Avoiding Fisheye

Oh no... not the dreaded "fisheye!"

What on earth is fisheye, you ask?

To a furniture refinisher, fisheye simply means TROUBLE!

Take a close look at the bubbling on this oriental table surface...

... THIS is fisheye... typically caused by many of the furniture paste and spray waxes available in the stores today. Little do most people know that the use of many of these spray waxes comes with a cost... because they contain SILICONE (plastic!) which penetrates the finish, fills the pores and gradually builds up without you even being aware of the problem it will present at a later date!

Fisheye is becoming a bigger problem today than in years past because of the availability and ease of using these spray waxes and paste products. Many homeowners able to afford professional cleaning companies have no idea that they may be subjecting their furniture to unhealthy waxing products... as many cleaning companies LOVE these products because they're fast and (seemingly) effective in creating a good shine.

Spray waxes used frequently (those containing silicone) will eventually cloud your furniture surface, causing you to wonder what happened... this is silicone building up. Trouble is, once you're at the point of wanting to restore or refinish your piece of furniture, the silicone will reveal itself when the professional tries to apply the new finish... showing up in unsightly circles (fisheye) of uneven finish. And, try as your furniture professional might, often times it is virtually impossible to correct or hide.

What to do about it?

If you hire a professional cleaning service, I highly recommend that you ask them what products they are using on your furniture and, if they are using "the Pledges" or other products containing silicone, ask them to stop immediately! Find a healthier alternate.

If YOU are using any of these products, you are unknowingly hampering your wood furniture and I recommend that you stop and find an alternate product with more natural ingredients... such as Minwax paste wax.

Caring for your furniture need not unwittingly doom it to a fisheye future.

Loving your furniture,
Carolyn
604-885-8885

Welcome to Furniture Rejuvenation

A warm welcome to my new Furniture Rejuvenation blog... web-log!

My name is Carolyn Clarke and I am a long-time resident of Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.

As a young adult, I trained as a Professional Furniture Refinisher by Lew Nilsson of Pioneer Furniture Refinishing in Surrey, B.C. For over 30 years, Pioneer has offered exceptional quality in the refinishing and restoration of furniture and antiques.

I worked in that family business applying my craft of taking cleanly stripped furniture pieces and transforming them into “like new” condition. Over all these subsequent years, I've kept my refinishing craft alive, evolving and current. Advancement of my skills now include furniture touch-up, making my work even more transformative today.

With an artistic touch and ability for incredible detail, I enjoy the process of working with fine pieces of wood furniture, and especially love seeing the visual results of my labor.

My strength is taking a piece of furniture with an existing finish that is in decent structural shape but looks worn and tired… then making it come alive in colour and sheen again!

Without stripping your furniture I will rejuvenate it using tested touch-up techniques, stains and finishes… making the scuffs and tiredness virtually disappear. Most of my jobs can be completed within a few to several hours, making it more affordable than the expensive job of completely stripping and refinishing it. Rejuvenation is my specialty!

Have a look through some of the before and after photographs of my work.

This little table was very dull, the feet very worn... this is the BEFORE photo...

After approximately 3 hours of my professional attention, it transformed into THIS...

Here's a close-up of the fluted edging BEFORE rejuvenation... dull and colorless...

... and what it transformed into AFTER sprucing up the stain and sheen...

Here's a wing-back chair leg, scuffed and very dirty... BEFORE my work...

... and the very same chair leg AFTER my touch-up attention...

Remember, this is WITHOUT first stripping then refinishing! These examples show how I am able to work with the existing finish, clean it up with proven methods and quality materials... to "like new" condition.

If you have a piece of furniture that has “good bones” but looks dull or scuffed and is in need of some tender loving care, I can happily help you.

Please visit this Blog often for smart tips on how to best care for your furniture!

Carolyn Clarke
604-885-8885

terraimages@dccnet.com