I need your best tips for furniture refinishing!

[Nakia]

My oldest daughter wants a desk for Christmas, and we can't afford a brand new solid wood desk. I found one at a thrift store for $45!! I am so excited. It is solid wood and has some really cool lines. She is going to love it! It does need some work, so I would love to hear any tips you have on refinishing furniture. I'm not sure if I am going to paint it white to match her bed and chest of drawers or stain it cherry to match her desk chair that she loves (another thrift store find--$5!!). Thanks!

[Blossom'sGirl]

I just redid a small farmhouse table I bought when I was single. I sanded the top down (electric sander), but I painted the legs. For the top, I used an oil based stain and polyurethane. I sanded and painted the legs white using two coats of Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic Semi-Gloss. I also put on two coats of water-based polyurethane (oil-based will yellow over paint) over the paint to protect it from dings a little better. I have never done that before, but now that I see how much better it holds up, I would like to touch up my bookcases and polyurethane them.

 

If you do use an electric sander be careful of swirl marks. You have to start with 60 grit and do several passes using a higher number each time. Also the Pro-Classic paint does not come in dark colors. I wanted to get it in a rich coffee-black but couldn't.

[Cera]

Use an oil based finish rather than a water based. It will be stronger and go on smoother. If it just has scuff marks but nto significant damage you might be able to get away with a product like Howard's restor-a-finish (sold at home depot). It is a tinted oil based compound that can remove white rings, small scratches, etc.

[Serendipity]

Here are a few sites to get you started:

 

http://alittleofthis---alittleofthat.blogspot.com/

 

 

http://www.allthingsthrifty.com

 

 

http://www.fleamarkettrixie.com

 

Edited to add: http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/10/spray-paint-faqs/

 

These ladies thrift store shop and then re-do their finds. Hope this helps...

 

:)

Edited October 13, 2010 by Serendipity
To add another link.

[May]

My dh and I have refurnished lots of furniture (kitchen table, dresser, night stands, bookcases, whatnot stands, desk, vanity etc) until we ran out of space in our house:001_smile: Most all of it was from the Salvation Army or found curbside. Anyway... first try to determine what kind of wood it is. If it is a more expensive wood, oak, maple or cherry, I would be hesitant to paint it because once it's painted, it's much harder to go back to the natural wood. I found a beautiful solid maple dresser at Salvation Army for my dd. I had promised her she could paint it, but once we realized it was maple, we tried to talk her out of it, no luck. We also primed it before painting (makes the paint go on smoother and more even) and to take it back to the natural wood would require lots of work. On a desk, you could use an orbital sander on the larger surface. Dremel also makes some nice tools to make the job easier. If you do paint it, I suggest you get a piece of glass for the top. You will have less chance of marking in the wood when she presses down to write. Have fun:001_smile:

[Nakia]

My dh and I have refurnished lots of furniture (kitchen table, dresser, night stands, bookcases, whatnot stands, desk, vanity etc) until we ran out of space in our house:001_smile: Most all of it was from the Salvation Army or found curbside. Anyway... first try to determine what kind of wood it is. If it is a more expensive wood, oak, maple or cherry, I would be hesitant to paint it because once it's painted, it's much harder to go back to the natural wood. I found a beautiful solid maple dresser at Salvation Army for my dd. I had promised her she could paint it, but once we realized it was maple, we tried to talk her out of it, no luck. We also primed it before painting (makes the paint go on smoother and more even) and to take it back to the natural wood would require lots of work. On a desk, you could use an orbital sander on the larger surface. Dremel also makes some nice tools to make the job easier. If you do paint it, I suggest you get a piece of glass for the top. You will have less chance of marking in the wood when she presses down to write. Have fun:001_smile:

 

At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, how can I tell what kind of wood it is?

[Nakia]

I just redid a small farmhouse table I bought when I was single. I sanded the top down (electric sander)' date=' but I painted the legs. For the top, I used an oil based stain and polyurethane. I sanded and painted the legs white using two coats of Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic Semi-Gloss. I also put on two coats of water-based polyurethane (oil-based will yellow over paint) over the paint to protect it from dings a little better. I have never done that before, but now that I see how much better it holds up, I would like to touch up my bookcases and polyurethane them.

 

If you do use an electric sander be careful of swirl marks. You have to start with 60 grit and do several passes using a higher number each time. Also the Pro-Classic paint does not come in dark colors. I wanted to get it in a rich coffee-black but couldn't.[/quote']

 

Thanks!!

 

Use an oil based finish rather than a water based. It will be stronger and go on smoother. If it just has scuff marks but nto significant damage you might be able to get away with a product like Howard's restor-a-finish (sold at home depot). It is a tinted oil based compound that can remove white rings, small scratches, etc.

 

The stain that is on it is pretty damaged, and there are some nicks on the drawers. It is going to need to be completely sanded down to the bare bones.

 

Here are a few sites to get you started:

 

http://alittleofthis---alittleofthat.blogspot.com/

 

 

http://www.allthingsthrifty.com

 

 

http://www.fleamarkettrixie.com

 

Edited to add: http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/10/spray-paint-faqs/

 

These ladies thrift store shop and then re-do their finds. Hope this helps...

 

:)

 

Wow!! Great websites! Thanks!!

[Blossom'sGirl]

I forgot, if you do paint definitely sand and prime first.

 

A staining trick I use quite often is doing different shades of stain. If I am using a real soft wood, like pine, and I want it to take on a cherry color, I will stain it in pine or oak first to get the heavy absorption and then go over it a second time with the cherry stain. I did my farmhouse table, with soft mystery wood, in a real dark walnut first but did it very lightly for a short time. This brought the grain out. Then I went over it in oak to warm it up. I always test first in an inconspicuous spot.

[Nakia]

I forgot' date=' if you do paint definitely sand and prime first.

 

A staining trick I use quite often is doing different shades of stain. If I am using a real soft wood, like pine, and I want it to take on a cherry color, I will stain it in pine or oak first to get the heavy absorption and then go over it a second time with the cherry stain. I did my farmhouse table, with soft mystery wood, in a real dark walnut first but did it very lightly for a short time. This brought the grain out. Then I went over it in oak to warm it up. I always test first in an inconspicuous spot.[/quote']

 

I'm not sure what kind of wood this desk is made of or how to find out, but it is definitely hard and heavy. Not pine. How can I tell what kind it is?