Restoring an old Coffer

[restorationnewbie]

So the OH is away this weekend and I managed find something on eBay which I'd been watching for a while and after a few gins last night I decided I must have....

So I for 40 whole English pounds and an hour drive this oak coffer is mine. No sign of woodworm and he mentioned it had been treated against it. It's got remnant of newspaper linings dating 1800's and one picture helpfully has Queen Victoria in it so I'd say it's fairly old though some parts may have been replaced. I want to restore it and have no idea where to start.

It's got some colour differentiation so ideally I want it back to a base I can stain or oil evenly... has anyone done something similar? I'm against chemicals really so I'm guessing sanding is my way to go, but looking for some advice on where to start. It's not the most expensive or nicest piece of furniture, but I'm completely enamoured with it and want it to look as nice as it can.

I forgot pics sorry!

It's lovely! Sorry I have no idea how to restore it though. But what a bargain!

Thanks user! I have no idea where to even start but I clocked it and knew it would be mine! Hopefully someone comes along soon and can help me!

I would not do anything to it tbh, sanding all that age and patina off would be a crime!

Maybe a jolly good scrub and some days out in the sunshine to air it if if whiffs oddly, nice bit of decent polish and I would be done.

@MsHomeSlice do I not need to rub it back to repolish? I'm fine not doing it, but it looks really sad and uneven and I just wonder if someone's put something gross on it?

oak should not be stained. You can wax it.

What do you mean by "restore?" Make it look like a new one?

is it the top that is faded? ...that's likely to be sun damage

but no, unless you can see something is flaking off then I would just damp cloth it, maybe a really mild detergent, leave it to dry and then wax it/polish it

we have an old pitchpine stair case that was badly shellac-ed and that scraped off the treads/risers lovely with a scraper...no heat or chemicals....not that I have ever got around to finishing the job, but one day I will! Although the thought of two flight of spindles is the total reason why I gave that job up!

@PigletJohn I was hoping you'd come along. No I don't want it looking new. It just looks unloved and I want it to look cared for. I love it with all its old ness. The back is a different colour but I wondered if that's because the back never sees the light. and there's some scratches where you can see the light of the wood coming through. It doesn't smell but there are some mould patches underneath which may need addressing. It's not for anything other than storing some light bits in. Not going to be carted around

Some pics with flash

@MsHomeSlice I will def get some soapy water and give it a nice clean (without getting it soaked). It was kept in someone's workshop and had a lamp on for a while given the circle on top, or a bowl etc. Good luck with those stairs!!

I would the usual rule of thumb and do as little to it as possible. Heavy handed 'restoring' would definitely spoil this. Also it does not have to be a uniform colour, variations in patina are quite usual and part of the charm of antique furniture. If you want to use a soft finish remover and wax with a clear bees wax polish; or an even less aggressive approach would be to just re wax

Thank you Bolokov. It looks like someone's tried to paint it at some point which is annoying. I'll start with a wax and go from there

If anyone has any brand recommendations for wax/polish that would also be grand!

If modern paint or varnish has been used soft finish remover wont take that away sorry. You would need a more aggressive paint and varnish remover which you understandably are not keen on. I was assuming a wax or linseed oil finish in my earlier post. Coloron Refined Beeswax available at B +Q. They have a fair range of furniture restoring products. I use white spirit for removing or toning down soft finishes rather than more expensive specialist products. Sometimes I rub down with steel wool or sometimes a cloth depending how much of the old finish I want to remove. I then apply beeswax or linseed oil to finish. Avoid using water as it raises the grain and can damage the surfaces.

Oh and I should stress I have not really got a good view of the existing finish so this is just general advice. Always test with a small amount of the product in an inconspicuous place before proceeding.

I really recommend the whole range of Colron furniture products so Bolokov is spot on.

The back might be a different wood? I believe it was common to use cheaper wood for areas that wouldn't be seen.

It's lovely. I've got one a bit like that - same top and colour of wood but with some carved detailing on the front. I've had it for over 20 years and I just use normal furniture wax on it, but I quite like its 'distressed' look.