Indian wooden furniture, like any other furniture, is prone to damages. In general, wooden furniture often suffers from gouges, splits, minor cracks and broken or chipped sections. Many a times, porous wood like maple can become cracked and dry. Maple, however, isn’t much used in the making of Indian furniture. In southern India, where the climate is tropical and the temperature humid, wooden furniture can warp easily. Besides, cosmetic flaws can also damage Indian furniture. These include peeling of the paint and melting of the varnish. It’s not impossible to repair your damaged Indian wooden furniture and restore it to good condition. It only requires a bit of care.
Before commencing the actual restoration process, transport the furniture to a dry outdoor section if weather permits. Open up all the windows to ensure ventilation if you find that the piece of furniture is too big to be moved outside. Place some old newspapers on the floor for protecting it from wooden dust and chemical spills. Ahead of starting your work, put on disposable rubber gloves and wear a safety mask.
To begin the restoration work on your damaged Indian wooden furniture, use any of the available chemical stripping agents for stripping away the old varnish or paint. Take a clean brush, dip it into the stripping agent and then spread the agent on the Indian wooden furniture. Wait for at least seven minutes for the agent to get oxidized. Then, begin scraping off the top layers of the paint or varnish with a putty knife or a scraping tool.
Now, put on a new pair of gloves for protecting your hands from the splinters. First, rub the surface of your Indian furniture by using electrical sanding equipment for smoothing it evenly and bringing out the grain. Use sandpaper to delicately rub the remote sections of the furniture by hand. After that, remove all the dust by using a clean paintbrush.
Use some wood-glue for re-gluing any of the raised pieces of wood. Now, look at the furniture and carefully examine the joints. Re-glue any loose table or chair legs. As usual, first rub off the surface with the sandpaper inside the joints for removing old residues of glue. Then, apply glue on the inside surface of the joints and re-attach the legs. Apply clamps for securing the parts in place. Remove the clamps only after six to eight hours when the glue dries up.
Apply a wood sealant on any hairline splits or cracks. Allow the sealant to dry. When both the glue and the sealant dry up, re-rub the surface gently. Then, wipe away the wooden dust from your Indian furniture.
Having done all the above, stain your Indian wooden furniture. You can use a water-based staining agent for your wooden furniture in a humid or dry environment. You can also choose latex enamel-based paint if you want to paint your furniture. A couple of coats would be enough. Finally, apply some waterproof and insect-proof glossy finish on the wood.