In the 1920s, the finish on interior woodwork — whether for pianos, furniture, floors or trim — could have been shellac, lacquer or oil-based varnish. There’s a protocol for determining the ...

Get some oil-based urethane (I prefer a satin sheen) and a natural bristle brush and smooth the bare wood parallel with the grain using a progression of sandpapers up to 220-grit.

Next time you’re working on a project that needs a durable wood finish, don’t grab the polyurethane. Follow [Victor Ola’s] advice and raid your grandparent’s record cabinet … ...

Oil – Wood with an oil finish will absorb linseed oil. If the oil beads on the surface then the piece is most likely finished with shellac, lacquer, varnish or polyurethane.

“Both oil and waterborne wood floor finishes have come a long way, baby” according to John Shanley of Crandall-Worthington Company, (248) 398-8118, crandallwc.com.

Chalk-based paint brand Frenchic offers a swathe of options to see to every corner of the house. For indoor wood, any one of its 159 trim paints is up to the job, leaving behind a soft-satin finish.

A close-up look at the elaborate patterns on a renovated lacquer wood bed from 2,500 years ago at the Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute in Chengdu city, the capital of ...

Q: We acquired a Knabe baby grand piano from a neighbor whose grandfather purchased it in the 1920s. The wood is really dull, and we’d like to be able to polish or refinish it without damaging ...