We have some IKEA dining chairs that are solid oak. One fell off the table when cleaning and a leg snapped. I’ve got it glued and pinned, but I want to sand it smooth. If I do this the finish will need to be re-applied.

So how do I identify what kind of finish and how best to approximate? It’s clearly not critical as it’s just cheap everyday stuff, but I’d like to have a go. I was thinking some kind of stain gradually applied til it’s the same.cour then maybe a wax?

If anyone’s familiar with IKEA finishes then advice would be good, or I can post a picture?

Have a look at the Osmo options. There’s bound to be something that will do
https://osmouk.com/

Osmo might be a bit overkill for Ikea furniture – it probably costs more for a small can than the original chair cost new 😉

Do this.

I can’t see Ikea using any sort of dark stain on Oak, so after sanding, try a bit of Danish oil or something. It’ll darken it a little.

I’m betting it’s a sprayed UV cured lacquer or oil, in which case, especially with lacquer, you’ll see whatever line you’ve sanded to. You’d be better off doing the whole leg.