briwax contains toulene, which will mess up some finishes if applied
heavily and not quickly buffed. *It's good stuff, but far less forgiving
if used incorrectly.

Test it where you can't see it.

Thanks all, I'll pick up some Briwax and give it a test try. I've not
used this product before, any tips or tricks? Or is it foolproof?

Kevin

Kevin wrote:
On Sep 5, 8:04 am, B A R R Y wrote:
Phisherman wrote:

If you don't want all the refinishing work, try Briwax. It will clean,
hide scratches, and produce a low sheen in one step.
Briwax has to be practiced on an unseen area and applied lightly, though.

Briwax contains toulene, which will mess up some finishes if applied
heavily and not quickly buffed. It's good stuff, but far less forgiving
if used incorrectly.

Test it where you can't see it.

Thanks all, I'll pick up some Briwax and give it a test try. I've not
used this product before, any tips or tricks? Or is it foolproof?

Kevin


Briwax is NOT foolproof, I mentioned why in my previous post. Test it
in a hidden, but fully finished, area of the piece.

I just checked out the Briwax website. Very informative with lots of
tips. I'll give it a try today.

Kevin

This may be useful info only for novices like me, but the Briwax
worked very well. As mentioned earlier, Briwax contains toluene, so
try on a hidden test area. Also, if you apply with a cotton cloth, it
will be much gentler on the preexisting finish than if you apply with
0000 steel wool. So, here's how I did it (thanks to the info on the
Briwax website):

1. Apply wax with 100% cotton cloth (e.g. t-shirt).

2. You will probably apply too much wax (if you are a novice like
me), so, after the wax dries (minutes), buff very gently with 0000
steel wool until the finish starts to shine and the steel wool no
longer drags across the finish. The purpose of this step is to remove
excess wax.

3. Buff with 100% cotton cloth.

4. If after step 3 there are streaks/smears in the finish, buff
lightly with 0000 steel wool to remove a little more wax, then buff
again with cotton cloth.

This process worked very well for me and I am now a great fan of
Briwax. Thanks to all for your help!

Kevin