Brew very strong tea, 3 or 4 tea bags for one cup. Let cool and dab the wood with the tea or use the bags directly!
By Kathleen
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do I refinish areas of a kitchen table or end tables (solid wood) that have worn thin. I believe the current finish is not varnish, but a polyurethane finish.
I would like to do this without sanding as I have only local areas that show (arms, small areas on tops) distress.Good luck on this because sanding needs to be done in order to remove the old finish so you can apply the new finish. Furthermore, if you have no idea what the finish is on the table it will be hard to match and look really bad when it is done. Normally in cases like yours the table should be stripped down and refinished all at once.
You should sand the whole top and refinish. Otherwise it will look like a patch job.
I can understand why you would like to try this short-cut but what if it goes wrong and makes a mess?
Are you willing to try something and if it does not work out, go the whole route of resanding and the works?
I would suggest you take several pictures - from all angles - and take them to a good hardware store (Ace or True Value may work) or a large paint store and talk to them about what you would like to try.
I have received some very good advice and instructions from Ace as well as a local paint store.
At least they can tell you what to try or if you should just forget it.
The paint will not adhere to your table without some sanding, you could look into paints that have built in primer. Be sure to read for different finishes!
If you are planning to restain, I suggest you get all of the old varnish off--using a varnish remover and sand. This is the only way you will get a nice even finish and have it look good.
When I first started refinishing furniture in the 1970s, I tried short cuts, they never worked and I always was sorry and had to double the work to get a nice product.
Now there are lots and lots of good YouTube videos to help and the products today are so much better so it is time consuming, but worth it to do it right the first time.
Post back with your finished product!
How do you know what base varnish or stain was used if your refinishing an old yard sale table? What product can I use as a base primer so all the other mediums I use will adhere? And I'd like to know if I can use oil or acrylic to paint a picture on the top surface of the table then vanish over the picture after the medium dries to keep the mural?
By Ali
To get new paint to adhere, you will need to sand the table down. Paint won't adhere to varnish (it will to stain but the stain may bleed through). So, sand it down. Then paint it with a primer. If it bleeds through the primer in any spots, you will need to apply a second coat. After that drys well, you can paint and do your picture. After your picture is very good and dry, put a clear wood/pain shellac over it.
We have done this with several old tables. Only, instead of painting a picture, we paint a checker board. They sit on our front porch and get used every year during our annual July 4 parties and fall bonfires.
You can use TSP to remove the finish, then paint.
I've been asked to put a urethane finish on a table that was oiled over raw poplar wood with mineral oil. What do I use to strip out the mineral oil?
I doubt you can remove it all. You could try naphtha.. It will thin oil and bring it to the top and you can blot up what you can.
I have a new sofa. The wood trim was much darker than my other furniture. I decided to paint and glaze it to match. The match is very close, but the new color isn't complementary with the upholstery.
I want to get back to original color. Is it best to repaint and glaze or strip and restain? There is only one thin coat of paint and thin glaze on it now.You would be better off stripping it and restraining. It might not go over the glaze evenly.
I refinished a wood/veneer china cabinet. I sanded it down the best I could. The top to the bottom piece was sanded down to bare wood and that's what's giving me the hardest time. I have 3 coats of a semi gloss enamel (with built in primer) on it. Then I took a polyurethane and stain product and "antiqued" over the paint. Most of it's fine, but the bottom section is still tacky after 3 days in air conditioning (Eastern MD).
I've refinished furniture before and never had this problem.
By Susan H
You could the wood colored crayons you can buy them at Home Depot or any place that sells wood.
I want to refinish some dark oak chairs and do them in a lighter stain. I used a citrus based product from Home Depot, while it had a nice smell, and was not toxic it really did not do a good job. I might add this one chair took me five hours and it still needs work in places. What have others used? Thank you in advance!
By Sandi from Scotland, CT
I stripped my banister a few years ago and used a stripper I got from Home Depot. It worked great came off the first use. I know that the non toxic doesn't always work well. But do you want to spend hours or get it off the first time. Good Luck.
