The thesis describes self-made solvent gels and their features, and how they can be used as paint remover in the field of furniture restoration. Solvent gels were compared in terms of health and effectiveness. Altough solvent gels have been used in art conservation for many years, this thesis sought to find a use for solvent gels in furniture restoration. This thesis also contains a description of the history of corner cabinets in Finland and the process of restoring the corner cabinet. The furniture restored in this thesis was a Swedish renaissance style corner cabinet probably from the 16th century. Many layers of paint had made the cabinet look really stuffy and it no longer looked anything like the original. The intention of this restoration was to remove the multible layers of paint and restore the cabinet to look as it did in the 16th century.
The result of the restoration corresponded to the original appearance of the cabinet and it provided better and more authentic information about painted decoration from that era. Therefore, the cabinet had no just its appearence but also its cultural and financial values restored. Solvent gels can be used in many varying ways in restoration. The most fitting way to use solvent gels in furniture restoration is to remove paint or varnish layers without damaging the surface treatment layer underneath. Because solvent gels are self-made, the ingredients and the time that solvent gel affects the surface can be determined so that the gel does not react with the surface beneath. By this means, only the desired layers of paint or varnish need be removed. Gelling agents bind solvents better and they prevent their quick evaporation. This makes the use of solvent gels healthier than using industrial paint removers containing ingredients which are detrimental to health.