I don't know the species of wood this chair is made from, but it is solid wood. I chose not to fill the dings as a nod to the use this chair has seen over the decades. I think these add to the patina.

Here's how I refinished dad's chair.

To begin, I removed the seat. I then stripped the finish with a mild gel chemical stripper using plastic scrapers & rags.

Once the finish was removed, I sanded all surfaces using 320 grit sanding paper. The carved top section of the seat back was more time consuming. For that area, I used a toothbrush, cotton swabs & scraps of sanding paper.

The chair is structurally sound so no repairs were needed.

Next I selected a stain & polyurethane. I applied a coat of stain to all the wood using a cotton rag, wiping the excess. A rag pushes the color deeper into the grain. I put aside the chair to dry & turned to the upholstery.

I purchased black denim & batting for the seat. I removed the old cloth covering & added the batting & trimmed the denim to fit. After stretching it tight, I used my electric stapler to secure the material to the seat frame.

After the stained dried over night, I began the tedious task of once again sanding the wood with 320 grit sanding paper.

After cleaning off the dust I applied the first of four clear coats using a matte poly. After each coat dried, I sanded again-now using 400 grit sanding paper, wiping away the dust with a dry cloth & a mild puff of compressed air.

Once the poly dried, I highlighted the carving with semi gloss black paint.

After the finish cured, I hand rubbed the wood surfaces with #0000 steel wool & pure carnauba wax & buffed to a shine The final touch was adding the newly covered seat.

Dad would would be proud if he could his old chair being used once again.

PS-the blue carpeting in the before pic has been replaced with wood flooring. That's a story for another time.

If you'd like to hear it, please ask. I also have pics of that project.

Refinishing my dad's mid-1960s desk chair