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.

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DIY Giant Toy Box

If you have kids, you know how quickly toys can pile up and completely make a mess of your home. Having a toy box for them and keeping them organized is a huge part of keeping your sanity.

Today I’m going to show you how I built this toy box utilizing the new lineup of Craftsman V20 tools. Craftsman is the official sponsor of this project so thank you to Craftsman for making this project possible. So without further ado, let’s dive into the project!

Disclosure: This video and article contains paid and product promotion by Craftsman. Check out their new line of V20 tools here: https://bit.ly/2DoDfAD

#1: Plan Out Your Design

This toy box is huge! It’s 90” long by 42” tall and serves a multitude of functions. Obviously it holds a lot of toys, but it also acts as a complete entertainment center

I made my plans in Sketchup, and if you’d like to follow along with this project step-by-step, there are free downloadable plans for it on my website. While you’re at it, check out some of the links to some of the other free project plans I have too!

#2: Create a Template

First, I created a template for the uprights of the toy box. This project is basically the same shape repeated over and over, so I needed a good template. I used a piece of MDF to measure and layout the shape I wanted. Then, I cut the shape out using the Craftsman V20 jigsaw. I used a straight edge as a guide to keep the lines nice and clean.

Taking a piece of ¾” paint grade plywood, I cut a similar shape slightly larger with the jigsaw. I used a flush trim router bit on my Craftsman router, following the template to create 1 finished panel. Then I just had to repeat this process 6 more times. It takes a little while but the template makes it easily repeatable.

#3: Interlocking the Pieces

Once all 6 were cut out, I ripped a piece of plywood to serve as the top and bottom. From there, it was all about dados. And I mean a lot of dados. I chose to use dados because it gives a lot of strength to the build, because each piece interlocks and supports the whole. It adds quite a bit to the workload, but if kids are going to be climbing on it or playing near it, it needs to be sturdy. If I did this project again, I would probably use 1/2″ plywood instead of ¾” because it got to be pretty heavy by the end.

Once the pieces were all in place, I took it apart bit by bit and glued it up and shot it together with the 16 gauge Craftsman V20 brad nailer.

#4: Assembly

Once I finally had the whole carcass put together, I could put the front face frames on. The design is laid out so that each piece can be mitered at 45 degrees to make it easy and repeatable on the table saw. I glued and fastened these in place with brad nails. Once that was finished I added some iron on edge banding to cover up the exposed edges of the plywood. This helps clean up the edges and make it easy for the paint to look uniform without having to add a bunch of coats. Then I could patch the brad holes with some wood filler and prep it for paint.

I also added some adjustable leveling feet to the bottom of the toy box. I glued some 2” wood blocks in the corners and added a threaded insert. Then I used my angle grinder to slice a line in the end of a carriage bolt. This allows you to use a flathead screwdriver to raise or lower the toy box to make it level.

Lastly, I sprayed several coats of wood sealing primer with my paint sprayer before spraying a couple coats of exterior semi-gloss white to finish it off. I chose exterior because I figured it’d be a little more durable than interior. I also added a thin piece of ¼” plywood on the back to finish off the piece.

I’m really happy with the way this toy box came out. Hopefully you enjoyed this project, and if you’d like more detailed measurements and step-by-step instructions on how to build your own, be sure to download the free plans on my website.

I want to say thank you to Craftsman for sponsoring this project and providing the V20 lineup of tools I used in this video. And as always I encourage you to leave me a comment down below and let me know what you thought of the project and what type of project you’d like to see me tackle next.

Thanks so much for checking out this project. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did like it, you might also enjoy some of these other free downloadable project plans. 

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In this DIY woodworking project tutorial, I’ll show you how to build a beautiful wooden memorial flag display case for an American flag to honor a fallen hero.

My Grandfather served in the Army during World War II and passed away several years ago, and to honor his memory and service I decided to build this Memorial Flag Display Case as a gift to give to my Dad for Father’s Day.

For this project, I’ll be basing this case off of plans I found online with some modifications. To check out those plans, click here.

Milling Up the Lumber

For this project I’ll be using some beautiful 3/4 Walnut with some nice figure on it. To get started, I’m ripping the walnut into 3″ strips on my table saw. Next I can cut the angles on the pieces to create the mitered triangle shape. To do that, I have to make a quick tenoning jig for my table saw because I can’t create that angle with my existing tools.

