I have a ducal pine dresser now looking very worn & tired - watermarks, scratches
What can I use to safely rub it down and revarnish or apply wax?

I am having new kitchen and really do not want to get rid of my dresser but would stress I am not an experienced DIY!

Cheers

Sheila :)

I haven't seen your dresser and would like to see it. Could you provide an image of it here? Is there a gloss or semi-gloss sheen to the finish? What I like to do, depending on how extensive the damage to the finish is, lightly sanding by hand, in straight lines with the direction of the grain using abrasive paper that is at least 150 to 220 grit to get rid of the imperfections. You could also use a palm sander to do this with the same grits. Then I would recommend using Deft semi-gloss or gloss lacquer which comes in spray cans. After that, I would rub it out using #0000 steel wool and paste wax, again going in the direction of the grain. You could then use really nice paper towels or clean rags to buff out the wax that is dried. I call doing this kind of job a "rejuvenation" finishing. It's where you don't strip off the entire finish, but remove enough of it by sanding so that essentially an extensive touch-up job can be done.

But, it would be good to actually see an image of the piece in order to give you the most sound advice as can be had by viewing images.

Whatever you do, please be sure to read all to directions on any labels and precautions that need to be taken with the products that you use.

Attached images of dresser hope you can see them OK
Thanks for your help

From what I am seeing in the images, it looks like you could lightly sand by hand with the grits that I have already mentioned. Then, you could apply a light coating of either a lacquer or oil stain in order to blend in with the rest of the color. You don't need much stain. Most likely, you are going to find oil stains in very small cans rather than lacquer stains. Lacquer stains would be easier and also faster to use as far as completing the process of touching-up the piece. But, you might need to purchase a gallon of the lacquer stain that would be the ideal color. You don't need a gallon of stain for this particular job.

Since it would be easier for you to find oil stains in small cans in a color that would blend in with the rest of the existing finish, I would recommend taking a drawer or some other part of the dresser that can be easily removed and transported to the place where you would be purchasing the stain of the desired color so that a salesperson can help you in the selection of the stain that most closely matches the color that is already on the piece.

Just from the looks of it in the images, it would appear that the Golden Oak color stain that is available as a Minwax product might be the color that would be appropriate. But, a salesperson who is actually viewing the piece in person would be better to tell you what to use as far as the color of stain.

Since using an oil stain would be the more logical choice in this instance because of the quantity of it that you would be able to purchase without purchasing too much, then please read all of the directions and precautions on the label. For an oil stain to dry enough before applying something such as Deft lacquer, to be safe in order for the lacquer to adhere properly, you would need to wait at least 24 hours before applying the first, very light coat of the lacquer. Then, I would wait at least an hour before applying a second coat and also then after another hour, a third coat. I would recommend lightly sanding by hand, between the second and third coats, with 240 grit abrasive paper.

After all the lacquer finish is thoroughly dry, I would recommend rubbing out using a furniture paste wax in the direction of the grain with #0000 steel wool and following the directions on the can of paste wax as to when to rub-out the wax using a high quality paper towel or clean, soft rag.

Using a paste wax will give you a protective coat against further liquids which might come in contact with the finish.

Thank you very much will start this soon your advice is very much appreciated :) :)

Below, are some before and after images of a "rejuvenation" type finishing such as I have described to you, that I did in a customer's bedroom just a couple of days ago on a very well built and heavy dresser. I did not have to do any staining though, because there was no stain in the finish. I apologize for the quality of the images because I was using a very low quality digital camera that I got for free.

The damage to this piece was that there were black marks left by the rubber pads on a fan that had gotten hot while running. The only way to get the marks out was to sand them out. There is one picture that I thought that I took of the rather large, oval area that I made while sanding. I could not find it when I uploaded the images from the camera.

Please be sure to sand really well in large areas around and including the damaged areas and not very small ones, because the overall effect of touching-up will be much better. If you sand in small, separate areas, you are likely to make depressions that will not make the finish look as good as it could. Plus, the staining will look uneven.

I would also recommend sanding lightly, the entire surface of the top of the dresser in addition to the areas that you will be sanding and then touching-up and spraying the clear finish on the entire top after you have sprayed at least several coats on the areas to be touched-up. The entire job will look better that way.

Also, when applying lacquer, please use a very light spray at first. So light as a matter of fact, that you think that you are aren't spraying on enough. Let is dry. Then spray on a little more. Doing it in this way is necessary because, since this won't be a complete strip down job using a liquid or paste stripper, there may be residues in the wood that could affect the stain and/or finish that is applied that could cause the stain and finish to look uneven.

I do want you to be successful in this project!

Hi,
I have at TV cabinet which has a lot of scratches caused by moving the TV, I have sanded the top to bear wood and wondering how I am best to match the top to the rest of the unit which perfectly OK.

I appreciate your advice how best to proceed?
Regards

Hadi