Let’s Restore an Antique Wooden Chair!

Recently, a friend of mine gave me an antique wooden chair. A VERY beat up wooden chair. She said she had been meaning to restore it but never got around to it, so she was giving it to me. She said she was confident that I would be able to restore it. As I looked over the damage, I was not sure that her confidence in me was well placed. I’ve restored some very damaged pieces of furniture, several of which I was reluctant to; but some of the damage on this one was structural. Not feeling confident that I could restore it, I took it anyway.

Previously restored pieces

The projects below are some that I hesitated to start because each was badly damaged. You can watch the restoration process for them by clicking on the pictures.

Table Of Contents

Previously restored pieces
Supplied Used
Instructions
- Antique Chair Before, during, after
For your convenience
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The condition of the chair

My friend had mentioned that the chair had been outside for quite some time and had sustained damage from the weather. Here is what the chair looked like when I got it home. All of the spindles were loose and disconnected from the upper back. All of the hardware was badly rusted so taking it apart to do repairs was out of the question. One of the supports that held the back was broken and missing hardware, so it was loose. The back legs were loose in their holes, making the chair unstable. After getting a closer look at the damage, I still didn’t think I’d be able to repair & restore it; but since it was now in my possession, I figured I’d at least give it a go. With fingers crossed, I dove into this project!

Step 1 – Repair support

The first step I took was to unscrew the upper back and remove the spindles so I could repair the broken support. I filled the broken area with wood glue and used clamps to hold it in place. While the glue was drying, I sanded the top and spindles using my orbital sander and micro sanding tool. When the glue was dry on the support, I sanded the damaged area to smooth out the rough wood. While the wood was not super smooth, it was better. Next was to glue this support in place. I applied wood glue to the seat under the support then clamped the support to the seat. After the glue dried, I inserted a bolt & nut to replace the missing hardware to further stabilize the support.

Step 2 – Give the chair a good cleaning

I’m sure you’re wondering why cleaning the chair wasn’t Step 1? Good question. The reason is because I started with the top of the chair, which didn’t show dirt. When I turned the chair upside down to see which legs and supports were loose, I was surprised to see caked on dirt on the underside of the seat!

Using a putty knife, I scrapped off the bulk of the dirt then wiped it with a rag. I then sprayed the entire seat with Simple Green and scrubbed it with a sponge. I then sprayed, scrubbed and cleaned the legs and supports. I had to change the water in the bucket several times during the cleaning process. After all the dirt was removed, I sprayed all the wood with water and dried it with a towel.

Step 3 – Repair the legs

After inspection, I determined that only the back legs were loose. They were loose where they inserted into the seat. The legs and supports are held with metal rods. The metal was so rusted, that I was unable to remove the nuts. If I had been able to remove the rods, I could have popped the legs out of their sockets to apply glue.

Since I was restoring this chair as opposed to just repairing it, I could have cut the metal to remove it. But, that would have changed the original design. Instead, I pulled the legs as much as I could and squeezed glue around each at the point where they connected to the seat. I then pushed them back into their sockets & clamped the cross supports while the glue dried.

Step 4 – Try to remove rust

As I mentioned, the hardware on this chair was VERY rusted! I tried to remove some of it using a wire brush but that only removed a little and left the rod scratched. I went to Home Depot to see what product they had for rust removal and found Rustoleum Rust Dissolver. It was in gel form which sounded good because I would be using it around wood.

Using a small paintbrush, I brushed it on a couple of areas at at time. After allowing it to sit the recommended 15 minutes, I scrubbed the metal with a wire brush & steel wool then wiped it with a wet rag. I was thrilled to see that a lot of the rust was removed! It took 3-4 applications before I was happy with the results. *The instructions say to rinse with water after allowing the product to work but due to the amount of rust, I chose to scrub it as well. The little metal piece that doesn’t quite match is one that I had on hand that was similar to the missing hardware, so I used it on the support.

Step 5 – Sand

To sand the chair supports, I sanding blocks and my micro sanding tool. For the seat, I used my orbital sander on the large areas and the sanding blocks around the supports. I sanded each area twice, first with 120 grit sandpaper, then with a finer grit. I had already sanded the upper back & spindles.

