Important tip for refinishing Furniture

I thought you would need to know this before your next paint project…… An important tip for refinishing furniture. The best one you will ever get!

Important tip for refinishing Furniture

Wanna see what happens when you miss that important tip when refinishing furniture and in the painting process forget to prime the sides of a painted piece of furniture?  A hot mess! 
In all fairnessthis was the corner of the cabinet that the kids used their computers on so it got a lot of traffic and was bound to get beat up by little kid hands…. primed or not.

 
important tip for refinishing furniture
 
Knowing the paint sprayer was not coming back into the kitchen after we sprayed the kitchen cabinets here,  I got my palm sander out (using 150-180 grit) and began getting the paint off of the top. I used a connection hose to my shop vac so a million dust particles wouldn’t go floating all around the house… which they did. Since this is a fixed piece, taking it outside to sand was not an option. Sanding is always my first recommendation when painting a piece of furniture. Stripping off the paint would be 2nd, followed by applying priming over an existing surface.  Just what works best for me.
 
important tip for refinishing furniture
 
After the dust finally got to me, and many hours of sanding, I applied some Citristrip Stripping Gel and removed most of the paint off. I had never used this gel before and was surprised that it didn’t leave 3rd degree burns on your hands (like some others) and it smelled pleasant too. Hence the name I’m sure. I did have to put multiple coats of gel on to remove most of the surface paint.

important tip for refinishing furniture
 
important tip for refinishing furniture
Once I removed most of the paint particles, I finished sanding the surface using a 220 grit in order to remove any bit that was left from the stripping gel.  For the hard to get to corners, I used a dremel tool and a sanding block.
important tip for refinishing furniture

When selecting sandpaper and sanding blocks keep in mind the higher the number of grit, the smoother the finish.
When starting off a project using a lower number grit, will be more abrasive and courser taking off more of the surface paint.

important tip for refinishing furniture
 
When all was said and done….and the dust was finally settled, I decided I kinda like the natural wood top with the painted cabinet base. I intend on leaving it bare (for now) and just applying a wood conditioner.

important tip for refinishing furniture

 important tip for refinishing furniture

Besides, I have since replaced the computers ( to another area)  for some beautiful roses, so I shouldn’t have a problem.

What’s your important tip when refinishing furniture….I want to know! Leave me the tip in the comments.

 

 

grateful for
a glorious weekend
 
 
 
 
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10 Comments

  1. I use a heat gun and scraper to remove old paint and ammonia or vinegar to remove stain. Also, you can remove the last bits of paint with these, if needed. The chemical strippers they sell are worthless to me as you have to use a lot and they are very expensive plus the fact that they contain so many chemicals I'd rather not use. I would wax or oil your wood top to keep it in good shape but I think it looks better that way than painted.

  2. I have used the citristrip stripper before and it works great! And yes, doesn't smell so gosh awful. If I know I am going to repaint the piece, I usually sand lightly then apply Gripper primer. It adheres to everything. I love that you decided to keep it natural. You have a beautiful home!

  3. I don't have any tricks. If I can manage to get things painted and it looks halfway good, I'm pleased. I'm just not much of a painter and never learned the tips I guess.
    Brenda

  4. I love it bare too! That's a great look. Now all of your hard work can be enjoyed too. I've had that same problem happen before by not priming furniture first. I usually just touch it up if it needs it though.

  5. Hi Laura playing major catch up. I really like the natural look with the white. If I don't use chalk paint I always prime first too.

    Cindy

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