Purchased a Mid century dining table and chairs. However the chairs upholstery and seat were soaked in urine. The urine has absorbed into the wood. I tore off the upholstery and foam. However I don't have any experience restoring furniture. Would I simply send it with sand paper, then clean it with some sort of solution, and use the Kilz paint primer to seal off the odor? I don't have a power sander, so was wondering if I could buy a sanding sponge, or just several types of sand paper. Here are my photos in this link. Thank you Evan https://ibb.co/album/q3Kbnq

I would clean off anything on the surface with water and dish detergent.  Let dry completely.  Sand to remove the fuzz.  Shellac will seal in odors.   I've used it to seal in cat urine from a customer's china cabinet that was used as a marker between two male cats in a home.

If you use the Kilz paint primer then you have to paint the chairs. 

Shellac, as Keith recommends, will let you keep the natural wood look.

1 hour ago, HandyDan said:

If you use the Kilz paint primer then you have to paint the chairs. 

Shellac, as Keith recommends, will let you keep the natural wood look.

Thank you for the advice. I will go with the Shellac, as I definitely want to keep the natural wood look. What grits of sand paper should I purchase to remove the fuzz as Kmealy suggested? 

1 hour ago, kmealy said:

I would clean off anything on the surface with water and dish detergent.  Let dry completely.  Sand to remove the fuzz.  Shellac will seal in odors.   I've used it to seal in cat urine from a customer's china cabinet that was used as a marker between two male cats in a home.

Thank you so much! It's a blessing to find a space like this website to get quality advice. 

Would you recommend the spray can Shellac recommended for these 2 seats? 

20 minutes ago, Evan said:

Thank you for the advice. I will go with the Shellac, as I definitely want to keep the natural wood look. What grits of sand paper should I purchase to remove the fuzz as Kmealy suggested? 

 

I always sanded my stuff to 220 grit but you can go higher grit if you prefer.

"Purchased....soaked in urine"

 

even for free, i'd think i'd pass.

 

as above, shellac to seal it off if you want to retain the grain, otherwise Kilz to seal it off if you are going to paint.

3 hours ago, DAB said:

"Purchased....soaked in urine"

 

even for free, i'd think i'd pass.

 

as above, shellac to seal it off if you want to retain the grain, otherwise Kilz to seal it off if you are going to paint.

I made the mistake in not smelling the seats when I purchased the table and 2 chairs for $140. I think it's from a person and not pets, as it was purchased from a real estate auction. I bought it from a married couple who flipped furniture but they were going through a divorce. 

 

Also my first home that I purchased last year has carpet and pet urine stains. Would the best solution be buying some sort of enzymatic cleaner by the gallon, and spraying the sub floor with it, then allow it dry for a few days, then seal it with oil based Kilz after that? Previous owner lived there 23 years and died at age 93 with at least one dog who soiled the carpet frequently. Thanks Evan 

On 12/30/2024 at 7:39 AM, kmealy said:

I would clean off anything on the surface with water and dish detergent.  Let dry completely.  Sand to remove the fuzz.  Shellac will seal in odors.   I've used it to seal in cat urine from a customer's china cabinet that was used as a marker between two male cats in a home.

 

Good reminder on the shellac.  Friend from work is trying to salvage some furniture from his late grandmother's house, and asked already about cleaning off years of cigarette tar.  Some pieces have the pet urine problem too, but I'd forgotten how good shellac is as a sealer.

I used to get proprietary wipes (now discontinued) that were my "one step up" cleaning product.  They were really good at removing smoke residue from either smoking or wood/coal heat.  They had the same cleaning product as Formula 409.   They would clean off stuff that multiple attempts (by the customer) using Murphy's Oil Soap did not.

We used 409 in the electronic repair shop I worked for in high school.  That stuff worked very well on smoke residue - I would bet products like simple green would also do well as they have a pretty high pH and should cut greasy goo left by smoke.

try a test of pet urine stain remover. 

 

My go to cleaner is 1 part vineger (6% acidity) and 2 parts water with just a little bit of dawn to break the surface tension. Might try just straight vinegar for wood soaked in urine though. Also, agree with shellac for a sealer.