Rare Victorian Forum

Here is an additional photo of the couch.

Gel stain would also be a good choice for touching up the worn areas (use a brush to apply it to the carved areas and a clean dry brush to remove the excess). Gel stains are a very thick jelly like stain. They work well for going over an old finish w/o stripping it to bare wood (they also work well on bare wood - especially woods that don't stain well like pine, cherry, birch, maple. Because they are so thick - they don't penetrate as much and the color will be much more even and uniform. Bartley, Old Masters and Woodkote are all good brands (I don't like Minwax Gel Stains). Check your local paint stores to find them or order online - may not be available @ many hardware stores. Can use a gel varnish over the top - sort of like a thin Vaseline - wipe or brush it on & wipe/ brush it off. Both very simple to use.   woodwright