The furniture has lost its original shine. What should I do to get it back?

It's an issue that many of you face, as the question comes up quite often in the comments on articles about finishing furniture. I recently received a similar question about the smoothing of a serving tray. Even furniture or objects that do not have that very high glossAlso known as mirror polish, it loses its shine over time, taking on a dull, dull and sad look. Like anything new, furniture also has a fresher look at first, which slowly fades and a patina of age that not everyone likes. In most cases, it is not a radical phenomenon that requires the object to be repainted, but only small interventions that are more related to the maintenance of the furniture or painted or varnished objects.

Why the new look and shine is lost

It seems paradoxical, but both maintenance and neglect of furniture can lead to the original luster fading. That's not to say that no matter what you do, you can't keep your furniture looking nice. I'm sure there are owners of old furniture who may disagree. But sometimes, overzealousness or the wrong use of materials has the opposite effects to what we want.

Airborne dust and grease particles are the combination that causes the shine to fade over time. Together they form a film that can no longer be removed by wiping the dust off with a dry cloth. This is best seen on kitchen furniture, but that's not the only area where there are grease particles in the air. From time to time the rest of the furniture also needs a more intensive cleaning to remove the fine clumps of dirt. Limiting yourself to just dry dusting will, over time, lead to the furniture becoming dull and losing its luster and fresh look.

Another reason for loss of gloss is the use of abrasives for cleaning. Tiny hard particles scratch the varnish or paint film very finely, enough to affect the gloss. Even dust particles can do this, or hard cloths or scourers used for cleaning. For furniture, always use soft cotton cloths, with those from good-quality old cotton t-shirts being best. Furniture lighting is due to the film of paint or varnish reflecting the light and is higher the smoother the film is, without bumps and imperfections. The appearance of very fine scratches, sometimes invisible to the naked eye, damages the film and therefore the gloss.

The shine can also be affected by special maintenance products. Furniture sprays contain hard waxes which, when sprayed directly on furniture, harden and are harder to polish. The product should be sprayed on to a cloth or rag and the furniture should be cleaned and polished with that cloth.

Loss of luster is sometimes accompanied by whitening or bleaching of the varnish. It can happen from the repeated use of a table for ironing clothes, chemical solvents, stagnation of water for a long period of time on the surface, alcoholic drinks or very acidic products spilled on the furniture. In this case the damage to the finish layer is deeper and the affected layer must be removed and the finish partially or completely refinished. Find information on furniture refinishing here.

What we can do

If it is dirt that has accumulated over time, the furniture must be washed. We have talked many times about cleaning furniture with water and dishwashing detergent or soap solution, and I think there are few now who believe that this will bleach the furniture. However, I will repeat myself by saying that furniture should be washed from time to time with water and a non-aggressive detergent free of abrasive particles. The furniture should be washed with a washcloth soaked in the solution and wrung out well, then washed with a clean water-only washcloth, and immediately after washing, wiped with a clean, dry soft cotton cloth and allowed to soak thoroughly before placing objects on top that would prevent drying and make it easier for water to stagnate.

If you do not have high-gloss furniture, after washing, apply a thin coat of clear furniture polish all over the washed surface. You can find wax in any DIY store, sometimes even in supermarkets. Leave for 10-15 minutes and then polish with a soft cotton cloth. The furniture will have a very nice satin sheen. The method also works on semi-gloss or matt furniture that is very finely scratched by abrasives.

If the sheen has been lost due to very fine scratches and the furniture has had a mirror sheen, you need a little more skill to restore it because it needs polishing. Policing is a very fine sanding that results in the removal of the affected part of the varnish or paint layer. You need an orbital sanding machine (with circular motions) or a drill, felt wheels and very fine abrasive solutions with a grain size from 1000 upwards. It is best to use 2 types of abrasive in succession, first 1000, then 3000 to remove the affected layer more quickly. WARNING! Do not use metal abrasives, they are much too hard. Use the special ones for varnish or epoxy resin, which you can find at the abrasive distributors or varnish and paint shops. Try your hand on a smaller object or a more hidden surface. Be careful not to insist too long in one spot as the surface may overheat. Lacquers are thermoplastic and can soften.

Watch out for maintenance materials

To avoid damaging furniture using maintenance materials, you need to know and follow a few rules:

• do not use abrasives on painted or varnished surfaces
• do not spray maintenance spray containing wax directly on the furniture surface
• if the solutions are water-based, do not allow them to soak into varnished or painted surfaces
• do not use alcohol-based substances or organic solvents without first testing them on a hidden surface of the furniture
• always read the label and instructions for use

For furniture maintenance try using natural materials or do-it-yourself mixes. Find more information here and here. And if you have any questions or queries, leave them below in the dedicated space. I will answer you for sure. Good luck!