Please help - Oak Cabinet is dried out...

Chris 22

Hi,

I have recently bought an oak cabinet and the top is dried out and I need to find a solution for restoring it to its former glory. I have treated it with a wax furniture polish, and it seemed to work initially, but it absorbed it very quickly and I need another solution, so if anyone can help me I would apppreciate it.

Many thanks

sdsester

Chris, could you please click on your username and post your general location.

If the oak top is so dry and absorbing whatever you put on it it must not have much of a protective finish on it or it was an oil finish to start.

You might try some furniture oil to see if this helps but without seeing it I am reluctant to give you any absolute recommendations. Oiling it will limit your refinishing options and might cause some discoloration.

If you have a woodworking store near you, you might stop in and ask them what they recommend. You might want to call in a furniture refinishing pro for advice and services too?

It sounds like you might be, or at least the cabinet came from, a crackling dry winter climate like we have here? For the sake of all your finer furnishings you should add some humidity during the winter. And if you have humid summers like we do, suck the moisture out during the summer.