How to Refurbish Old Furniture

Furniture necessarily gets beat up and worn down. When it comes to that for your furniture, don’t just throw it away – refurbish it! We have the necessary steps to do that, including how to prep it, paint it, and finish it properly. You’ll have great looking furniture for little cost with just a bit of work, so why not refurbish? Keep reading for how to go about it.

First, you’ll need to collect the necessary supplies. They are things you might expect: a drop cloth to contain the mess; a stripper to get off the old paint; a power sander to make easy work of the multiple sandings you have to do on the furniture; a putty knife to fix cracks; sandpaper for, well, sanding; cloths for cleaning; painter’s tape to keep non-wood parts paint-free; primer to prep the wood for paint; brushes and rollers (if necessary) to apply the paint; fine steel wool for the finish; paste wax for the finish; and, of course, paint. Of these, only a few need be addressed further: the stripper, the paste wax, and the paint.

• There are many options for paint strippers. One thing to be wary of when selecting the right one for you is that the ones with fewer chemicals may also take longer to work. Still, you’ll have to balance the pros and cons of the options yourself.
• As for paste wax, you should look for a blend of beeswax, carnauba, candelilla, and paraffin. This combination will grant you the optimal finish on your refurbished furniture, preserving your hard work for years to come.
• Last of all, the paint. You’ll have to choose between oil-based paint and latex paint. Oil-based paints are durable and can withstand cooler temperature, but they have a strong odor that will last for weeks as well as taking a while to dry. Latex, on the other hand, dries quickly and doesn’t have this odor problem. It is, however, better adapted for warm, dry temperatures, so it can be less optimal for harsher conditions.

Once you get all your supplies together, you’ll need to start in on the prep work.

1. Lay down your drop cloth.
2. Clean the furniture with a damp cloth.
3. Remove the hardware like handles, knobs, and pulls.
4. Take apart the furniture.
5. Strip the paint with the stripper and putty knife.
6. Give it the first sanding with medium-grit sandpaper.
7. Repair any cracks or holes in the furniture.
8. Sand it a second time, this time with fine-grit sandpaper.
9. Clean the furniture again with a damp cloth.
10. Protect areas you don’t want painted with painter’s tape.
11. Apply primer to the bare wood to help with paint or stain adherence.
12. Paint or stain the furniture and let it dry (can be up to a couple weeks for oil-based paint).
13. Protect the furniture with the wax. Let sit 15 minutes.
14. Buff it with steel wool.
15. Let it sit at least 2 days but up to 2 weeks.
16. Reassemble it.

It’s a number of steps, but believe us, it’s worth doing! For more information, consult the infographic below. Good luck on your furniture refurbishing project!