Does your furniture look like it’s about to go past the point of no return? Only the most unsightly furniture needs complete refinishing (if you just have a few white rings, check out this article where we focus on furniture makeovers). However, if your table is severely chipped, extensively worn, or deeply blemished, then these DIY furniture refinishing tips will help you strip the old finish and lay down some new shine.

STEP 1: Stripping Old Finish

Most finishes can be stripped with sandpaper, but if they prove stubborn, you’ll have to use special products. Which product depends on the type of finish. Fortunately, applying the most effective tools to remove each finish is a simple first step in an equally simple (yet labor intensive) process.

Finish: paint, shellac, acrylic, lacquer, varnish

Required: High-grit sandpaper fixed to a sander or block

Many finishes can be scraped up with 150-grit sandpaper. Move to 220-grit to get the finer areas and then remove excess dirt with a damp rag. If sanding proves ineffectual, you might have to take a trip to the hardware store for specialized products.

Finish: Acrylic or paint

Required: Chemical stripper

Only use chemical stripper in a well-ventilated area with gloves and goggles as its ingredients are caustic and dangerous to the eyes. Apply with a rag and clean it up with steel wool by rubbing along the wood grain.

STEP 2: Applying Wood Stain

After stripping the old finish, wetting the surface of the wood will show what it’ll look like with finish applied. Incorrect or poor color can be corrected by applying wood stain with a rag. High-quality hardwood responds best to gel stain. Wipe in the direction of the grain, taking care to distribute it evenly, and remove excess with another wet rag.

Let the stain dry. If its appearance is not satisfactory, the stain can be liquefied by applying more on top, which will allow you to remove it or change its distribution.

STEP 3: Laying Down New Finish

Here’s our guide to picking the best finish for your furniture. In this walkthrough, we’ll cover two common ones – which to use depends on how much you’ll be using this furniture. If heavily, opt for oil-based polyurethane, which is more durable than water-based finishes; if not, use wiping varnish, which will look a bit sleeker.

 Applying polyurethane requires a few steps. First, apply the base layer with a foam or bristle brush in the direction of the grain. Let it dry overnight, even it out with 280-grit sandpaper and clean off any dust. When the surface is even, lay down a second coat as you would a layer of paint, brushing with the grain (pop bubbles by brushing them over).

Applying wiping varnish is essentially the same procedure – just take care not to lay down excess varnish, as it can result in unsightly buildup when dry.

Take a moment to admire your work! Refinishing furniture is not a simple task; if you’ve done it yourself, that’s something to be proud of. If this long and messy procedure isn’t for you, try a much simpler solution: TalkLocal. Our free and unique system will match you up with the perfect pro to get that furniture refinished on your  schedule – and it’s a lot more fun than watching finish dry.

A pristine piece of wooden furniture is a rare opportunity to pick a finish that both screams class and withstands the elements. It’s a bit of work to do right, but as we all know, well-treated wood is a beautiful thing, so your fresh (or freshly stripped) furniture only deserves the best wood finish. Educate yourself on the uses of all the different types of finish with this final installment in our finish guide (we’ve also covered finish maintenance and DIY refinishing).

Finish tends to be flexible so, for the most part, your only constraints are how intensely the furniture will be used and what kind of atmosphere you wish to create. Let’s run through the different types of finish and what they’re good for.

 –        Paint: The power of paint is in its versatility. It’s a great pick for creating color-themed rooms, as any wood can be painted any color. However, paint is best used on low or medium quality wood, simply because you can’t appreciate the natural attractiveness of, say, fine mahogany from under a layer of thick color. It’s also not quite as durable as some other finishes. For these reasons, many opt to paint cabinet doors and composite wood.

–        Lacquer: This protective finish is great for imparting smooth shine. It’s highly versatile in terms of sheen level, types of lacquer ranging from “flat” to “high gloss”. Lacquering furniture can take quite some time, requiring application of several thin layers, but can be used on any wood surface you need to shine.

