How to Refinish Wooden Chairs
A wooden chair is an extremely versatile piece of furniture. It can be painted or stained and the cushions or upholstery can be changed to match any type of décor. Refinishing a wooden chair is often done to refresh the finish on the surface or to change the appearance of the furniture to match other furniture in the room. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Clean the wooden chair with trisodium phosphate (TSP). TSP will dull any shine on the surface of the chair as well as remove any residue.
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2
Sand the chair with medium grit sandpaper. Sand with the wood grain and remove the original finish. If you are planning to stain the furniture, continue sanding until you get to the bare wood. For painting simply roughen the surface of the chair so that it will better accept paint. Wipe away all sanding dust with a damp rag.
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3
Switch to fine grit sandpaper. Sand the entire wooden chair until the wood is soft to the touch. Fine grit sandpaper will smooth out any small scratches left by the medium grit paper. Wipe away the sanding dust with a damp rag. Skip this step if you are planning to paint the chair.
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Dip a clean brush into the stain and it lightly to the chair. Wipe away the excess stain with a clean rag. Repeat this process until you have covered the entire chair. Add more coats of stain to deepen the finish. Skip this step if you are planning to paint the chair.
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Paint the wooden chair with good quality acrylic paint. Dip a small trim brush into the paint. Use enough paint to avoid brush strokes but not so much paint that it puddles and creates drip marks. Cover the chair with a thin coat of paint. Allow the paint to dry. Apply an additional coat of paint. Skip this step if you have already stained the chair.
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Coat the chair with a urethane topcoat. Use a clean brush to apply the topcoat. Choose matte, satin or gloss finish. Any of the three will protect the furniture. Allow the topcoat to dry overnight before handling the chair.
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Tips & Warnings
If dealing with a lot of small crevices and intricate scrolling, fold the sandpaper in half so that the back of the paper folds over onto itself. Use the corner to reach small indentations and ridges.
References
- Photo Credit chair image by inacio pires from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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You should NEVER sand to remove finish on any wood piece of furniture - it removes the patina in the wood and you get an uneven stain plus it raises the grain of the wood. You should always use a paint remover to remove paint/stain from a piece of furniture, then, wash it down with denatured alcohol, stain and then put on at least two coats of polyurethane.
