I was asked by one of my readers what to do with her smelly new antique desk that she just painted for her Daughters room. This is what she asked.
Hi Jodi,
I was wondering if you had any ideas how to get rid of reclaimed furniture? I recently purchased a 1940’s fold top desk for my girl’s room. I sanded, primed and painted but the “smell” is there everytime they open the fold-top. I have thought of just spraying Febreeze or something like that, but I don’t want to wreck the paint.
Thanks.
Yes, the one downfall to antique furniture. I’m going to assume that you already painted the inside of the desk as well? If so, it may be a little late to completely get rid of most of the smells. I did some research and it seems as though if you had cleaned the unit a certain way before it was restored then there would have been a better chance of keeping the smells at bay.
Follow this link http://www.ehow.com/how_7620466_smells-out-old-wood-furniture.html as it suggests how to get rid of smells in furniture.
You may want to get the desk into a another room for several days to try out the steps it suggests. It sounds like it would work better prior to sanding and priming the antique piece. Another idea for the next time you go to restore a piece is to definitely follow the link above to clean it first as well as use a stain/odor blocking primer. Kilz is a brand of primer that I have used before.
Hope the link helps somehow.
Thanks so much for connecting Dawn.
I’m always glad to help any of my readers, and if I don’t have an answer for your questions, I’ll always try to find one for you! Keep the questions and comments flowing….