How to Refinish Funiture

Old Wooden Furniture

Give new life to old wooden furniture with a little work and a fresh coat of paint or stain. You can easily decorate any room in your home inexpensively with furniture that you can refinish yourself. Find old wooden furniture in local thrift stores and flea markets; disregard the finish on the furniture and look at the design and the overall condition to determine if it will work in your room.

Things You'll Need

• Liquid stripper
• Scraper
• Gloves
• Electric sander
• Medium and light grade sandpaper
• Wood filler and putty knife
• Stain and sponge or paint and brush

Instructions

1. Remove the old finish from your furniture with an electric sander or liquid stripper if you're planning to refinish painted furniture with stain. You must remove every bit of paint and strip the furniture down to the wood in order to bring back the original beauty of the piece. Follow the manufacturer's directions and safety precautions when using the liquid stripper.

2. Sand the furniture with medium grade sandpaper if you plan to re-paint it. You only need to break the finish so that the furniture will accept the new paint more easily. Sand it again with light grade sandpaper to remove scratches that the medium grade paper left behind.

3. Repair any gouges or imperfections in the furniture with wood filler and a putty knife. Spread the filler into the gouge and press it in until it's even with the surface of the furniture. Let the filler dry and then sand it lightly.

4. Remove all of the sanding debris from the furniture with a damp cloth. If you leave debris on the surface, it will show up through the paint or the stain as you refinish the furniture.

5. Apply a coat of paint or a layer of stain to the furniture and let it dry. Follow the directions on the stain in reference to sanding between the layers. Sand if necessary and remove all of the debris. Continue adding layers of finish until you are happy with the result. Two or three coats of paint or stain should be sufficient for most projects. Let the finish dry completely.

6. Apply a layer of polyurethane for protection and shine to either the stained or the painted furniture. Let it dry and sand the furniture with light grade sandpaper. Remove the debris before adding another layer of polyurethane.

Tips & Warnings

• Always sand and stain in the direction of the wood grain.

• Always strip, sand and refinish wood in a ventilated space.

References

• Refinishing Furniture

Resources

• How to Refinish Furniture