Tenoning Jig

The tenoning jig is made of a few pieces of plywood so that the pieces can stand vertically as they pass through the saw, which allows you to cut more acute angles than are usually possible on a table saw. If you’d like more info on how to build a tenoning jig, you can find out how to build your own here.

Cutting the Rabbets

Before I glue up the mitered pieces, I’m using my dado stack to cut a 1/8″ deep by 1/4″ wide rabbet into each piece so I can inset the back panel into the case later. Once that is cut, I can glue up the main body.

Building the Face Frame

I’m modifying from the plans I made above because I want to have a hinged face frame for this case. I rip some 1.5″ strips on the tablesaw and then cut the miters into them to create the triangle shape. Then I use the dado stack to cut a rabbet onto the inside edge of each piece so that I can inset a piece of tempered glass into the case later on.

Next I used my trim router to cut a profile into the inner edge of each piece. This would be a good job for a router table if you have one. Then I can glue up the face frame.

From there I can lay out and mark where the hinges are going to attach on the face frame and main case body. I found these little brass hinges in the hardware section at Home Depot. I trace out the hinges on the body and then chisel out the mortises so they sit flush with the case.

Rough Assembly

With the mortises cut, I can use the small screws to attach the face frame to the case body. And then I can rough sand the whole case with some 120 grit sandpaper, before working my way up to 220 by hand.

To latch the case closed, I decided to add a rare earth magnet into the case body and face frame that would be hidden in a 3/8″ recess into the case. I drilled this

hole out and then epoxied the magnets in place so that when the case it closed there is no visible latch from the outside.

Finishing the Case

I want a really clean finish on this case so I’m using a Tung Oil finish which hardens inside the wood. I ap

ply the first coat, then lightly sand with 500 grit. Then I add the second coat of Tung Oil before sanding once again to 600 grit. Then lastly apply a third finish coat of Tung Oil.

For the backing of the case I cut a piece of hardboard to fit in the triangle shaped rabbet in the back of the case and then I had a piece of tempered glass cut to fit the face frame at a local glass place. It only cost me $7. To attach the glass, I used a thin bead of clear silicone and a couple window glazing retaining clips.

Finished Case

That’s it for this project! I hope you enjoyed it. This project made a wonderful gift for my Dad and I’m happy that I could help honor my Grandfather’s memory and service to the country.

If you liked this project, you may like some of my other woodworking projects that you can check out here:

DIY Walnut Bath Caddy

Wooden Kitchen Utensils with the Shaper Origin

Over a year ago, me and the rest of the guys of SoCal Woodshop put in an order for the Shaper Origin as a club from their pre-order batch, and after waiting for what seemed like forever for it to arrive it finally showed up a few months ago. Needless to say we’ve been very excited to test it out. This tool is a handheld router that acts like a CNC machine with a built in computer that lays out the shape for you to follow. As you work your way around the shape, the tool autocorrects it’s position as it goes making sure you always have the exact cut you’re going for. It’s a seriously impressive tool and so I thought I’d take a crack at actually using it to build a wooden kitchen utensil set.

You’re really only limited by your imagination with this tool but for my first project with it, I decided to test it out with one of the project files available from the Shaper website. I downloaded the file for these kitchen utensils to my creator hub and it automatically synced to the tool via wifi so all I had to do was load it up.

Milling the Work Piece

But first, I needed to prep some material to cut the shapes from. I had a good sized piece of 8/4 cherry that I decided to use so I took it to the bandsaw and resawed it in half. Next I planed it down slightly so both pieces were uniform thickness around 3/4″. Then I laid the 2 pieces together and clamped them to my workbench.

How the Shaper Origin Works

In order to reference the piece and the shape you’re cutting, the machine uses a camera to read this domino looking tape that you lay out on or around the work surface. How much tape and at what spacing depends on the size of the project you’re working on. Since this is a smaller project, I needed to add the tape every few inches so the tool had plenty to reference.

Once laid out, I could move the tool around to scan my work area and place the file image on the work surface to be cut out.

Next it’s time to make sure the right bit was installed in the router. In addition to the design file, the Shaper website also has detailed instructions on every step of cutting out the shapes which you can follow along with.

Cutting Out the Design

Once through the prompts on the machine to get started, I’m ready to cut. It’s literally as easy as following the lines on the screen to cut out the shapes.  

