Furniture refinishing is a great way to revive items that would otherwise be too worn or out of style for your home. The same finishing process is used to recover an item found in an attic or to give a new look to second-hand items. Read on to learn how.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Choose and Prepare the Cabinet
Step 1. Choose the right piece
Not all furniture is suitable for finishing. Valuable antiques, for example, must be finished by a professional, as the processing could devalue it if you do not do it accurately. Look for these features in a piece to finish:
- Sturdy wooden furniture. Furniture made of thin wood that could be easily damaged, with chipboard, or other weak wood, are not suitable.
- Furniture without too many layers of paint. Removing layer after layer of paint is not worth the time it takes.
- Flat and smooth-looking furniture. If this is your first time, avoid furniture with intricate carvings or turned legs.
Step 2. Make a finishing project
Take a look at the piece of furniture you've chosen to finish and set up a plan to make it the perfect piece for your dining room, porch or kitchen. You have to take into consideration the following factors:
- What do you need to finish the piece? If it's painted, you'll need a paint stripper; if it has an old lacquer or cover, you need to take off the coating.
- How do you want your piece to look? Do you want to paint it in a new color, or do you want to leave the natural wood? You can't answer this question until you see what the wood looks like under the old paint or coating.
- Consider going to furniture stores, browsing the internet, and talking to experts for ideas on how to create the look you want.
Step 3. Purchase suitable materials
Now that you have the blueprint, you need the following materials to get the job done:
- Protective material. You need a fan (especially if you work indoors), safety glasses, chemical resistant gloves and an apron. To protect your floor or yard, get a chemical resistant tarp as well.
- Paint remover and / or scaling product. If the furniture has a layer of paint, you often have to strip it off to remove it. If not, simply sand the coating.
- Brushes for applying paint stripper and scraping tools.
- 100 grit sandpaper and / or a powerful sander, plus a finishing sander.
- Wood dye in the color of your choice.
- Protective polyurethane layer to fix the paint.
Step 4. Remove the furniture accessories
Remove knobs, handles, hinges, and other metal accessories to prepare the cabinet for finishing. You could risk ruining them with the chemicals used in the treatment of the furniture.
- Put the accessories in labeled bags so you can remember where they go once you put them back.
- Schedule to polish the accessories to fit the finished piece. Alternatively, you can purchase new ones.
Method 2 of 3: Remove the Old Paint and Finish
Step 1. Prepare the work area
Chemicals to remove paint and finish are highly toxic, so stay in a well-ventilated work area. Choose your garage, shed, or outdoor space.
- Avoid doing the work in one of the main rooms in your home. Even in basements that don't have sufficient ventilation.
- Open the protective sheet and spread it over a large area, apply the paint remover, use a brush and scraping tools to remove it if necessary.
- Turn on the fan (if you are indoors), wear gloves, an apron and safety glasses.
Step 2. Apply the stripping base
Dip the brush in the product and start applying it to the furniture. If the piece of furniture you're refinishing is large, arrange to remove the paint in sections rather than all at once. The paint stripper will bond to the paint, detaching it from the wood.
Step 3. Scratch off the paint
Use steel wool and other scraping tools to remove it. It should come off in large pieces.
- Pay the same attention to every corner of the cabinet. The stripping process affects the appearance of the underlying wood, so you need to make sure that each part receives the same treatment to ensure an even finish.
- If the furniture has multiple layers of paint, it may be necessary to repeat the process several times.
Step 4. Remove the old trim layer
Once the paint has been removed, the underlying finish must also be removed. Use a paintbrush to apply a thin coat of the chemical that removes the finish, then sand using a clean piece of steel wool. The furniture must dry completely.
- Now that the wood is bare, be sure to rub following the grain, and not the other way, so as not to damage it.
- If it seems to you that most of the old finish has also come off with the paint remover, you still need to apply a coat of paint remover to make sure there is no residue left. Then rinse the furniture with denatured alcohol or white spirit, and let it dry.
Step 5. Sand the furniture
Use a sander or 100 grit sandpaper. Apply force and spend the same amount of time on each part of the furniture to ensure an even finish. Use a suitable sander to make the surface look like new and completely smooth. Clean the cabinet with a cloth to remove dust, and it is ready for its new finish.
Method 3 of 3: Apply the Paint and Sealant
Step 1. Paint the cabinet
Use a paintbrush to apply an even coat of your chosen wood paint. Avoid overlapping brushstrokes, since each brushstroke creates a darker shade.
- You can test the paint on the underside of the cabinet to practice using the correct direction and pressure to get the color you want.
- Brush in the direction of the grain, so that the paint does not accumulate in the cracks and risk making them look darker than the rest of the furniture.
- Follow the instructions for cleaning the color with a soft cloth once it has been absorbed into the wood for a certain period of time. Letting the paint sit on the wood for longer will create a darker color.
Step 2. Apply the surface treatment
Use a brush to apply the nail polish chosen for the furniture, taking care to distribute it evenly. When you're done, let it dry completely.
- Use an old cloth or lint-free T-shirt to even out the finish even more.
- Make sure you apply a very thin layer, a thicker layer may appear cloudy rather than shiny.
Step 3. Sand the furniture
Use a fine-grit sandpaper to smooth the cabinet evenly after the finish has dried. Spend the same amount of time sanding each section so that all parts of the furniture look the same. If you wish, you can add another layer of color, let it dry, and sand again. Repeat until the liner looks complete.
Step 4. Put the accessories back
Screw knobs, hinges, handles and other accessories onto the completely dry and finished piece.
