QA

Question: How To Refinish Antique Furniture

How do you restore old wood furniture without stripping?

How to restore wood furniture without sanding and stripping Remove any hardware. Wipe on mineral spirits. Clean the surface. Fix the white rings. Fill small cracks and imperfections. Try to fix the dents. Restore the colour with gel stain. Renew the lustre with a wipe-on finish.

How do you make old wood look new again?

Mix thoroughly ¾ cup of oil (canola oil is perfect) and ¼ cup of vinegar (white or apple cider). Follow application instructions, and your wood pieces will be looking as good as new in no time!Jul 10, 2014.

Is it better to sand or strip furniture?

Stripping a finish is faster than sanding to remove it. But more importantly, sanding cuts through stain and patina (the color changes in wood caused by light and oxidation), and it does so unevenly. Jan 3, 2018.

How do you refinish finished furniture?

Clean. Any refinishing furniture DIY starts with basic cleaning. Examine. Take an overall assessment of the piece and determine if it needs any repairs. Remove the Old Finish. Sanding. Chemical Stripper. Seal the Wood. Stain or Paint. Apply Finish.

Can you stain over varnish?

It is possible to apply stain over varnish, as long as you aren’t expecting results similar to those when staining untreated wood that drinks in the stain. Clean and rough-up the varnish first to remove any grime, dust or debris and also to give the surface some texture the stain can cling to.

Can weathered wood be restored?

Just like any material, when exposed to the elements, it can slowly degrade. But, you can bring old wood back to life by using boiled linseed oil and prepare it for a few more decades of service life. Don’t let grey, weathered wood convince you to replace it when all it needs is a little TLC.

How do you fix wood stain blotches?

If blotches appear, gradually add varnish to the homemade mix or apply additional coats of conditioner until it blocks the blotch. Don’t exceed one part varnish to two parts mineral spirits. Lightly sand the wash-coated surface using the same grit you used on the unfinished wood.

How can I make my wood furniture look better?

The first step to restoring old wood furniture is to give it a good cleaning with an orange or lemon-oil cleaner. Don’t waste your time with furniture polish, go straight for the good stuff: Murphy’s Oil Soap. Spray or wipe on, let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes and then wipe off.

How do you remove varnish from old furniture?

All you need to do is start with 150-grit sandpaper and sand the entire surface. Once you’ve done that, move onto 220-grit sandpaper and repeat. This should remove the varnish. An orbital sander will make this job much easier and quicker if you’re removing varnish from a flat surface.

Can you stain over stain?

Staining over stain is easy and works beautifully if your applying a dark stain over a lighter stain on raw wood. 2. You can mix 2 or more stains together to make DIY custom stains.

Why is my wood blotchy after stripping?

After stripping the old finish off wood furniture you may notice a discoloration that remains on it. This is caused by old wood stain that is deep within the grain where the stripping agent was unable to penetrate. Even sanding does not always remove this discoloration, since the grooves are sometimes very deep.

How do you renew old wooden furniture?

To rejuvenate wooden pieces, clean them off to remove dirt and grime, repair any chips and cracks, then apply gel stain and finish. Or, sand off the old finish and apply wood oil or wood stain to give an old piece new life or update it to match your decor.

Can you refinish wood without sanding?

Minwax® PolyShades® is an easy way to change the color of your currently stained or polyurethane finished wood. There’s no stripping or heavy sanding necessary to remove the old finish!.

Can I stain over stain without sanding?

You do not need to sand off the previous stain and finish. The purpose of the light sanding is to give a little tooth to the surface to help your new stain colour stick.

Can you put new varnish over old varnish?

You read correctly – new varnish may be applied over old without removing the old. Clean the surface thoroughly, then sand enough to remove the present sheen entirely. Wipe clean with a tack cloth, the recoat.

What’s the difference between wood stain and varnish?

While a stain deeply penetrates wood, a varnish remains on the outside of your surfaces, forming a protective barrier. A varnish is usually clear and transparent, and it will harden along the outer layer of your wood.

How much should you sand before staining?

For “hard to stain” woods, finish sanding with 120 grit will usually accommodate the problem. For finish sanding on most furniture hardwoods (e.g., cherry and mahogany) use 180 grit or 220 grit. The use of grits up to 600 is certainly allowed but is not standard practice.

How do you get wood back to natural color?

How to get raw wood look on furniture: Remove the old finish (leaving some darker color in nicks and grooves is fine) Apply 1-2 coats of a hydrating wax finish (like Fusion Mineral Paint’s beeswax) Apply 1 coat of Amy Howard’s cerusing wax.

What happens if you sand stained wood?

This coarser type of sandpaper leaves a different scratch pattern on the surface of the wood. The aggressive scratches of the sandpaper leave more scratches, so when you add stain on top of that, the pigment particles in the stain have more places to lodge and add that darkening effect.

How do you fix a bad stain job?

Several Ways to Fix a Bad Stain Job Apply Stain in Selected Places to Even the Look. Apply Thinner to Wipe Away Darker Areas. Apply One More Coat on the Entire Surface to Even the Look. Sand the Existing Stain Off the Project. Use a Chemical Stripper to Remove the Stain.