Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Here's A Little Better "Before / After" Of The Frem Rojle Dining Chairs That I Picked Up Recently. Danish Oil = Awesome! Status: 90 Percent Done.

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I all but finished the cleanup of the Hans Olsen set of dining chairs that I picked up just before our little trip to San Francisco two weeks ago.  That's got to be a record for Mr. Modtomic.  I'm not real swift with the "project gettin' to's", but this one was so dang easy and yielded such purdy results!  The chair on the left is done while the one on the right was waiting patiently.

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Before

Note the light spots on the uprights and the dull finish on the backrest. All the legs and some of

the seat backs had tiny white paint splatters that had to be removed before applying the Danish

Oil.  The light spots and the random dull finish is a result of using Goof-Off to clean off the paint.

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After

Oh my...isn't that nice. Look how rich that teak looks now!  Obviously this isn't the same chair

as above but they all turned out just as nice.  The Danish Oil just soaks in as much as the wood

needs.  I just slathered it on using a paper towel leaving a nice thick layer, let it sit for about a

half hour and then used another paper towel to remove any lingering oil and polish up the results. 

I know...totally high tech.  It's how I roll.

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Now this is a true before and after. Can you believe this is the same chair? Removing all that

paint was a pain. Q-Tips and Goof-Off. Works like a charm. I just dipped the Q-Tip in the

Goof-Off and rubbed lightly on the paint. The Q-Tip not only scrubs the paint off but pulls it

away from the wood. Oh, yes...you'll go through quite a few Q-tips this way but it's worth it!

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Before                 After

It's kinda tough to see the difference in these small pics. You'd need to click through them and

check out the largest sizes on the Flickr page to see the details. The chairs look so much better in

real life too. The oil adds such a richness to the finish. Danish Oil. Another weapon in the arsenal.

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Not too shaby, eh? All that's left is to put new plugs in over the screws that hold the seatback

and clean up the ropes. If you've got some danish pieces that need a little freshenin' up, pick

yourself up a can of the Watco Danish Oil and give it a try. I've got about a dozen more pieces

that are on the waiting list for their turn. I hope they turn out as nice as these did!

13 comments:

  1. Where do you buy Watco Danish Oil? Do you only use it on teak or can you use it on walnut? My Brasilia chairs could sure use it!

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    1. Hi Rachel. I got my can of Watco (and most anything else hardware related) from or local True Value hardware store. I prefer the smaller hardware stores where the old guys work who know a thing or two about a thing or two. I'm not too proud to admit that I don't know what I'm doing all the time. The old dudes seemingly have done it all! I'm pretty sure you can use the Danish Oil on your Brasilia chairs though. I have no idea what the results would look like. Shoot me some before and after pics and I'll do a post!

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  2. Danish Oil.. Wonder if that will make the bar any better?! I'm getting some this weekend.

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    1. Hi illuminate. I think it's gonna take a bit more drastic measures to fix the bar top. I might be able to get some help on that though. I'll be in contact. If not, remind me!

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  3. White latex paint is the bane of seemimgly every piece of furnture that comes my way! I use 0000 steel wool and mineral spirits and as long as your gentle it won't pull the finish away. Teak is another story as you normally don't have a finish to pull off. Those turned put super!

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    1. Hi A Mod. Have you tried the Q-Tips on the small spots yet? They are surprisingly abrasive...you know for something we stick in our ears.

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  4. ARGH! White paint strikes again! Seriously if I here those all to common words again I'll snap "If you don't like it now, paint it white". An antique market nearby has a vendor who has painted everything she has for sale white, some real antique classic stuff. The fellow running the market says if she wasn't so good with the rent he'd ask her to leave from all the complaints he gets from people who've bought her stuff and the paint has chipped or peeled off on the way home. Great job on the chairs, they look fantastic.

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    1. Hi David. Thanks for the compliment! I say if someone is going to paint something white they should do it right and use lacquer and really do a good job. I hate to admit it but I do have a Brasilia dresser that is missing a few drawers and has some veneer missing from the front top edge that I'm considering painting parts of white. It's kinda hard to ruin something that's already missing drawers, right?

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  5. I'm a bit late on this post but wow, they look amazing.

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    1. Hi Rhan. Thanks...not bad for a thrift store quick find!

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  6. Your chairs look amazing!!! What color oil finish did you use? Is that medium walnut from Watco? I have a danish teak set I'm planning on refinishing as well, but have been looking for that exact color.

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    1. Hi Jeff. I don't think the Danish Oil came in any particular color. The Howard's comes in different colors like dark walnut and cherry. The color on the chairs was pretty much already there, the danish oil just helped to bring it out a little more.

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  7. Hi,

    What is the difference between Watco Teak Oil and Watco Danish Oil??

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