Who hasn’t thought about picking up that dated piece of wood furniture and bringing it new life? Is it worth it? In this article I’ll show you how to refinish wood furniture and breathe new life into it. I’ll show you my process for how I go about refinishing wood furniture.

This project contains a paid product integration from Minwax. All opinions are herein are my own. Visit my disclosure page for more information on affiliate and compensation this site accepts. 

Step #1: SAND!

I know what you’re thinking, “I hate sanding!”. I know. Trust me, so do I. However, if you want to have a quality finish when it’s all said and done, you have to do a good job with your prep. Depending on the piece of furniture you’re working with and the finish you are planning to add on top of the current, this could either be fast or incredibly painstaking. If you’re going to be painting over the current finish, a light sand is probably enough. However, if you’re going to be re-staining, it’s best to get down to the raw wood and that takes time and effort.

I always start with 80-grit and remove as much of the old clear coat and stain as possible. Once I’ve got most of the material removed, then I’ll move on to 120-grit before doing another pass at 220-grit. 220-grit is sufficient for most finishes but I’ll occasionally go up to 400-grit on tabletops and desks.

Paint vs Stain

Paint:

• Painting requires less sanding. Often times just scuffing up the existing finish is adequate to prep the surface.
• Always use a quality primer over the existing finish before adding your new paint finish.

Stain:

• Requires more prep work and sanding. Often sanding all surfaces down to 220 grit and removing any existing stain.
• Occasionally you can stain a darker color over a lighter color without as much sanding.

STEP #2: Pre-Condition

With the majority of the sanding out of the way you’re ready for a new finish….almost! Don’t overlook a quality pre-conditioner if you’re going to be using a stain. ESPECIALLY if you’re refinishing a piece of furniture made out of a soft wood (pine, alder, etc). If you’re going to be staining a soft wood (and even some hardwoods), get in the habit of using a pre-conditioner. For this project, I used Minwax Water Based Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. Pre-conditioning helps even out stains so you don’t end up with blotchy spots. Pre-conditioner can also help with spots you may not have been able to fully remove the old finish. It just helps even out the finish and is a great habit to get into using.

Step #3: Choosing a Stain

Choosing the right stain is essential for the success of your finished product. There are a bunch of variables to consider including the final color of the piece. One of the biggest things to consider is:

Oil-Based vs Water-Based:

Oil-Based:

• Pro: Oil based finishes are typically more durable
• Pro: Oil based finishes usually don’t raise grain require additional sanding
• Con: Oil based have longer drying time and heavy odors
• Con: Oil based are less eco-friendly and require solvents/thinners to clean up

Water Based: 

• Pro: Water-based are easy to work with and clean up
• Pro: Water-based stains are UV resistant
• Pro: Water-based stains are more forgiving and easily fixed if a mistake is made
• Pro: Fast dry time and low odor
• Con: Water-based often raises grain in wood projects requiring sanding between coats
• Con: Water-based are not as durable as oil-based

Choosing the proper finish is largely a matter of preference and what is available. Typically water-based is more forgiving for the average DIY because it requires less patience between coats, and is typically easier to work with.

In this case I’m using the new color stains from Minwax, specifically Minwax Semi-Transparent Color Stain in the color Royal Pine. These stains come in both a solid color and semi-transparent color. The solid color is more like a paint in that it doesn’t show as much wood grain. The semi-transparent allows more wood grain to show through the finish color. What’s really unique about these stains is that you can tint them to over 240+ colors!

Step #4: Applying the Stain

Each stain and finish varies a little bit in its suggested application. Make sure you take the time to read the label on your stain or finish to make sure you are applying it correctly. Some stains suggest a foam brush or rag while others recommend a specific type of brush for best application. Check out this other article to dive into the differences between spraying, brushing, and wiping on. Other things to consider are making sure you are in a well ventilated space and making sure you are staining/finishing in the proper temperature window for your finish. Again, this should all be outlined on the packaging of your stain/finish

Step #5: Sealing or Top Coating

Typically when you’re finished staining a piece of furniture, you’ll want to apply a top coat/clear coat for protection and/or shine. Typical finishes for clear coats are Satin, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss. These are just a matter of personal preference for your project. There are a large variety of finishes for your top coat typically in the form of a “urethane”.

Make sure you choose one based on the location of the finished product (indoor/outdoor), and in the sheen you want for your project. Also, you CAN apply an oil-based polyurethane or similar over top of a water based stain. However, this requires that your water-based stain is COMPLETELY dry and cured. I DO NOT recommend applying a water based finish over an oil-based stain. I used Minwax One Coat Polyurethane.

Waxing 

Occasionally I may use a paste wax as the final finish instead of or in addition to a polyurethane finish. The wax also offers protection to the furniture/finish but it doesn’t harden to the consistency of a urethane top coat. You can apply a paste wax over a urethane finish pending you add it in thin layers and buff between each. Keep in mind that the wax may alter the sheen of your urethane finish.

