Discovering New Treasures From Quality Furniture Stripping And Refinishing

By Lila Bryant


More and more people are finding new uses for all things old. Many times, these old things are truly in poor shape and some believe they cannot be recycled and restored. Fortunately, there are those that do believe in all of the magic that can come out of it, and they salvage wonderful pieces of furniture that would otherwise end up in landfills. Quality furniture stripping and refinishing makes all this possible.

Doing it right really is the key. Failure to do it right means that the piece won't look so good at the end of the project. As a result, someone with great skills and knowledge, as well as the need to use the best products are necessary for a favorable outcome.

In this do-it-yourself world, it's not uncommon for people to want to do this themselves. While it is fine on a piece that isn't very valuable, or as a means of practice, one should not attempt to do this on their own with a valuable antique, for example. In such a case, it would make all the sense in the world to hand it over to a professional.

Certainly, such skill and hard work doesn't come cheap. Professionals to charge quite a hefty sum, depending on the geographical location, and the skill level of the individual. On the other hand, an old piece of furniture could be given a whole new life when taking on this task oneself.

It is important to understand, however, that there is plenty of work involved in stripping and refinishing a wood piece. For starters, one needs to understand what type of finish is currently on the wood, as well as what type of what it really is. These two key points will help dictate which steps to take next, meaning which supplies should be used to strip the wood of the finish.

In some cases, a heat gun would be used to remove the finish, in other cases, a remover that is simply applied with a paintbrush. It is left on for a certain period of time, and then scraped off. After this step is completed, it will then be necessary to sand down the wood. This step can get quite messy, and it begins with a coarser sandpaper, which moves on to a finer one.

A special tack cloth is used to remove any dust and debris. At this point, the piece is ready to be refinished with either paint or stain, and the color chosen. Again, there are further steps involved, so it's plain to see but there's lots of elbow grease goes into such a project.

The beauty of stripping and refinishing an old piece of furniture is that you are giving it a whole new life. It can beautify a home in an instant. Moreover, it can leave you feeling proud of your accomplishments, either because you've discovered it or because you work your magic on it. It can become a great hobby, renewing pieces found in garage sales, or even become a new business.




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