Tools, Tips, and Tricks for Refinishing Furniture

We hope you all had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!  Steffany and her family spent the weekend up at their family cabin, while I hung around home with my family and some friends relaxing and catching up on some much needed yard work.  Memorial Day weekend means summer is right around the corner!   With the weather getting warmer, we love to take on furniture projects.  Today we’re talking about refinishing furniture and some tools, tips and tricks we use and love.  We recently refinished this desk for a client, they wanted it two toned: the top stained, and the rest painted.  Man, we LOVE two toned furniture so we were thrilled!  Because this desk was all solid wood, we could do a stained top.  Of course, furniture has to be real wood in order to sand and stain it. 😉  We’ll be talking about all the tools, tips and tricks we used for this pretty desk but these tips and tricks are applicable to lots of furniture pieces.

Here’s the desk BEFORE.  (We already pulled a few drawers out then remembered to snap a picture,)  which actually leads us to the first step of a furniture makeover.  Remove all the drawers and hardware.               

In order to stain the top, we needed to sand off the finish down to the raw wood.  The only way to go is an electric sander.  Get some 60 grit sand paper to speed the process along.  

We have a Ryobi electric sander that cost about $20.  Absolutely worth every penny!

One of the most important tips we want to share is SAFETY FIRST!  Let’s just say it’s a rule. 🙂  Dust in the eyes and lungs is NOT fun, or healthy, or smart.  Take the extra 5 seconds to slap on a mask and some safety glasses.

Let the sanding begin!

                                    A great way to keep the mess under control is to use a shop vac as you go.  Sand for a few minutes,                                           then vacuum up the dust.  So helpful not only to contain the mess, but also to see your progress. 

Kind of a no brainer with this one, but use the electric sander as much as possible.  You can use the edges of the sander to get into the grooves.  So much easier than by hand.

Ta-da!  Super pretty wood on this desk.

Before painting, tape off the newly sanded top.  (We forgot to take a picture of this step before we started painting so just pretend the desk is not blue yet in this picture.) Also, be sure to clean the furniture with a damp cloth really well before painting.

Our next favorite tool is a paint sprayer.  BEST IDEA EVER!  This spray gun is from Harbor Freight and cost less than $20!  We haven’t had this particular sprayer for very long, but so far – it’s awesome.  We’ve talked about spraying furniture before and for $20, you just can’t go wrong.  It’s like a million times faster, gives a more professional look and it’s like a million times faster.  We said it twice.  Seriously, once you try a paint sprayer you will never live without one.  

Again, SAFETY FIRST.  Paint mask and safety glasses, especially important when spraying paint.  Plus awesome looking. 😉

We  used our DIY chalk paint (see details HERE and HERE.) We did 2 coats of the chalk paint followed by one coat of the regular paint to lessen the chalky look.  When spraying chalk paint, add an extra 1/8 cup or so of water.

Fast forward through one coat of stain on the top,  3 coats of paint, and 3 coats of sealer………

The desk AFTER:

We did some distressing on the edges and corners and simply spray painted the existing hardware.

We are IN LOVE with this desk!

Here’s the product and color details:

• Stain-  Minwax water based wood sheen, colonial walnut
• Paint- Krimson Lake (we use Behr paint + primer in one from Home Depot)
• Hardware paint- Rustoleum Metallic paint + primer in one spray paint, Oil Rubbed Bronze
• Sealer- Minwax Polycrylic semi-gloss

Let’s do a quick review of some of the Tools,  Tips and Tricks:

• Remove all doors and drawers before painting.
• Wipe down the furniture with a damp rag a couple times to remove all dirt, dust and goobers.
• Use an electric sander and a coarse (lower grit numbers=coarser) sand paper to remove finishes for staining.
• Only sand furniture if it’s REAL wood.
• Wear a mask and safety glasses when sanding.
• Use a Shop-vac to keep the mess down when sanding.
• Get yourself an inexpensive paint spray gun!
• Wear a legit painting mask and safety glasses when spraying paint.
• Water down the paint a little when using a spray gun.
• Spray paint old hardware for a new and updated look.

And of course a BEFORE and AFTER:

Linking up to some of these parties:

Sunday: Keeping it Simple-Block Party

Monday: Remodelaholic, Creatively Living Blog-Monday Funday,  Skip To My Lou Made by you Mondays, Your Homebased Mom– Inspiration Monday, Home Stories A-Z, DIY Showoff,  Sugar Bee Crafts-Show and Tell, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia-Inspire Me Monday