For a very long time I had a refinishing and repair shop. Many times people came to me with furniture that they wanted refinished, so it would be nicer looking  in thier home.  It was a big surprise to them to find that they really needed to have thier furniture restored and not refinished.

The first step to restoration is cleaning.

If  a piece of furniture is not clean, no amount of wax or oil will make a difference.

Step 1. Wood cleaner

Clean furniture with a good wood cleaner, I have used Murphy's Oil soap many times with a fine grade of  steel wool.  You will want to use a very light touch with the steel wool until you have discovered how dirty or soiled the furniture is.  A lot of time a wax build up is a part of the problem.  Allow furniture to dry. There are other mixtures and solutions available on the market.

Step 2. Wood oil, lemon oil

Once the furniture is dry. Don't be alarmed, it may appear to be robbed of all color, this will depend on the type of finish and type of wood.  Take any furniture oil....no real trick here, most all of it is good.  Start oiling the wood.  I usualy put the oil in a bowl and paint it on the wood, let it soak in.  You may need to do this several times.  Once you have an even look to the wood finish you are ready for the next step. Lemon oil that you buy at the grocery store will work...and I have even used Old English.

Step 3. Steel wool (very fine)

Go over all of the wood with a fine steel wool, this will take down any uneven places and get the wood ready for the next step.

Step 4. Tung oil

Now you have a very hydrated piece of wood furniture. You will want to seal this, so that it will stay this way for a long time.  My choice is Behr Tung Oil,  but you may not be able to get that  product without doing a special order.  Go over the furniture with tung oil, a light layer will work here. Let this set about six hours and repeat. I perfer tung oils without driers. Read the label on the tung oil can and see if it is natural, ok if it has carnuba wax in it.

Tung oil is the safest way to take care of furniture, it can be used in almost every case. No harmful fumes to breathe. I have used this for hand rubbed finishes for years.

Step 5. Wax the furniture

This final step will go against the grain of almost every furniture refinsher. There is a very good reason for that, wax causes the stripper not to work, and that is the only reason.

Wax your furniture, there is a trick here, if you use a spray wax, be sure and POLISH IT OUT.  By that I mean make sure you have not just sprayed and lightly rubbed it in....really buff it out, this will prevent that build up on furniture.

IN CONCLUSION

Now you know how to clean, oil and seal a piece of furniture, wax it several times a year and your furniture will give you a  life time of use and can be passed on to generations.

I have restored and refinished furniture for the last 20 years, made my lively hood at doing this.  Taught  this very concept in adult educations classes and in my shop.  Every one is always amazed at the results and the money they saved by cleaning and restoring and not refinishing.

Thank you for stopping, if this was useful, let me know.