furniture refinishing

[gcrotteau]

How can I clean and/or refinish old furniture that is very stable but has some abuse (stains, dirt, etc)?

[Narolines]

Depends very largely on what the original finish is - for instance, oil varnish, spirit varnish, French polish (all quite common on old furniture) all require different treatment, and if you use the wrong one on a susceptible finish you could end up ruining the furniture rather than cleaning it. Then again it could be lacquered - that will stand up to quite a lot of cleaning up but is very difficult to refinish or touch in. I'm assuming we're talking wood furniture here. I think we'd need a bit more info on what the furniture is, how old it is, and if possible what the timber & finish is before we (OK, then I) could make a constructive suggestion.

[mimififi]

for upholstery, you could hire a steam cleaner or a an industrial wash/dry cleaner. But if it is wooden furniture, I reiterate what Narolines' said: We need to know what type it is.

sounds like an exciting project.

[madein1978]

Sounds like an unlikely solution, but have you tried T-Cut on it? I've found it works wonders on apparently knackered furniture, brought many old tables back with it.