One issue I’ve come across while cutting out the shapes is that once I cut through much of the tape, the machine starts to lose it’s orientation. I added another surrounding piece of the same thickness and some additional tape and rescanned the work area. It didn’t lose where my file was placed so it didn’t end up affecting anything. I’d suggest that you try and place the tape around the workpiece you’re working on rather than on the cut area itself to avoid this with your project. 

I also broke from the instructions a little bit and decided to make my utensils a little thicker than what’s written. Rather than cutting all the way through the cherry to release them, I’m releasing them by resawing them again on the bandsaw.

 Finishing the Wooden Kitchen Utensil Set

All that’s left to do is finish them up! I did a little shaping for the beveled edges on my benchtop sander first. Then I did some additional shaping with the oscillating sander. I also added a round over on the larger implements at the router table before final sanding them by hand.

To finish the utensils, I applied a coat of our SoCal Woodshop Board Wax which really brought out the color and grain of the Cherry. Myself and the rest of SoCal Woodshop make each batch of this wax by hand. It’s 100% food safe so it’s perfect for kitchen projects like this, as well as cutting boards, and butcher blocks. If you’re interested in testing it out for yourself, you can find it here. 

I think my favorite piece is the tiny little spread knife. I don’t know why I like it so much but I haven’t seen anything like it before.

And here are the finished cherry kitchen utensils. I’m really happy with the way these came out. I’ve never made a set like this before and as a first project with the Shaper, I couldn’t be happier. This tool is definitely something that has a ton of possibilities. Any software that can create SVG files can be used to create working files for the tool. The designs can be scaled to virtually any size you can imagine. You’re not limited to how big you can make something.

I hope you guys enjoyed this project and getting a look at what the Shaper Origin is capable of. If you did enjoy this project, here are a few other woodworking projects you might enjoy. 

DIY Cheese Cutting Board

Wooden Banksy Wall Art

Thank you so much for checking out this project and I’ll see you next time!  

This year for Valentine’s Day I decided to make my fiance a bath caddy for the tub. I’ve been wanting to make this project for quite a while and I thought Valentine’s Day was the perfect excuse. Check out the video to follow along and see how I made it!

This project requires buying some hardware from a kit from Wood River which is available at Woodcraft.com

I purchased the large cheese slicer kit in black finish for $12, which you can pick up here: Large Cheese Slicer Kit

They also have kits available in a smaller size and chrome finish option.Here’s the rest of the stuff you’ll need to tackle this project on your own:

DIY Cheese Cutting Board Tools:

• Tablesaw
• Chop saw or miter saw
• 1/4″ drill bit
• Wood glue
• Drill press or cordless drill
• Planer (Optional)
• Orbital sander
• Palm Router & Round over bit (Optional)

Step #1: Prep Materials

The first thing to do is to get all the wood you’re going to be using ripped and cut to rough dimension. You’ll need enough wood for basically a 10″ x 6″ x 1″ rough rectangle to start with which we’ll later cut down to 9 1/2″ x 5 3/4″ x 3/4″. This is the recommended size that comes in the instructions with the kit. (I decided to make mine a little thicker for the finished board so I ended with a 1″ board and started with my boards at 1 1/4″. For my project I used off cuts and scrap pieces from previous builds and had 4 different types of wood (maple, walnut, cherry, and mahogany). You can use any type of wood that you have available or even use one solid piece of wood if you wanted to instead of the multi-colored board I made.

Rip the pieces of wood to your desired thickness and then cross-cut them down to roughly 10″ long.

Step #2: Glue Up

I’m using DAP’s Rapid Fuse for this project because it’s very fast setting and I’m working to get this done quickly (and full disclosure they are a sponsor of mine so I like to use their products as much as possible). It works great for this project because it’s a small glue up so I don’t need a ton of working time to get it done. Keep in mind if you’re using Rapid Fuse you don’t need nearly as much as traditional yellow glue.

The clamps I’m using are Jet Parallel clamps and a Dewalt trigger clamp. The total set up time is about a half hour but the Rapid Fuse sets in about 3 minutes so you have to work a little quickly.

STEP 3: Dimensioning & Planing

Next you’ll need to cut your cutting board down to it’s finished dimensions and either plane or sand it down to it’s final thickness. The order in which you do these 2 things doesn’t really matter. In the video, I cut the board down to size and then planed it down but you could do it the other way around if you wanted to.

Again, the final dimensions I went with were 9 1/2″ x 5 3/4″ x 1″. If you don’t have a planer you could just sand the board down which would take a bit more time, but totally doable if you don’t have a planer.

