Furniture Painting and Refinishing Made Easy?
Understanding furniture re-finishing appears to be simple and in some cases this is true.
However it is not as cut & dry in most cases.
Products like lacquer allow for re coating by spray gun, an experienced person can bond a new coat of lacquer to the old whether it be a new clear coat or a coloured coat or what is known as Furniture Painting.
Spraying a lacquer that will expand and contract along with the wood.
When you encounter furniture with the finish in bad shape, it is always best to remove it.
Varnish, Paint, Urethane should all be stripped before spraying for best results.
The main issue is how well is your current finish holding on to the wood? Is it cracking, peeling, lifting, fading etc.
? Should your furniture be modern and newer it is very likely a lacquer finish, in these cases you are far less likely to need to remove the existing finish.
So you decide removing that old finish is best? Applying a chemical to the old finish, softening it enough to remove with scrapers, brushes, pads or what tool is appropriate for the type of wood you are dealing with.
Using the correct products and tools along with time and patience, one can tackle a wood refinishing job and do a great job.
Safety First - You need a very well ventilated area free from dust, follow any manufacturer's instructions on use.
Let's talk about the time needed to get good final results, often people believe that it looks easy enough and underestimate the time needed.
Flat surfaces tend to be less time consuming.
When you encounter the detail (chair spindles, grooves, carvings, any end grain, veneers) this is where your time will be needed along with the proper approach.
The detail can be compounded when paint is present.
Gauging the time needed to finish a piece is something that experience can only do.
Chairs are the most time consuming pieces of furniture you will encounter.
Depending on the current finish, (colour and type) along with the wanted (colour and type) of finish there can be different approaches.
As a professional I can say that a minimum of 4-6 hours of time is needed for each chair to do a complete refinish.
This can easily double or triple for the rookie and again the more detail and the presence of paint will add to this time.
Some companies can lower this time by dipping or power spraying the stripper.
However there are problems that can happen under these circumstances.
Glues can be loosened, veneers can peel, wood grains can be raised and create problems later.
If you don't have someone to strip the pieces by hand, then the flow over method is the next best, this can be very safe when completed by an experienced person.
There are many species of wood used in furniture, each having its own natural colour and characteristics that can affect the ease of stripping as well as the final colour.
When you're looking to get a colour match with other pieces of furniture you need someone with experience.
Simply buying what appears to be the correct colour on a sample wood piece, can come with surprises.
Wood density (soft & hard woods) will absorb stain differently, this density can vary not only from species to species but also based on the way the wood was cut and how the grain is exposed.
When an old finish is being removed it is very important that no traces of the old finish are left behind.
This can cause fish eye or a blotchy appearance in the new stain and finish, some woods like Pine when stained always appear blotchy.
Hard woods are more difficult to get dark colours to absorb.
With all the types of products available it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to use.
There are wiping stains, penetrating stains, gel stains, NGR stains, urethane, polyurethane, varnish, oils, paint, shellac, lacquer and they come in water based Low VOC and solvent based forms.
Once you have successfully removed the old finish, stained the wood to your liking, then you need to apply a sealer coat.
Lacquer Sanding Sealer is best for this, White Shellac can also be used or a dilution of the final product that you have chosen based on the manufacturers recommendations.
Sealing the wood will most likely raise the grain of the wood and make it feel rough, this is when you do a finish sand with a fine grit sandpaper, usually 400 to 600 grit.
You must be very careful you do not apply to much pressure to corners and edges when sanding, you can easily sand through the sealer and remove some of the stain creating problems for yourself.
I tend to apply a heavy coat of sealer or two lighter coats.
Some furniture designs just don't allow for heavy spraying or you will experience sags and or runs in the finish.
If you're still ready to tackle that piece of furniture, make sure you know what you are dealing with and how your going to get your end result prior to beginning.
Many a time I get the call after the customer has started, then realizes what is involved.
Pricing tends to vary by region and when getting quotes it is important to know the process the refinisher is using.
Hand stripping versus dipping or flow over, sprayed finish versus a brushed or wiped on finish and what type of finish are you being offered? Using a professional furniture technician will likely also give you that factory sprayed finish, there are many craftsmen that still hand rub oils or brush finishes on and do very good jobs.
My opinion is that the sprayed finish wins hands down and is by far the most practical.
It takes a great deal of patience and time to do a good hand rubbed finish and the inexperienced person can ruin a stain job quickly causing the need to go back and repeat steps.
Do the research, understand what your up against and have fun, don't rush your project.
A great looking re-finished piece is very rewarding! Here's a tip I live by when stripping wood - When you think you have successfully removed the old finish? Apply one more coat of stripper and scrub one more time, especially in any open grained woods like Oak! One way to tell if any of the old finish is still holding on is by wiping the entire wood surface with a wet rag, any bare wood will look flat or dull while remnants of the finish will shine bright for you to see.
The water will also help to neutralize the stripper and raise the grain of the wood.
Raising the grain will give you better stain absorption and a better bond to the wood.
