Refinishing old furniture

When refinishing  old furniture, the preparation of the wood is critical, regardless of whether you are going to paint or revarnish.. Old furniture is mostly finished with varnishes, lacquer and shellac. Most of these are oil based and therefore, present a problem when applying water based paint. The first step I take when painting an older piece of furniture is determining what type of paint is already on the piece. Is it oil-based or is it water-based?

Determining if it’s a water-based or oil product is important. 

Old table refinished in white and yellow

Oil can be painted over water paint BUT water can’t be painted over oil. If you try to apply acrylic paint over oil paint, the paint will not adhere properly and yellow marks may show through on the surface!

Once you have determined the type of paint, it helps you to decide on the proper paint and primer that you will need for the project. 

Here’s a quick and fast way to find out if your piece of furniture is painted in acrylic or oil.  This technique will also work on walls, doors, cabinets, baseboards or any other painted surface!

1. Add some rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover to a cotton swab or a clean rag.

2. In a discreet area, wipe the surface back and forth with the rubbing alcohol.

3. If the paint starts to rub off and you see white or faded streaks, you know this has been painted with a water-based product.

4. If no paint comes off, then you know it has been painted with oil based products.

As a general rule the following steps should be followed when painting old furniture:

Step 1 – Clean and sand'

Mix sugar soap with warm water and wash down the work piece. When dry start to remove old finish. Test with 150 grit sand paper to see if the finish can be removed easily. If not, you might have to use a chemical paint stripper to do the job. Where the old finish is still in a good condition, it is not necessary to remove all the finish. Just remove the gloss and then use a finer sand paper such as 220 grit to smooth down the surface. Wipe the wood with a damp cloth to remove the dust.

Step 2 – Fill cracks and holes

Use wood filler to fill holes and cracks. Bigger holes could be filled with wood epoxy to provide a stronger patch. Sand it to a smooth finish. This step might be repeated when the under coat is applied because small scratches and dents will then be more visible.

Step 3 – Seal and prime

When painting with water based paint, it is important to first seal the wood to avoid yellow stains seeping through when you apply the paint. Use water based clear sealer. When dry, sand with a 220 grit sand paper and then apply a multi-purpose undercoat. The work piece should now be ready to apply the first top coat. Remember to sand the undercoat with 220 grit sand paper.

Step 5– Apply top coats (at least 2)

Water based enamel paint is ideal to use as a furniture paint. Some brands are thicker and are non-drip. Whatever the case, the paint should be thinned with water (10%) to make it easier to apply. Do not try and cover the wood in one thick coat. Rather put on 2 or 3 thinner coats and you will get a much smoother finish. Also remember to sand with 220 grit sand paper between coats. 

If you are thinking of refinishing old furniture as a home business, you should have a look at "Refinishing Old Furniture - start a home business" .

Find Old Furniture To Restore

 If you are going to develop your skills, you will have to get hold of old furniture to restore. These days old furniture can be found everywhere and often people sell furniture that is still in a good condition because they do not want to go to the trouble to fix it.

Vintage kitchen dresser restored to original state

The first option is to look at pawn shops and secondhand furniture shops. However, you should be careful because they are in the business of making a profit and you may end up paying too much for it. The main thing is to buy something that you like. It also depends on what you want to do with it. If you are going to keep it the price may not be that important. Should you want to fix it and sell it again for a profit, then price is very important. It’s  important to be aware of prices of secondhand furniture. Make sure that you know the value of a piece before you buy it. Remember if you are going to sell it you want to make a profit and the selling price must be lower than the price of a similar new piece of furniture.

The best option is to buy a piece that is not too badly damaged. Small defects such as cracks or loose joints can be fixed without too much effort. But if you have to replace some parts (e.g. a table leg), then it can become costly. In such a case you may have to go to a cabinet maker to make a new leg and more often than not you will have to take the whole piece apart to fit the new leg. Also, some hardwood types have become very rare and can be difficult to find and are usually very expensive.

Auctions can also be a good source for secondhand furniture. Again, beware of paying too much for it. If a piece is soiled or damaged you might get it for a very low price. Make up your mind what you want to pay for it and stick to that.

Keep an eye on your local news paper.  Be sure to first have a look at the piece before you make an offer. The internet is another option. Gumtree and other similar sites sometimes have good buys. Like with a news paper, you should try and see it before you buy.

To start off with your restoration and refinishing efforts, you should try and practice on your own furniture.  You can then afford to make mistakes.

Refinish Old Furniture – Enhance Appearance and Value

Pine cabinet resprayed in off-white

 Look out for cheap furniture at auctions, yard sales and flea markets. You can refinish old furniture and greatly enhance the appearance as well as the value. The only important consideration is that the piece must be structurally in good condition. Smaller repairs are ok but as soon as you have to replace parts and do major repairs, the costs will quickly be more than what the piece is worth.

I recently got a pine cabinet for a really good price and refinished it as shown in the picture. After removing the old varnish and filling up scratches and small nicks with white wood filler, I sprayed on a good wood primer. After leaving it over night, the next step was to sand it down with a 360 grit sand paper to a smooth finish. Then I sprayed two coats of an off white enamel paint (eggshell for a matt finish) and it came out really good. I used Plascon’s Afternoon Shower Super Enamel Pastel and it was thinned 10 parts to 1 part Thinners.

SA Pine sprays really well but because it tends to have a lot of knots, these should be treated and sealed before painting. A good knot sealer and wood filler will do the trick.