Patina
Do It Yourself
Furniture Refinishing

A good example of patina is the gray color a piece of pine or oak or many other kinds of wood will take on when they're exposed to sunlight and weather conditions. The gray color has a kind of glow that isn't there if you use gray stain.

The patina on a stained and finished antique has a different appearance than a piece of raw pine, but the light and other elements will work through the stain and finish to give the wood a lustrous glow over a period of time.

If the essence is sanded off of a wood furniture surface the wood will be back to it's original raw condition and the patina will need to start growing again.

If the furniture piece is 100 years old and you sand the surface it will take another 100 years before it will look the same as it did before you started sanding.

A piece of furniture may be only 20 years old so you might think that you're not losing much to sand it, but that means that the furniture will have to age 100 more years before it has the essence of a true antique, rather than 80 years.

Many expert craftsmen have attempted to duplicate patina throughout the years and many chemical companies have claimed to have made a chemical that will duplicate it, but none have ever been successful. Only time and exposure to certain elements can make patina.

Antique restoration and furniture refinishing are two different types of do it yourself projects, but they're both real enjoyable and rewarding projects for those who like to do it yourself.

Whether you're doing an antique restoration or furniture refinishing project always perform the do it yourself cotton gardening glove test to see if sanding is necessary. If sanding isn't necessary, it's best not to sand.