Office furniture takes a lot of abuse from workers who slam drawers and cabinet doors, leave ink marks on wood surfaces, and spill beverages and food. You can often find used office furniture for attractive prices and, with a little refinishing, end up with a good-looking office for a fraction of the price of new furniture. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Remove drawer pulls or tape them with masking tape prior to undertaking any restoration involving painting or staining. You don't want to end up with paint on those very visible surfaces.
2. Sand and restain wooden office furniture like desks and credenzas to bring them back to their original glory. Use an electric hand sander with a fine-grade sandpaper to remove old varnish first. Conceal any deep scratches on the wood with wood filler in a matching color. Let dry before sanding. Select a stain color to match the existing color of the furniture. Apply two coats of stain. Let the furniture dry between stain applications. Use tung oil or polyurethane as the final protective coat. Let dry at least 48 hours.
3. Repaint metal office furniture. Used metal furniture may have both scratches and dents that need attention. You can use a special dent removal tool to assist with dent remediation. Sand the surface of the metal furniture in preparation for painting. Apply a primer coat of paint for use on metal. Let dry overnight. Apply two coats of a paint color made for use on metal furniture.
4. Repair any desk drawers that may be off their tracks, and reassemble built-in file holder racks that may be missing screws. Consider replacing drawer pulls if necessary to refresh the look generally. Replace or repair any missing wheels from chairs or other furniture. You can find replacement ball wheels in a variety of sizes at any hardware store. If special wheels are needed, you may need to contact the manufacturer to determine if replacement parts are available for your item's model number.
5. Repair file cabinets, whether wood or metal, in the same way as you would a desk. If security is an issue, you might want to bring in a locksmith to create new keys for drawers or file cabinets.
Tags: metal furniture, Apply coats, drawer pulls, file cabinets, office furniture