Step #6: Be Patient

Refinishing a piece of furniture is a lot of work and not for the faint of heart. But if it was easy you wouldn’t be able to find these old wooden pieces for free or cheap. It takes time to get the finish you want. After all, they don’t make them like they used to!

If you enjoyed this content, please check out some of these other articles you might enjoy.

An Idiot’s Guide to Wood Finishing

Restoring a Backyard Playset

DIY Rocking Chair From a Single Sheet of Plywood

In this project tutorial I show you how I built a DIY Rocking Chair from a single sheet of plywood using minimal tools. Check out the video and read the tutorial below to follow along step-by-step.

Step #1: Materials and Tools Used:

This project really only consists of a single sheet of 4’x8’ ¾” plywood. There are many options out there for plywood and you can spend as much or as little as you like on the plywood. I chose a simple exterior rated sheet of plywood but you could also use marine plywood or something cleaner for finishing like Baltic Birch or finish grade plywood. It’s up to you!

Tablesaw (optional)
Circular saw & Jigsaw
Compass or something to mark radius cuts
Tape measure
4 ft level
Pencil
Clamps
Wood glue
Drill/ driver and bits
Wood screws (2” or 2.5” inch)
Orbital or belt sander
Router and roundover bit (optional)
Wood filler (Optional)
Paint, stain, or weather sealant

Step #2: Making the Cuts for the Legs

To get started you’ll need to rip the plywood into the necessary pieces to make the cuts more manageable. You could use a table saw, circular saw, or track saw for this if you have one. Rip the sheet slightly off-center lengthwise so you have 1 piece that is 28” x 96” and the other 20” x 96 inches. (See the image above for exact measurements)

Once you have your two pieces, cross cut the larger of the 2 pieces in half creating 2 – 28” x 48” pieces. I recommend clamping the 2 pieces together from here so that you can cut through both pieces to create matching legs.

For the arched cut on the bottom of the legs I recommend using a piece of flexible material to mark your cut lines. The ends of the arc should be 2.5” from the edge of the plywood and the bottom should just touch the edge of the plywood to create the arc. Lay out and cut the legs out as shown using a circular saw and jigsaw and then sand them down using an orbital or belt sander. Once you have one set of legs cut, use a piece as a template to mark the next cuts.

Step #3: Prep and Glue Up

With the legs cut out, stack them all together and sand them to make sure they are all uniform. Use wood glue and clamps to glue the legs together. Each leg consists of 2 identical cuts. Apply plenty of clamps and extra weight to glue the legs together.

Step #4: Prepping the Seat and Back

While the glue sets up on the legs, cross cut the remaining 20” x 96” piece of plywood into (4) pieces. (2) @ 30”x 20” for the seat back, and (2) @ 18” x 20” for the seat. Once you have those cuts made, glue and clamp them together into their components. Once the glue is dry on the seat back you can cut out the opening (optional) if you want to. The opening is a decorative feature so it’s up to you if you want to include it or not. The opening in the back is 12” long total and 2” wide in the center of the seat back. If you choose to include it, mark and cut it out with the jigsaw.

Step #5: Assembling the Legs and Seat

For assembling the chair, I recommend putting it on nice flat surface and attaching the seat bottom first. Turn the chair on it’s side and layout the seat. The seat pitches backward which you can lay out by measuring 18” at the seat top to the front of the seat, and 16” to the top of the seat in the back. Make sure your legs stay aligned when mocking up the seat so that it is even. Once you have the seat in position. Pre-drill some pilot holes and attach the seat with 2”-2.5” wood screws & wood glue.

Step #6: Adding the Seat Back

To add the seat back, slide it between the legs and tilt it back so that the backs of the arm rests intersect with the middle of the seat back. You should have somewhere in the realm of 105 degrees between seat back and tops of arm rest. Once in position, drill pilot holes, glue, & screw the seat back in place.

Step #7: Finishing

Because I used relatively inexpensive plywood I chose to paint the chair with some exterior grade paint after filling the screw holes and imperfections in the plywood with wood filler. It’s your choice how you choose to seal and finish the plywood but I’d recommend several coats of whatever finish you choose so as to make sure you have ample protection from the elements!

And here’s the finished product!

I’m really pleased with the way this chair came out for using a single sheet of plywood and very minimal tools. It’s a fun project to tackle and you can really toy with the design and finish to get the look you want!

I hope you enjoyed this project and see that you don’t have to have fancy materials or tools to knock out a unique project! If you decide to tackle this project on your own be sure to share the results with us via Instagram by tagging #DoYourBestWork @AcmeTools and @MrFixItDIY.

If you liked this project, please consider checking out some of my other woodworking & DIY Projects:

Building a Memorial Flag Display Case

How to Restore a Wheelbarrow

Good luck and get to work!