Advice on restoring woodwork in home

[kissinger]

The woodwork in our house is old and faded, and parts of it have marks from mugs, etc. How would I go about restoring the wood in the images? I've tried the simplest thing so far, which is just applying a new coat of protective wax (IIRC it's a carnauba/beeswax mix), and although it improved it didn't work (I only did a test patch on the wardrobe). Would I be best off doing more coats of the wax? Or does it need something more substantial like a stain?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Wax won't hide cup stains, but it will seal in dirt. Your best bet would have been to start by cleaning the woodwork. That requires something like Sugar Soap or possibly a furniture reviver. The problem is that you have now waxed the woodwork, sealing in the marks, etc - and the problem with wax is that it won't allow you to apply other finishes, or stains, or furniture revivers on top as ut seals the timber. This means you may now he reduced to trying to get the wax off with a hot, strong solution of washing soda in red hot water and a scrubbing brush; or an industrial solvent/petroleum distilate (naptha is the best, white spirits is less effective but easier to find); or a proprierary solvent such a Liberon Wax Finish Remover (expensive); or even industrial acetone; and clean, white rags before sanding it all down. Wear gloves. Work in a well ventilated room above ground level. No naked flames or smoking with the distillate solvents!

Only when the wax is gone can you consider stains and finishes

FYI the standard advice with finishing is always to try any technique out on a small, inconspicuous area before applying it willy-nilly

 

[kissinger]

Thanks. When you say washing soap do you mean washing up liquid or washing powder (like for laundry) or something else entirely?

 

[Mr Chibs]

'Sugar soap' is type of detergent (not fairy liquid) you can get in Wilko, B&Q etc

 

[Deleted member 174758]

When you say washing soap do you mean washing up liquid or washing powder (like for laundry) or something else entirely?

Washing soda aka soda crystals is neither washing soap, nor washing up liquid, nor washing powder. Go to a traditional ironmongers, or look on the Internet. A search on "washing soda" delivered hits at Amazon, Ocado, Willo, Sainsbury, Co-op, and many others.

Sugar soap is a generic product which can be had from anywhere that sells decorator products - even B&M carry it

 

[kissinger]

Great. Will do. And when I’ve got this wax off the bannister (thanks fully I didn’t put it on the wardrobes) what is best to use to restore the wood to a good state?

I did clean it prior to the wax (just with hot water though), so I think I’ll need a product of some kind.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Sand it down.
What's "best" is down to what finish you're after. If you want a fairly natural finish [this is my preference] then look at oil finishes [eg Danish oil] or a flat matt varnish. Think about how much wear it gets. An oiled finish can be touched up without too much prep, whereas varnish is trickier, more sanding back required to repair chips and dents.

 

[kissinger]

I actually already have some Danish Oil already. So sand/clean the bannister and refinish with oil on everything?

 

[Why Not Indeed]

I hesitate to agree with "everything" - you need to try it "in an inconspicuous area" as the saying goes, and make sure you're happy with the colour at least.
See if anyone chips in with a reason why you shouldn't use Danish oil. It's worked fine for me where I've used it. It turned the pine dining table quite orange, but the finish has held up.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You asked, so I'll play Devil's Advocate...

The only things I can say against oil and wax finishes is that neither is truly moisture resistant. Nor are they as durable as paints or lacquers. This makes them unsuitabke forvuae in kitchens, bathrooms, etc as well as less desireable in high traffic areas. On the upside they are easily repaired