How to Refinish Furniture

Refinishing furniture is a great DIY project. A chemical stripper is the quickest way to remove old finishes, but be sure to follow the directions and safety instructions on the container.

There’s another project that just require some basic skills and just a few hand tools but a lot of patience and that’s refinishing furniture. That might be a family piece like this sewing machine that’s been completely refinished. Let’s grade in the homeowners here can enjoy the look of it and the fruits of their labor each and everyday. Now, if you’re about to refinish a piece of furniture in your house, there are few things you need to consider to make the project a success. A chemical stripper is the quickest way to remove an old finished but there are a lot of different varieties so make sure you follow the directions carefully. If they say leave it on for 10 minutes then leave it on for 10 minutes before you begin scrapping. A patty knife was rounded edge is great for this job because it won’t tend to gavels the wood your working on and you can remove the stripper residue with water or mineral spilling depending on the type of stripper you’ve used. Now begin setting in with a more pores grid of paper then work up to a finer grip. The stripper, scrapping and solvent will raise the grain of the wood so you want it smooth back up. It’s messy but if you plan to stain with the rag you’ll have a little more control then, when the stain is dry you’re ready for several coats to finish sealer to protect the base.