Step 6 – Attach back

Attaching the back was a bit tricky because the spindles kept falling as I was trying to insert them into both the holes in the seat & the ones in the upper back piece. Hubby gave me a hand and we were able to get all of them inserted. When I went to attach the upper back to the supports, I noticed that the back didn’t like up with the screw holes. The spindles were 1/2″ too short. How did THAT happen?? Hubby reminded me that they were not connected when I got the chair. I had to look at the picture to remember. Maybe water damage changed the angle of the side supports? Regardless, now I had to figure out how to make them fit.

The supports that hold the upper back are notched so I couldn’t just drill new holes for the screws. I decided to cut the notch another 1/2″ to lower the back of the seat. I marked the spot on each support where I would need to make the cuts. I clamped the back to the supports to stabilize them while I made the cuts. Using a hacksaw, I made the horizontal cut to the depth of the original notch. I then made the vertical cut. When the cut was done, I smoothed the wood with a sanding block.

Between the two of us, hubby and I slipped the spindles into the upper back. I drilled new holes then used the original screws to secure the back to the supports. We were so pleased to see that the back is level!

Step 7 – Stain & poly

For this project, I decided to use oil-based stain and polyurethane. I often use water-based stain and poly for a few of reasons, they dry faster than oil-based, I can use them indoors, they are much less fumy. Since I was working in the garage and the weather was nice, I had the luxury of letting the chair sit for 2 – 3 days between coats. I applied 2 coats of Minwax Provencial stain using a rag, allowing the 1st coat to fully dry for a couple of days.

After the first coat of stain was dry, instead of doing another coat of stain, I considered applying the poly. I wasn’t certain if a 2nd coat of stain would make much difference in the look of the finish. But I wasn’t rushing this project, so I decided to at least put a 2nd coat on the upper back. As I was applying the stain, it was obvious that it made a big difference, so I stained the entire chair. Before applying the polyurethane, I gave the chair a light sanding using a sanding block. I then used a small paintbrush to apply the polyurethane. The chair only needed one coat.

Step 8 – Repair front edge

The front edge of the seat had a spot where it had been damaged and a piece of the insert stuck out. I didn’t think I would need to fix it because it was small; but it was also sharp. While the 2nd coat of stain was drying, I added wood glue to the piece and clamped it in place. Even though it was a small fix, it made a bit difference.

A bit of history

After I scraped away the caked-on dirt on the bottom of the seat, I found this fun bit of information. The chair was made in Marietta, Ohio by the Marietta Chair Company. The company started in the 1800’s and had created furniture for almost 100 years. It is awesome to own a piece of their history!

Finished Antique Chair

This was a project that I was hesitant to start. I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to restore the chair due to the extensive damage it had sustained. I didn’t know if the legs could be made secure because they were held in place with metal rods, the broken back support looked like it was non-repairable, and then I discovered that the spindles were too short. It was certainly going to be a challenge! But I do like a project challenge! The chair is now solid and gorgeous!

Supplied Used

Makita orbital sander & sandpaper
Sanding blocks
Micro sanding tool
Oil-based satin polyurethane
Oil-based Minwax Provincial stain
Paintbrush
Hacksaw
Elmers wood glue
Rustoleum Rust Dissolver jelly
Gloves
Wire brushes
Simple Green
Shop rags
Bucket
Clamps
Sponge

Instructions

Clean chair with Simple Green & sponge
Sand chair using orbital sander & sanding blocks
Fix broken support arm with Elmer’s Wood Glue
Apply wood glue to chair legs, insert into holes
Remove rust with Rust Dissolver jelly
- Apply using paintbrush & allow 15 min to work
- Scrub with wire brush & rinse with wet soft rag
  - May require more than 1 application
Using hacksaw, increase size of notch in support arms
Attach upper back & spindles with screws
Apply 2 coats of Minwax Provincial oil-based stain using rags
- Allow first coat to dry 24-48 hours
Apply oil-based satin polyurethane to chair
- Allow first coat to dry 24-48 hours then lightly sand
  - Apply 2nd coat of poly to chair seat & upper back
Allow 2nd coat of poly to dry 24-48 hours
Using a 320 grit sanding block, lightly sand entire chair
Polish with soft rag