While on my quest to clean up my workshop, I stumbled on an old shelf that had been tossed on the woodpile, and subsequently buried. I found it in several pieces. “Hmmmm….” I said. I had been thinking about a shelf over my desk recently, “Maybe this will do the trick until the time comes to make a fancier one.” And what a project to present as “How To Restore an Old Shelf”!

How to Restore an Old Shelf – Preparation

I assessed the damage situation, I decided the mutilation wasn’t as bad as it could have been, any dings, screw holes and splintered wood may enhance the aestetics.

Laying the pieces on the workbench, you must first choose what the final product is to be. I opted for a lighter color, and wanted the grain to pop a bit better. For this to work, I needed to remove the existing, darker finish.

---

The following are endorsements for products, if you click on a link we may receive a commission.

If you find yourself this far and are wondering where you can get a piece to refinish, you can certainly start from scratch with scrap wood.  If you're a beginner, go out and get yourself some plans for some simple projects, like those in Max's Woodworking or the multitude of plans in Ted's Woodworking.

---

If you have a planer on hand, it makes short work of old finishes. The wood was generally in good shape so a couple of passes through the planer on each side got most of the work done. Moving on from the planer to the sanding. The majority of the sanding was on the rounded edges. Particularly difficult was the groove that runs along the back of the shelf, something that is meant to hold dishes up dishes for display. Creative uses of different sandpaper grits, a couple different sized dowels and some spray adhesives helped clean up and smooth out the groove.

Staining and Finish

Next came the finishing step. Since this was a project that I wanted to whip out quickly, I didn’t fuss over the final finish. I ended up using an American Walnut stain. It’s actually darker than the original, but some tests on some similar pine scraps looked good, as long as I didn’t allow it to soak for long, not leeting the color go very dark. Some touch ups after the initial coat dried. Be careful here, as double staining areas can make for some darker areas, I used just a rag with very little stain, and was careful to blend with the surrounding stain. Then a few coats of satin polyurethane (water based). I did a light sanding in between coats with 400 grit paper, and the final coat I used a flannel rag. I’ve learned that a flannel rag, rubbed somewhat vigorously, produces just enough friction and heat to put a nice polish on the final coat, especially if the first and second coats were done carefully, no drips or misses.

Restored Shelf is Complete!

It’s then a matter of screwing the supports back in place. Oh, and some light sanding where the glue is going to hit to remove the polyurethane finish, but be careful, don’t remove outside the area where the support will be glued. If you do, some touch up with the poly should be just fine. I used some keyhole hangers mounted on the back of the supports, then some drywall anchors and screws to mount the finished shelf. Drop me any comments on what I can do better, or questions on how to restore an old shelf. I’m just beyond being a beginner at this!