In part one of this article, we covered easy fixes for old furniture: sticky drawers, sagging cushions, damaged legs, and broken hardware. But what if the piece is loose and there’s too much play in the joints?
Well, that does take a little more work to correct, but in many cases, you don’t need a full workshop or a whole lot of expertise to make the repair.
First, a loose joint cannot be fixed by injecting the gap with glue. And you might tighten it up temporarily with screws or nails, but over time, these will only further damage the wood. You’re better off taking the joint apart and replacing the dowels.
That’s the kind of job that needs clamps. Trigger clamps are easy to tighten and release, and if the jaws can be reversed to make it a spreader clamp, all the better! Spreaders are very useful for gently pushing pieces apart rather than knocking them with a mallet.
First, be sure to clean everything before trying to repair it. Warm vinegar is an excellent cleanser and mild solvent for wood and for metal fixtures.
Always remember, glue does not stick to glue. Old adhesive can be removed from dowel sockets by using a drill bit the size of the socket and setting the drill to reverse while sinking it to the bottom of the hole. Then switch to forward, spin to clean, and remove while the bit is still turning.
If you encounter a stuck dowel that just won’t come out, try cutting it off even with the surface and drilling it out. Again, that will give you a lasting join, which simply adding a woodscrew will not achieve.
“Hide glue” is traditionally used for furniture repair because it’s reversible, sandable, non-toxic, and transparent to finishes. But it’s trickier to use than modern glues and has different strengths for different uses, so take the time to get a little training. A commercial wood glue is fine for most purposes, especially on hidden parts.
When it comes time for gluing, it’s best to lay out all your parts and tools before you begin. All adhesives have a window of time when they’re tacky but haven’t yet set. You want to make sure you can work fast enough to stay inside that window. For best results, use brushes to apply even coats rather than squeezing globs out of a tube.
If you also need to repair small points of damage, try wood filler and stain markers. Start with the lightest shade that might work, and test on an unseen area of the wood first to check results.
If you’re staining, painting, or sealing, remember to apply with the grain, and you’re always going to get better results from a few thin coats than from one thick one. Use a superfine sanding pad between coats to remove dust that may have adhered during the drying process.
There’s actually a lot you can do to restore old furniture without having to strip off an old finish. Sometimes, you can keep the character of a piece with natural wear and just tighten it up a bit to make it useful!
