How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
Learn how to refinish wood furniture in 5 steps, and revitalize and refurbish any piece of wood furniture.
Do you have a piece of wood furniture that you would love to restore? Maybe it has some chips in it, the stain is faded or you just want to refinish it completely.
We had these kitchen bar stools for almost 6 years before I finally decided it was time for a refresh. Thankfully the tops of these stools were solid wood, so I was able to use my 5 step refinishing process.
A good tip to keep in mind anytime you are looking to buy furniture ,especially if you like that metal and wood look as is custom for a lot of farmhouse or even modern decor, is to find a piece where the wood component is actually wood and not a composite. That way you can restore it down the road. .
These barstools survived two houses, and they clearly needed a little refinishing love. This 5 step process is what I use for refinishing all wood furniture.
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How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
You Will Need:
- Orbital hand sander
- 60 grit sanding disc
- 120 grit sanding disc
- Tack Cloth
- Minwax Espresso Stain
- Paintbrush <—- The Wooster Shortcut is my FAVORITE
- 220 fine-grit sandpaper sheets
How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
1. Remove hardware from the wood.
How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
2. Sand the wood.
Initially use a larger grit sandpaper like a 60 grit or a 100 grit. Lightly sand with a finer grit like 220 for a smooth unfinished surface.
How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
3. Clean the wood.
Clean off the newly sanded wood with a brush and follow that up with a tack cloth.
How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
4. Stain the wood.
On this wood I used Minwax Espresso Stain. Rub in with a dry cloth. Allow to dry according to the instructions on the can.
How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
5. Finish the wood.
Apply 2-3 coats of polyurethane allowing to dry fully in between coats according to the instructions on the can. Sand in between with a 220 grit sandpaper and wipe down prior to reapplying the poly.
How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
after
How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Easy Steps
Before and After
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How to Refinish Wood Furniture in 5 Steps
Equipment
- Orbital Hand Sander
- Power Drill (Maybe)
Ingredients
- 60 grit sanding disc
- 100 grit sanding disc
- 1 tack cloth
- 1 paint brush
- 1 can stain
- 1 can polyurethane (satin finish)
- 1 sheet 220 grit sandpaper
Instructions
- 1. REMOVE HARDWARE FROM THE WOOD.
- 2. SAND THE WOOD.Initially use a larger grit sandpaper like a 60 grit or a 100 grit. Lightly sand with a finer grit like 220 for a smooth unfinished surface.
- 3. CLEAN THE WOOD.Clean off the newly sanded wood with a brush and follow that up with aย tack cloth.
- 4. STAIN THE WOOD.Rub in with a dry cloth. Allow to dry according to the instructions on the can.
- 5. FINISH THE WOOD.Apply 2-3 coats of polyurethane allowing to dry fully in between coats according to the instructions on the can. Sand in between with a 220 grit sandpaper and wipe down prior to reapplying the poly.
This is just the post I was looking for! I recently had my cabinets updated by a cabinet refinisher. I was so impressed with how the cabinets turned out that I’ve been looking for other wood items around the house that can be refinished. I picked up a stunning coffee table at the thrift store that I plan on refinishing using your steps! I’m hoping it turns out as good as yours!
Awww that’s amazing!! I would love to hear how it went!!
I had no idea refinishing furniture was this easy. I am going to get to work updating several pieces of furniture this weekend. I am so excited.