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Wood and Plastic Restoration and Cleaning

Wood and Plastic Restoration and Cleaning

You may have a piece of furniture that is soiled, slightly scratched and worn, but not
damaged badly enough to require stripping and refinishing. You may own a valuable antique
whose beauty might be enhanced but whose quality could be greatly diminished if you stripped
the old finish away, or did anything more than dust the piece. You may own a piece of furniture
that really needs some attention but your time or personal situation may not allow you to refinish
it just now. What to do—clean it and/or recondition it? Cleaning and reconditioning may
accomplish the task or will temporarily solve the problem until you can do a more thorough
refinishing.


Some methods for cleaning and reconditioning are:

  1. Cleaning/washing
  2. Abrasion
  3. Over coating
  4. Reamalgamation
  5. Padding
  6. Patching
    They are listed in order of increasing difficulty. Use the method that will require the least
    work to accomplish the desired result.

How to Clean a Wood Grain BMW

Step 1

Dust the wood grain with a microfiber cloth. This is the best way to get rid of simple fingerprint smudges and standard routine maintenance of the interior trim. Microfiber cloth will delicately wipe the wood grain and the knit construction of the cloth is designed to pick up dust and oils without leaving lint behind.

Step 2

Clean the wood grain using a simple solution of gentle laundry detergent and water. Use the microfiber cloth to swab the trim thoroughly. Follow this with a plastic polish-cleaner, preferably with some type of UV protection to protect the finish from the sun. This is especially helpful for convertibles.

Step 3

Repair any minor scratches in the wood grain finish with scratch removal polish. This will fill in any surface abrasions capable of quick repair. To test the depth of a scratch, gently run a fingernail over it. If the nail catches, the scratch is probably too deep to repair with a simple polish.

Wax the wood grain with a spray wax or an oil soap. This will restore the sheen of the trim. Add a small amount with a microfiber cloth and wipe it on the trim. Then buff it off with another clean cloth; do not allow the compound to stay on very long or it will over-saturate the finish.

Can plastic be restored?

In theory, it is possible to restore the appearance of the plastic by using a heat gun. By gently heating the plastic, you’re bringing out the oils within the material, restoring the color.

How do you bring black plastic back to life?

If your plastic object is dirty, wash it with soap and warm water. Dry it off with a towel before restoring it to prevent the olive oil from slipping off. Pour a coin-sized amount of olive oil on a cloth. Olive oil can restore black plastic’s natural color, clearing up any faded or discolored areas.

How do you remove sun damaged plastic?

Wash off the plastic with some soap and water so it’s nice and clean, then dry it off completely with a clean towel. Take some 220 to 320-grit sandpaper and gently scrub the plastic surface to rough it up and give your paint something to stick to. Then, wash and dry it again.