I have a wooden shoe cabinet (actually it might have had some other purpose, but that's what it does now), whose side has... well, seen better days:
but its top face is in (somewhat) better shape:
I don't want to make it into something completely uniform and painted where you don't see the wood. I want it to look more like it used to before all the wear-and-tear, and staining/water-seepage etc.
Now, I've never done restorative (or any proper kind of) woodwork before; nor have I painted nor varnished wood. But - this is the DIY site, so my questions is:
What steps should I be taking to bring this piece of furniture into decent shape?
Please include steps which are "investigational", e.g. "check if X or Y", not just actions.
If there's any extra information I should provide, please let me know and I'll add it below.
Additional information:
- I don't know the reasons for the staining/discoloration, since I got the cabinet the way it is now.
- The material is proper wood, all over - not chipboard. I don't know which wood though.
- I'm not planning on buying a bunch of expensive electric tools for a one-time project. But - you can certainly maike suggestions assuming such tools are available. Maybe I can get them and maybe I can't and will try some manual alternative.
Anyway, I don't actually know, because I got it this way. I'm pretty sure the darker stain near the bottom is due to water, but I can't say for sure.
PS - The shoes are in there, you just don't see them from this angle.