Wood Cleaner/Restorer

[FinanceDude]

The quarter round and basboard moldings have taken a beating in the house. All those years of mopping and chemicals, and the wood looks a little dull and gray.

I have painstakingly used Murphy's Oil Soap and some other wood stuff..........still looks the same. What other options do I have?

If I have to strip it down, sand, and refinish it, I might as well do brand new wood moldings........... :P

[Patrick]

Check out Homer Formby's wood refinishing stuff at Lowest's or Home Despot. It's supposed to work pretty well and be pretty easy to do.

[samclem]

FD,

- Don't give up on your old moldings. Take a look at the price of new moldings and the quality of the stuff on the shelves. Then, imagine cutting all the required pieces to the exact right length and getting the corners right. You'll probably decide to stay with the wood you've got if at all possible, even if it means removing it all, stripping it, and refinishing it..

- Do you know what type of finish is on the wood now?

- One product I would NOT recomend is the Minwax Polyshades line. Minwax makes many good products, but this line is a stinker. They have the stain mixed in with the protective polyurethane coating, so you can refinish in one step. It doesn't work: The places where the coating varies in thickness (e.g. brushstroke overlap areas, minor dabs and drips, etc) are very noticabe due to variations in the finish color. Also, when the finish coat chips it is very noticeable, since the stain comes off with it. Not recommended.

Just to throw out an idea-- would painting the trim work? I know many of us have a visceral reaction to painting real wood, but sometimes it looks good if you have the right wall color and pick a nice paint. Advantages: You wouldn't have to do a thorough job of stripping what is on there now, just sand it until it is smooth and anythng loose has come off. Good paint is tougher than most any clear finish, and very easy to touch up. If you get a gouge (from moving furniture into the quarter molding, etc) you can use wood filler and repaint--takes 10 minutes. And, if you paint it and decide you hate it, you'd strip it off, which is probably what you'd want to do with your present finish anyway. It might be worth doing a small area with a color that matches or complements your walls/other trim/floor color and see if you like it.

[HFWR]

- One product I would NOT recomend is the Minwax Polyshades line.

Absolutely agree, though if your stuck with a can, stain the wood with regular old stain before hand.

[Martha]

Murphy's oil soap just attracts dirt.

What kind of finish is on the wood? The finish will dictate how you clean and restore the wood.

You might try a little mineral spirits (ventilate well) with a fine steel wool. Test a spot first. You might have areas of bare wood where the finish has worn off. But first you have to clean it well to see what condition the finish is in.

The quarterround in our kitchen was in tough shape. Greg stained the new quarter round to match the baseboard and cut to fit with a miter box. Easier than trying to restore the old stuff.