Restoring Oak Crown Molding

When restoring oak crown molding, the tricks to the trade are very similar to refinishing old oak pieces of furniture. My personal preference is to refinish or restore oak crown molding if it is tarnished, cracked or severely discolored. It may be possible to match the old oak crown molding with new if you find a lumber store that handles a wide selection of old style oak crown molding. Most generally though, finding new crown molding to match an old style is virtually impossible. When the decision is finally made that you are going to refinish or restore any oak crown molding you will need to remove the crown molding from the wall, sand all the old finish off, stain, varnish and then re-install the refurbished oak crown molding.

When removing the oak crown molding from the ceiling for restoration, you will need a ladder, claw hammer, rag, pencil and a flatbar. Gentle remove your old oak crown molding by tapping the flatbar under the wood with your hammer taking care that you are lining up the flatbar where there are indications of nail heads. Gently pry the wood from the wall making sure not to splinter the wood as you are removing it. You may pull the nails through the wood and leave them in the wall. Make sure to pull these nails out after the oak crown molding has been removed. As you are removing the crown molding, make sure to mark the back of the molding with a number along with the wall to indicate where the pieces will be reinstalled.

Remaining nails in the oak crown molding should be removed by gently tapping them from the back to the front. Once the head has been tapped forward far enough for a claw hammer to be used to pry them the rest of the way out, have some type of rag to put under the hammer to help prevent denting of the wood.

Once you have removed all the nails from the oak crown molding, it's now time to begin sanding. Work one piece at a time. Hand sand the finish entirely off so you get down to the bare wood. Fold and bend the sandpaper into the shape of the wood to remove all previous stain and varnish. If you decide to use stripper, you will still want to sand the piece when you are through so the wood absorbs the new stain in an even fashion. As you are sanding, blow off the excess to ensure a good visual of the wood. Once you have finished sanding, tack down the wood with a tack cloth to remove any excess dust and dirt.

Now that the sanding has been completed, lay all of the oak crown molding out so staining may commence. Stir or shake your can of stain to make sure the color is evenly distributed throughout. I prefer mixing with a paint stick to avoid air bubbles. Because of the design in crown molding, I prefer brushing the stain on the wood. (I recommend wearing rubber gloves if you are using oil based stain. By doing this, you will prevent stains on your hands and have easier clean-up.) Evenly apply the stain while following the grain of the wood. Make sure you do not leave any puddles as this will cause that area to be darker than another. Depending on the look that you are trying to achieve, you may want to wipe the stain off the crown molding after application. This will give the piece a rich look and smooth out any lines you may have left from the paint brush. Let the wood set at least 24 hours before applying the stain.

Once the stain has dried for a minimum of 24 hours, you may apply the varnish. Most generally, on old oak crown molding should use high gloss varnish. Satin is acceptable according to your taste. When applying any type of varnish use a brush and work slowly. It is very important to follow the grain of the wood and prevent any bubbles from forming in the varnish. Use a bristle brush rather than a foam brush to help avoid problems with bubbling. Let the first coat dry for 24 hours. If you desire a second coat, lightly sand the first coat with steel wool or a very fine sand paper. Sanding helps the second coat of varnish to stick. If a second coat is applied, wait 24 hours before installation.

Now that the restoration of the oak crown molding is complete, it's time to reinstall. Match the number on the back of each piece with the number on the wall. Utilize the old nail holes as much as possible using trim nails. When hammering the nails into the crown molding, do not hammer the head all the way in. Leave it above the surface approximately a 1/16^th of an inch. Finish pounding the nail in using a nail tap. This will alleviate any denting of the wood from your hammer. Once the nail head has been sunk, fill the hole with wood putty.

Restoring oak crown molding is a simple process. It takes elbow grease and time to do it right but when it's done, the results are amazing.