How to Refinish Vintage Furniture on a Budget

If you have a piece of vintage furniture that needs restoration, but you do not have the money to pay a professional, consider doing it yourself. Refinishing is a time-consuming but manageable do-it-yourself project which is possible at relatively little expense.

1. First: Clean and assess the furniture

   Clean the furniture with a mild soap or furniture polish and a clean cotton rag. When all the grime is removed and the furniture is completely dried, assess the actual piece. Decide if you can chemically strip old paints and finishes away or if it requires sanding. It only needs sanding if there are scratches or chips that you must smooth out of the wood. Remove any handles or metal embellishments at this time.

2. Second: Sanding and stripping

   Strip the furniture with a chemical stripping agent according to the package directions. Typically, this involves spreading the paint thinner or stripper to the wooden surfaces with a paint brush just as you would paint and allowing it to stand while it breaks down the paint on the furniture's wooden surfaces. When the chemical has done its work, the paint should peel off in strips, or wipe away with a rag. Avoid steel wool if possible because it can scratch the wood. If you must use steel wool to scrape away the paint or if there are other scratches in the furniture that need sanding out, use a hand sander with a fine grain sand paper and sand the furniture until the blemishes are removed.

3. Third: Refinish

   Select a new wood stain and apply it to the furniture according to package directions. Make sure that you apply it all in the same direction to avoid streaking and in a thin coat so that it does not drip or run. Allow it to dry completely before working further with the piece. If you use a stain that does not have a polyurethane sealant, you have to apply the sealant separately after the staining is complete.

4. Fourth: Finishing touches

   Put the handles and other metal embellishments back on the piece of furniture. If you do not want the handles that came on the piece or do not have a full set of handles because some were lost or missing, this is the time to replace them. You can often find beautiful used handles at thrift stores.