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How To Refinish Furniture With Stain

Do you have to remove old stain before restaining furniture?

You don’t need to remove all of the old stain to apply darker stain. But you do need to remove all of the lacquer, varnish or anything that will prevent new stain from absorbing into the wood. Your sanding block will initially glide over the old lacquer before it begins to cut into it and remove it.

Can you stain over already stained furniture?

Staining over stain is easy and works beautifully if your applying a dark stain over a lighter stain on raw wood. 2. You can mix 2 or more stains together to make DIY custom stains.

Is it better to sand or strip furniture?

Stripping is Faster and Often Safer. Stripping a finish is faster than sanding to remove it. But more importantly, sanding cuts through stain and patina (the color changes in wood caused by light and oxidation), and it does so unevenly. Jan 3, 2018.

Can you stain over already stained wood?

Already Stained and Finished Wood If the object you’re hoping to stain has been sealed with a topcoat, you won’t be able to restain it, but you can go over it with a coating or a colored stain blend. To prepare, clean the wood surface with a strong degreasing cleanser and wipe it down with a damp cloth or sponge.

What happens if you stain over stain?

If one section dries and is then overlapped, you are effectively applying a second coat to that overlapped area, and this will lead to blotchy finish. If the stain pools during application, you are applying too much at once; cut back.

Do you have to sand off old stain before restaining?

There’s no stripping or heavy sanding necessary to remove the old finish! Simply give it a light sanding with fine-grit sandpaper, remove sanding dust, and brush on a coat of PolyShades® (see step-by-step instructions provided in this Guide).

How can I change the color of stained wood?

If you try to apply a light color of stain over the top of an existing dark finish, you won’t notice much difference. To completely alter the color of the finish, strip down the existing stain using a petroleum-based solvent. Once you’ve lightened the wood, you may add a lighter color of stain.

How do you Restain a dresser that has stained?

How to Refinish a Dresser Step 1: Choose a Stain. Staining beautifies wood and helps reduce the contrast between the different types of grains in different pieces of furniture. Step 2: Remove Hardware, Drawers and Clean Surfaces. Safety Alert! Step 3: Remove Old Finish. Step 4: Apply Sanding Sealer. Step 6: Finish It.

How do you change the color of wood furniture?

Method 1: Change Wood Color with a New Stain Remove the existing finish completely by sanding or stripping. Determine the wood species. Determine the undertone of the wood stains you are considering. Choose a wood stain that will either complement or counteract the existing undertone to get the look you want.

Can you sand stain off?

Sand out the stain If you’re applying a new stain, it should mask any residual color. Once you’ve finished machine sanding, we recommend you sand by hand with the grain of the wood using the same grit sandpaper you were using in the machine. This will erase any machine marks.

How does vinegar remove varnish from wood?

Pour the 4 cups of hot water that you brought to a boil into a bucket. Add ¾ cup of baking soda, ½ cup of ammonia and 1 tbsp. of white vinegar. Stir the contents with a wooden spoon.

Is it better to Restain or paint cabinets?

Because of their classic and timeless look, stained cabinets are often better for resale value than painted cabinets. They’re more affordable. Since staining cabinets doesn’t take as long as painting them, staining is the cheaper way to go.

How do you gel stain over existing stain?

TIPS ON APPLYING GEL STAIN: When applying gel stain over an existing finish and not raw wood, always seal in gel stain color with topcoat. Dry-time to touch: 4-6 hours. Dry-time to re-coat with stain: 24-48 hours. Dry-time to apply oil based topcoat: 24-48 hours.

Can you stain over varnished wood without sanding?

Stain over varnished wood without sanding is not recommended. Because staining should do after sanding the wood surface thoroughly. Otherwise, the stain will not penetrate inside the porous structure of the wood.

Will vinegar lighten wood stain?

If you want to lighten the wood further, mop on a second application of freshly mixed oxalic acid solution. Pour a small pool of vinegar onto the wood, then spread it around with a cloth. On vertical surfaces, wipe with a cloth saturated with vinegar. Then wipe with a dry cloth and finish by rinsing with plain water.

Can you apply stain over polyurethane?

Yes, you can stain on top of a polyurethane coat, but only with a gel stain. Gel stain forms a film over the polyurethane finish, unlike standard wood stains that work by soaking into the wood pores.

How many coats of stain should you apply?

2 coats. To deepen the color, apply a third coat. Optional, for additional luster or sheen a clear protective finish can be applied. Recommended finishes include Minwax® Fast-Drying Polyurethane or Minwax® Wipe-On Poly.