–        Stain: As the name suggests, wood stain is used to stain wood surfaces different colors. These colors are often richer than natural wood, allowing them to both enhance preexisting colors and lay down new ones. Another plus: after drying, it can be covered with another finish, so it’s often applied before a protectant like lacquer or varnish, and can be used on any type of wood.

–        Resin: Upon application, this unique finish will penetrate the wood and harden its fibers, accentuating the natural appearance of the furniture and highlighting grains. Resin is best used on open-fiber woods such as rosewood, teak, oak, and walnut; closed fibers don’t absorb resin as well. It can also be applied over any stain except for varnish or vinyl types.

–        Varnish: Varnish combines several types of finish to both protect and beautify wood. Like lacquer, it comes in a wide range of sheen levels but, due to its greater thickness, provides more protection. This finish can be used on most types of wood.

–        Shellac: Derived from the secretions of the lac bug (yes, quite gross,) this natural protective finish nicely accents fine hardwood with a warm shade. Be sure to use a coaster, though; its sensitivity to heat makes it vulnerable to white rings. Like varnish, this finish is used on a wide variety of hardwoods.

–        Polyurethane: This synthetic finish is essentially a plastic that, when painted onto hardwood, hardens to protect the surface without drastically altering its color. It’s a popular pick for hardwood floors, but can be sensitive to extreme heat or caustic liquids.

Start your DIY furniture refinishing project off right with this simple guide but if you’re short on time or far from a hardware store, take a break with TalkLocal. Our unique and speedy system will hook you up with the perfect furniture upholsterer for your needs and schedule – for free! Save both time and money so you can soon plan for a party and show off your fabulous wooden furniture.

Got ripped, stained, or otherwise blemished upholstery? A little bit of DIY initiative can save you the time and money you’d otherwise spend on a professional upholsterer. Reupholstering a chair or sofa isn’t as complicated as it seems; all you’ll need is a knife, thread, sewing machine, and a staple gun.

It may not be necessary to reupholster your old furniture just because the cover is stained so first, we’re going to teach you how to remove stains from your upholstery with this DIY cleaning solution.

DIY homemade upholstery cleaning solution

Upholstery stains can easily be taken care of but it’s best to know if your upholstery is synthetic, like nylon or polyester, or natural, like cotton or wool.

If your upholstery is synthetic, you can make a cleaning solution by mixing water and white vinegar well in a 2:1 ratio and applying it from a spray bottle. If the stain doesn’t lift after scrubbing the wet area with a rag and letting it dry, try again after mixing in a tablespoon of liquid soap for every 4 cups of water.

Natural upholstery is more safely cleaned with a 1:1 mixture of water to liquid dish soap. Apply lightly with a sponge and scrub lightly with a rag until the stain is lifted.

Reupholstering Chairs and Sofas

If you’re going to reupholster the entire thing, the first step is to remove the old upholstery. Whether you’re dealing with a sofa or a chair, you should always start at the bottom, as that’s where the most material is used. If you can find where the upholstery was fixed to the furniture, see if you can remove whatever was fastening it, like a line of staples. If you can’t, just take your knife and cut it free from the furniture.

After the bottom is removed, turn it upright. If it’s a sofa: remove the back, followed by the sides, the inside back, and then the inside arms. If it’s a chair: remove the upholstery on both sides of the back. Try not to damage the old upholstery too much; it’ll be a useful guide for the new cover.

Lay out your new upholstery over the old and cut the fabric. If the old upholstery was seamed, cut a ½ inch from the old seam, or if it was stapled, cut 2 inches from the staples. Next, sew the pieces of fabric together using heavy duty thread and a sewing machine, allowing for a ½ inch inlay.

Next, start attaching the fabric to the furniture using a staple gun. This process is relatively straightforward for a chair, but for a sofa, you’ll have to work inside-out: start with the sofa deck, followed by the inside arms, and then the inside back. Remove any excess fabric and you’re done!

If you don’t have the time to reupholster yourself, find a professional. Before you bloat your computer with search tabs, try TalkLocal – just enter the info of the job you need done and let our unique search system find you the perfect furniture upholsterer for your needs and schedule.