Indian wooden furniture, like any other piece of furniture, is prone to damage. In general, wooden furniture often suffers from nicks, cracks, minor cracks, and broken or splintered sections. Often times, porous wood like maple can crack and dry out. Maple, however, is not widely used in making Indian furniture. In South India, where the climate is tropical and the temperature is humid, wooden furniture can easily warp. Furthermore, cosmetic defects can also damage Indian furniture. These include paint chipping and varnish melting. It is not impossible to repair your damaged Indian wooden furniture and restore it to good condition. It just requires a little care.

Before beginning the actual restoration process, transport the furniture to a dry section outdoors if the weather permits. Open all the windows to ensure ventilation if you find the furniture is too big to move outside. Lay some old newspapers on the floor to protect it from wood dust and chemical spills. Before starting your work, put on disposable rubber gloves and wear a safety mask.

To start the job of restoring your damaged Indian wooden furniture, use any of the available chemical stripping agents to remove the old varnish or paint. Take a clean brush, dip it into the stripping agent, and then spread it over the Indian wood furniture. Wait at least seven minutes for the agent to oxidize. Then start scraping off the top layers of paint or varnish with a putty knife or scraping tool.

Now put on a new pair of gloves to protect your hands from splinters. First, abrade the surface of your Indian furniture using a power sanding kit to smooth it evenly and bring out the grain. Use sandpaper to gently rub remote sections of furniture by hand. After that, remove all the dust with a clean brush.

Use some wood glue to re-glue any of the raised pieces of wood. Now, look at the furniture and carefully examine the joints. Re-glue any loose table or chair legs. As usual, first rub the surface with the sandpaper inside the joints to remove any old glue residue. Then apply glue to the inside surface of the joints and reattach the legs. Apply clamps to secure the pieces in place. Remove the clamps only after six to eight hours when the glue dries.

Apply a wood sealer to any splits or hairline cracks. Allow the sealer to dry. When both the glue and sealant dry, gently rub the surface again. Next, clean the wood dust off your Indian furniture.

Having done all of the above, stain your Indian wooden furniture. You can use a water-based staining agent for your wooden furniture in a wet or dry environment. You can also choose latex enamel-based paint if you want to paint your furniture. A couple of coats would be enough. Finally, apply a waterproof and insect-proof gloss finish to the wood.