How to Refinish Hardwood Furniture

Have you found a beautiful piece of hardwood furniture that you’d like to refinish? Learn how to refinish hardwood furniture quickly and effectively by following these tips.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber gloves
• Breathing mask
• Paintbrush
• Aluminum foil pan
• Chemical stripper
• Putty knife
• Fine steel wool

Instructions

How to Refinish Hardwood Furniture

1. Prepare the area. It’s recommended that you work outdoors. If you must work indoors, make sure that your home is ventilated. Open a few windows to protect yourself from chemical stripper vapors. Cover your flooring, as chemical stripper will eat the finish off of your floors.

2. Put on gloves and breathing mask.

3. Pour chemical stripper into aluminum foil pan. Do not empty all of the contents of the can; you can add more to the aluminum foil pan as needed. Close the can of chemical stripper quickly, because it will evaporate if it's left open.

4. Dip paintbrush into chemical stripper and apply it to hardwood furniture. Coat the piece of furniture evenly.

5. Wait a minimum of fifteen minutes before attempting to scrape old paint off of furniture. You’ll know when the hardwood furniture is ready to be scraped, as the chemical stripper will make the paint bubble.

6. Scrape the paint off gently with the putty knife. Be careful not to gouge the wood.

7. Once you’ve scraped excess paint from the piece of hardwood furniture, you should be able to see wood grain. If you do not see wood, repeat the chemical stripper process until you see wood.

8. When you’re finished with the chemical stripper, let the furniture dry for several hours. The chemical stripper will leave your hardwood furniture too wet to rub with steel wool right away.

9. Once your hardwood furniture has dried, rub fine steel wool over the surface of the furniture. Always go with the grain, not against it. Fine steel wool is gentler than most sandpaper and doesn’t leave scuff marks. It’s particularly useful on delicate hardwood furniture that has spindles or delicate details.

10. Now you’re ready to apply stain, a new coat of paint or a lacquer-type finish.

Tips & Warnings

• Use caution when using chemical stripper. Most chemical strippers are considered toxic. Do not eat, drink or smoke when you are using it. Never place contents on or near a heat source, as it is highly flammable. If your skin comes in contact with chemical stripper, wash your skin immediately.