Refinishing Your Own Furniture

There are many people who are not very good at woodworking, but like the idea of being able to make their own furniture.

While most people do not have the financial resources to make a complete home workshop, most will have the ability to apply stains and finishes. You can do an excellent job staining and finishing with minimal tools and a little experience. The good news is that if you make a mistake all you need to do is remove the finish and start over.

The main items you will need to refinish furniture are: various grits of sandpaper, good paintbrushes, rags, and tons of patience. While you may be able to speed up the job with an electric sander, some hand sanding will still be required. A great electric sander for refinishing is an orbital sander that can both vibrate and swirl.

There are some stores that sell unfinished furniture for those of us you are looking for this type of project. You can usually find a fairly good selection of furniture styles in a variety of woods including oak, pine, and others. You will have the option of purchasing individual pieces, such as a bookcase or armoire, or a complete collection.

Unfinished furniture, also called raw furniture, will give you the challenge of determining the best way to finish it. You have lots of choices available to you, including stains, paints, and clear coats. Stains are available in natural wood colors and with more vibrant color hues like purple and red. Stains will allow the natural character of the wood to come through, no matter what color you choose, paints will completely cover the wood.

When it comes to a clear coat, or top coat, you will have three main choices: gloss, semi-gloss, or flat. There are many new water based polyurethane finishes that have lots of benefits, mainly that there are no toxic fumes and a very easy clean up. They also go one very easily and dry quickly.

Hand painted finishes are gaining in popularity recently. You can create an elegant French country look or a charming folk style. You can even apply a custom faux finish, making it look like everything from beautiful marble to elegant steel.

You will enjoy your finishing project most if you take your time and don’t worry if it does not come out exactly as you had envisioned. You will learn over time that some of your favorite pieces are those that came out differently than you had intended.


 

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