I purchased a very plain, chest of drawers-style dresser at an auction, with the intent to change its color from a reddish brown that’s neither dark or light to a deep espresso. I don’t know what kind of wood it’s made of, but the existing varnish and stain is in great condition. Then I went to Lowe’s, bought Motsenbocker’s Lift Off water-based paint and varnish remover, some foam brushes, gloves, (forgot the putty knife), and Minwax Polyshades, bombay mahogany satin.
So, since I’ve never altered a piece of furniture in my life, I went to the How-to part of the Lowe’s site seeking advice. I’m now completely confused.
At this point, I’ve looked at the Polyshade I have, and I don’t think it’s going to give me the color I want. So, I’m going to return it, but I don’t know what to replace it with! Do I need wood conditioner? Grain filler? A separate stain and finish? Help!
What's a sponge type block?
Does it matter what I use to apply the stain? If so, what should I use?
If the finish is intact its a good thing.
Try to chip a small piece off from an inconspicuous area.
If you see light bare wood , the color is in the finish.
Keep that in mind.
Stripping must be done completely to get decent results.
Sanding may not be necessary if the finish comes off cleanly.
Would try using rags & bronze wool first & if absolutely necessary a very light sanding.
Avoid scraping & when you get a “putty knife ” use cheap plastic throw aways.
While you’re at it, throw away the foam brushes.
The Minwax polyshades is very unforgiving .
if it turns out to be a hard wood or hardwood veneer might consider a water or alcohol soluble stain rather than a drying oilstain.
Hardwoods in general do not allow stain to penetrate which is why
the color is very often on not in the wood.
Minwax has water based tinted finishes which are a little better.
Better yet would be giong online & looking for tinted lacquers in spraycans…… worth the wait while it ships. & you can get the stripping done.
There is no one best way to refinish .
By all means look into refinishing sites & books for tips on prep work
& how to build up a good finish
Had a shop & a good deal of my business was undoing failed DIY attempts.
Basically
Dark coloring can be difficult to do evenly, even w/ professional materials & spray gear
.Avoid polyurethanes unlesss sprayed , properly rubbed out & built up slowly.
Mess up & its hard do undo.
Spraycans can give excellent results.
Sealants are not required.
Wouldn’t use a grain filler.
Sponge blocks are sponges that have abrasive imbedded in them .
Not for fine finishing.
When cabinetmakers do sand they use hard wood blocks sometimes w/ thin cloth under the very fine finishing sandpaper .
If you are applying stain, lint free rags are better than foam brushes .
If you do a bit more research esp on the prep/ finish application & take your time you can expect good results.
Best regards.
4 users commented in " How should a complete novice refinish a finished dresser? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI just recently refinished some coffee tables and found that the easiest way is to sand the surface and then spray paint it.
All the other types of paint I tried did not take so I bought a couple of cans of glossy black paint spraypainted the tables and they look great.
References :
Nice to see you’re trying something really neat AND that you’re familiar with the tools -
do you have gouges in the the wood that, if smoothed, would improve the look? If not, no need for filler.
conditioner? never heard of a need for it outside distressed / ancient furniture.
As for stain & finish, Minwax has come a long way in their offerings. Sounds like you’re fine.
to get the right color, that is trial and error - knowing the wood your dresser is made from would help (strong grain, none, moderate, color streaks (poplar has occasional sight green or yellow)) but isn’t mandatory.
Do you have a friend that could help figure the wood type? can you take it to Lowe’s in the back of your/someone’s truck for the paint-person to look at? At worst, try your next stain on a piece of 2×4 (pine) and take that to a more experienced DIY-er. Or just go with what looks good on the side of the can. You can go with multiple layers of stain to deepen it if needed.
References :
Absolutely. You should continue. Good experience. I would strip the existing varnish and stain right down to the original wood and build from there. That would involve the remover you have bought, a scraper of some sort but not a razor blade type, to remove the old stuff as it dissolves. Also, some fine to medium steel wool to work either thinner or the dissolver further into the wood if you don’t have capability to do the sanding of crevices and molding cuts. Once you get most of the old stuff off, use a fine grit sandpaper and a sponge type block for working the rest of the wood to original state.
Then, let it all dry for a couple days and start in with the stain you like. You can experiment on the backs of the side supports of the dresser since it should be the same wood. Remember, different wood stains differently, depending on its original color, tightness of grain, etc. Oak would stain differently than pine and mahogany definitely different that either of those. Stain can now be bought in those little squeeze tubes, for just the purpose you need–to determine if you like what you see, then you buy a larger can of it. Once stained, apply a clear varnish usually polyurethane and always brush that from outside edges inward, to avoid brush marks. Long smooth strokes with the urethane are good. If you don’t get from one edge to the other, as you let up on the brush, do so smoothly and lightly.
Good luck. First piece is always the most difficult but you also learn by the small mistakes, and there will probably be a couple, but your next few ventures should improve.
References :
If the finish is intact its a good thing.
Try to chip a small piece off from an inconspicuous area.
If you see light bare wood , the color is in the finish.
Keep that in mind.
Stripping must be done completely to get decent results.
Sanding may not be necessary if the finish comes off cleanly.
Would try using rags & bronze wool first & if absolutely necessary a very light sanding.
Avoid scraping & when you get a “putty knife ” use cheap plastic throw aways.
While you’re at it, throw away the foam brushes.
The Minwax polyshades is very unforgiving .
if it turns out to be a hard wood or hardwood veneer might consider a water or alcohol soluble stain rather than a drying oilstain.
Hardwoods in general do not allow stain to penetrate which is why
the color is very often on not in the wood.
Minwax has water based tinted finishes which are a little better.
Better yet would be giong online & looking for tinted lacquers in spraycans…… worth the wait while it ships. & you can get the stripping done.
There is no one best way to refinish .
By all means look into refinishing sites & books for tips on prep work
& how to build up a good finish
Had a shop & a good deal of my business was undoing failed DIY attempts.
Basically
Dark coloring can be difficult to do evenly, even w/ professional materials & spray gear
.Avoid polyurethanes unlesss sprayed , properly rubbed out & built up slowly.
Mess up & its hard do undo.
Spraycans can give excellent results.
Sealants are not required.
Wouldn’t use a grain filler.
Sponge blocks are sponges that have abrasive imbedded in them .
Not for fine finishing.
When cabinetmakers do sand they use hard wood blocks sometimes w/ thin cloth under the very fine finishing sandpaper .
If you are applying stain, lint free rags are better than foam brushes .
If you do a bit more research esp on the prep/ finish application & take your time you can expect good results.
Best regards.
References :