Post #736107 by TheBigT on Tue, Jan 27, 2015 1:48 PM

I think it's a bar "in the style of" Witco, not an actual Witco piece. But I don't consider myself a Witco expert. It just doesn't appear to be one at first glance. Don't let that deter you from doing more research.

The amount of refinishing you do should depend on a couple of things such as whether you think it's a valuable piece of furniture (in which case heavy restoration might kill the value) and how much of the original integrity of the piece you want to maintain. If it's totally deteriorated you can have a heavier hand in restoration.

You seem to be leaning towards preserving the original look and patina on the piece. I wouldn't sand it. That's going to strip off some of the original finish and ruin the grain someone worked very hard to expose. The wood probably needs to be cleaned. Get a can of Wax Wash by Mohawk. The same people that make wood floors. They also have wood care products. You can apply it with a towel, or #0000 steel wool (very carefully). If it's too difficult to get Wax Wash, use mineral spirits (that is mostly what is in Wax Wash). After that, depending on how the wood looks now that you've cleaned it you might be able to directly apply a paste wax right onto the existing finish. You could use Howard's Feed and Wax as some have suggested. It will have to be reapplied though. The oil in Feed and Wax does evaporate over time. If the finish seems to have come off in areas or the wood seems a little soft/weak/worn you could apply a color matching stain (such as Minwax) right over the current finish. It will cure and strengthen those spots and make them color-fast. Some advocate using Restore-A-Finish, which is another Howard product. I'm not a fan of that. It's a very temporary fix. How to choose? So does it look like the finish is in pretty good condition but the wood basically seems dry and cracked? Try the Feed and Wax. I'm still on the fence about it's long term protection against cracks and drying...

Good luck!