Step #4: Kerf Cut & Drilling & Adding Hardware

Next you’ll need to make the kerf cut for the wire to pass through. The instructions call for this to be 3″ from the right end of the board at 3/8″ deep. Because I made my board slightly thicker I adjusted the blade depth to 1/2″ for my cut.

With the kerf cut, it’s time to drill out the 1/4″ diameter hole for the arm to go in.
This is the trickiest part of the whole build because it requires drilling a 90 degree hole in the end of the board 3 7/8″ deep. I actually had to chuck my drill bit at it’s very end in order to make it deep enough because the bit I had wasn’t that long. If you don’t have a drill press this can be a little tricky but Izzy Swan has a pretty good video on how to drill a 90 degree hole without a drill press that you can check out here. 

I test fitted the hardware and found that the arm and wire didn’t quite line up with the kerf I cut, but I bent the arm slightly and it lined up perfectly. It was pretty easy to adjust.

Step #5: Finishing

I used a palm router and a 1/4″ round over bit to clean up the edges on the board before sanding it down to 220 grit with the orbital sander. You could skip the router if you don’t have one or maybe just want a more rectangular board. You could also just knock the corners down with the sander. Up to you.

Lastly I added a couple coats of Howard’s Butcher Block Conditioner to bring out the grain and seal the board and reinstalled the hardware and this project is finished!

Thank you for checking out this project! I hope it inspires you to tackle your own cheese board! Please tag me in your projects on instagram mrfixitdiy so I can follow along!

If you’ve ever tried to buy hardwoods from a lumber store you’ve likely heard the term “board foot” as in “We sell by the board foot.” Okay, great!…What the hell does that mean? Let me try and break it down for you so it’s easy to understand.

When you step foot into Home Depot or Lowe’s and want to buy a piece of lumber, let’s say a typical 2x4x8 for example, there’s a sticker or sign right on the aisle that tells you the price per piece. You know exactly how much that piece costs (+ tax) when you get to the register. That’s because softwoods (pine family, etc) or construction grade lumber are what’s called Dimensional lumber. Dimensional lumber is exactly as it sounds, a piece of wood of a certain dimension (2″ x 4″….well actually 1.5″ x 3.5″ but still) by a certain length (8′ in our example). The dimensions of this type of lumber are standardized for construction purposes and common in any typical construction type of softwood. You are paying for that Dimension of lumber by the Lineal foot (length). So at 8 ft long a 2×4 costs somewhere in the range of $2-$3. When you move up to 10 ft long the 2×4 costs closer to $3.50-$4. Get what I’m saying? You’re paying by the lineal foot. The longer the board, the more expensive it is.

What is a board foot?

Board feet is a little bit different and typically applies to hardwoods (oak, walnut, maple, cherry, exotics, etc). Board feet is a volume measurement of the wood. The simplest way to define a board foot = 1 sq. ft of board at 1″ thick. So  1″ of thickness x 12″ length x 12″ width.  1 board foot is equal to 144 cubic inches. A lumber retailer might have a price listed next to a bunch of seemingly random sized cut pieces of Walnut for example at $8.99/ board foot. Rather than taking it up to the register and being shocked by how much it costs, say you want to know before you get there. If the retailer is nice, they might have already written the board feet total on the particular piece in chalk so you can just multiply that number by the cost per board foot, but sometimes they don’t so a little math is required.

Say a piece of walnut is 4″ thick x 8″ wide x 6′ long and the retailer is charging $5.99/bf. How can we determine the board foot total and thus the cost of that piece? Well the best way to do it is like this.

Determining Board Foot Amount Example:

4″ x 8″ x 72″ (6 ft) = 2,304 cubic inches divided by 144 cu. inches (1 board ft) = 16 board feet

16 bf x $5.99 = $95.84

If you’re going to try to get into woodworking you’ll need to get used to hearing the term board foot and thus understand how it’s priced so you know what a piece costs. Maybe you’d like to try and make a cutting board and you read that hardwoods like maple are the best type of wood for that. Or maybe you just want to see if something on Etsy is seemingly reasonably priced given the type of wood used and how big it is. Understanding how it’s priced is half the battle, just keep in mind that hardwoods are EXPENSIVE! Once you get used to doing the math, you’ll be able to tell when you’re able to get a piece at a bargain and save yourself some money.