Just be sure you let the moisture flash off before applying Oil based stains.
However it is not as cut & dry in most cases.
Products like lacquer allow for re coating by spray gun, an experienced person can bond a new coat of lacquer to the old whether it be a new clear coat or a coloured coat or what is known as Furniture Painting.
Spraying a lacquer that will expand and contract along with the wood.
When you encounter furniture with the finish in bad shape, it is always best to remove it.
Varnish, Paint, Urethane should all be stripped before spraying for best results.
The main issue is how well is your current finish holding on to the wood? Is it cracking, peeling, lifting, fading etc.
? Should your furniture be modern and newer it is very likely a lacquer finish, in these cases you are far less likely to need to remove the existing finish.
So you decide removing that old finish is best? Applying a chemical to the old finish, softening it enough to remove with scrapers, brushes, pads or what tool is appropriate for the type of wood you are dealing with.
Using the correct products and tools along with time and patience, one can tackle a wood refinishing job and do a great job.
Safety First - You need a very well ventilated area free from dust, follow any manufacturer's instructions on use.
Let's talk about the time needed to get good final results, often people believe that it looks easy enough and underestimate the time needed.
Flat surfaces tend to be less time consuming.
When you encounter the detail (chair spindles, grooves, carvings, any end grain, veneers) this is where your time will be needed along with the proper approach.
The detail can be compounded when paint is present.
Gauging the time needed to finish a piece is something that experience can only do.
Chairs are the most time consuming pieces of furniture you will encounter.
Depending on the current finish, (colour and type) along with the wanted (colour and type) of finish there can be different approaches.
As a professional I can say that a minimum of 4-6 hours of time is needed for each chair to do a complete refinish.
This can easily double or triple for the rookie and again the more detail and the presence of paint will add to this time.
Some companies can lower this time by dipping or power spraying the stripper.
However there are problems that can happen under these circumstances.
Glues can be loosened, veneers can peel, wood grains can be raised and create problems later.
If you don't have someone to strip the pieces by hand, then the flow over method is the next best, this can be very safe when completed by an experienced person.
There are many species of wood used in furniture, each having its own natural colour and characteristics that can affect the ease of stripping as well as the final colour.
When you're looking to get a colour match with other pieces of furniture you need someone with experience.
Simply buying what appears to be the correct colour on a sample wood piece, can come with surprises.
Wood density (soft & hard woods) will absorb stain differently, this density can vary not only from species to species but also based on the way the wood was cut and how the grain is exposed.
When an old finish is being removed it is very important that no traces of the old finish are left behind.
This can cause fish eye or a blotchy appearance in the new stain and finish, some woods like Pine when stained always appear blotchy.
Hard woods are more difficult to get dark colours to absorb.
With all the types of products available it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to use.
There are wiping stains, penetrating stains, gel stains, NGR stains, urethane, polyurethane, varnish, oils, paint, shellac, lacquer and they come in water based Low VOC and solvent based forms.
Once you have successfully removed the old finish, stained the wood to your liking, then you need to apply a sealer coat.
Lacquer Sanding Sealer is best for this, White Shellac can also be used or a dilution of the final product that you have chosen based on the manufacturers recommendations.
Sealing the wood will most likely raise the grain of the wood and make it feel rough, this is when you do a finish sand with a fine grit sandpaper, usually 400 to 600 grit.
You must be very careful you do not apply to much pressure to corners and edges when sanding, you can easily sand through the sealer and remove some of the stain creating problems for yourself.
I tend to apply a heavy coat of sealer or two lighter coats.
Some furniture designs just don't allow for heavy spraying or you will experience sags and or runs in the finish.
If you're still ready to tackle that piece of furniture, make sure you know what you are dealing with and how your going to get your end result prior to beginning.
Many a time I get the call after the customer has started, then realizes what is involved.
Pricing tends to vary by region and when getting quotes it is important to know the process the refinisher is using.
Hand stripping versus dipping or flow over, sprayed finish versus a brushed or wiped on finish and what type of finish are you being offered? Using a professional furniture technician will likely also give you that factory sprayed finish, there are many craftsmen that still hand rub oils or brush finishes on and do very good jobs.
My opinion is that the sprayed finish wins hands down and is by far the most practical.
It takes a great deal of patience and time to do a good hand rubbed finish and the inexperienced person can ruin a stain job quickly causing the need to go back and repeat steps.
Do the research, understand what your up against and have fun, don't rush your project.
A great looking re-finished piece is very rewarding! Here's a tip I live by when stripping wood - When you think you have successfully removed the old finish? Apply one more coat of stripper and scrub one more time, especially in any open grained woods like Oak! One way to tell if any of the old finish is still holding on is by wiping the entire wood surface with a wet rag, any bare wood will look flat or dull while remnants of the finish will shine bright for you to see.
The water will also help to neutralize the stripper and raise the grain of the wood.
Raising the grain will give you better stain absorption and a better bond to the wood.
Just be sure you let the moisture flash off before applying Oil based stains.
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