Understanding the Furniture Refinishing Process
Refinishing furniture is one of the most rewarding ways to transform a beloved antique or vintage piece.
Refinishing highlights wood’s natural beauty and can turn a tired piece of furniture back into the centerpiece of a room.
You can make a family heirloom look as beautiful as it did when your great-grandmother bought it.
Or you can turn that rare antique-mall find into the furniture you’ve always dreamed of!
At Mumford Restoration in Raleigh, NC, our furniture refinishers use time-honored restoration techniques to refinish antique furniture with great care and an immaculate eye for detail.
In this step-by-step furniture refinishing guide, we’ll walk you through the exact process our experts use.
Above: Refinishing gave this traditional dining room set a swanky new look!
A Quick Overview:
“What are the steps in furniture refinishing?”
Basically, the main steps are: structural repairs, stripping the finish, sanding the surface, applying sealer, and applying a finish, such as lacquer.
See our upcoming article on regluing and structural repairs to learn more about this important step.
“Is it better to refinish or restore antique furniture?”
You restore your antique furniture if you want to return the piece to a certain point in its life. This means using the specific kind of finish that it would have had during that period.
You refinish your furniture if you just want the piece to look nice and you aren’t concerned with the historic finish and elements of the piece. This is generally appropriate for most furniture made after the 1920s.
Professionals generally use methylene chloride, professional sanding sealer, and nitro-cellulose-based catalyzed lacquer.
“How do you get a smooth lacquer finish?”
To get a smooth lacquer finish, you need to cleanly remove all of the old finish, sand the wood smooth, and ensure that you apply enough sealer before you apply lacquer.
“What safety precautions are needed for furniture stripping?”
No matter what stripping chemical you use, you need a well-ventilated area, a good mask to filter particulates, thick rubber or nitrile gloves, a face mask or eye protection, and an apron to protect your skin and clothes.
Above, Right: This antique table was missing marquetry and its original finish was almost entirely worn away. After repairs and a full refinish, it is beautifully reflective and you can appreciate the color and depth of the wood!
Above, Left: A before and after sewing machine drawers that our restoration experts stripped, stained, and refinished.
Step 1 – Stripping the Old Finish (Using Methylene Chloride Safely)
We discuss furniture stripping chemicals in greater detail in our blog article “Lacquer Furniture Finish: a Guide to Care and Restoration.”
That article is a great resource for learning about modern lacquer and what it takes to remove it.
“How do professionals strip old finish from furniture?”
Professional refinishers use methylene chloride, a highly effective, but caustic stripping chemical that is only available to professional furniture refinishers.
“Is methylene chloride safe for furniture refinishing?”
Methylene chloride is not safe for amateur refinishers.
It has to be handled very carefully to prevent injury and to avoid harming the environment.
For that reason, it is available only to refinishing businesses.
“Where can I buy methylene chloride?”
It is only available from specialty retailers. They all require evidence of a business license before they will agree to accept payment and deliver the methylene chloride.
For legal and safety reasons, they can not provide methylene chloride to amateur refinishers.
What is a good finish remover for DIY furniture refinishers?
We can’t really recommend any particular finish remover for DIY furniture refinishers.
Expert refinishers like Mumford Restoration stay away from finish removers from big box stores, as these chemicals are just not as effective as methylene chloride.
Commercially available finish strippers act slowly and still leave old finish and paint in the pores and grain of the wood.
DIY refinishers attempt to use these ineffective finish removers, but they are invariably unhappy with their results.
Quite a few of our refinishing projects ultimately came to us as a result of failed DIY efforts!
Photo, Above Right: One of our expert furniture refinishers wears full protective gear as he uses methylene chloride to strip furniture's original finish.
Photo, Above Left: The result is a completely clean surface, with all original finish removed. It is ready for sanding!
Step 2 – Sanding and Surface Preparation
After a furniture refinisher chemically removes the old finish and reveals the clean wood underneath, they allow the piece to dry.
Then they sand the furniture to prepare it for stain and ensure a smooth lacquer finish.
“Do I need to sand furniture after stripping?”
Yes, you absolutely have to sand furniture before you refinish it.
Even if the finish is removed cleanly, you need to ensure that the wood is smooth, yet still textured enough for stain and lacquer to adhere evenly.
The grit depends on the project, its condition, and what finish stripper was used.
Since professional furniture refinishers use methylene chloride, they only need to gently smooth the wood.
The typical grit can range anywhere from 150-220.
There is no textbook sandpaper grit, however. Refinishers evaluate the newly stripped furniture and choose the appropriate grit, based on their years of experience.
Since DIY refinishers must use less effective finish strippers, they have to sand with a low, harsh grit that removes the remaining old finish.
Unfortunately, sanding away the remaining finish also means sanding away a layer of wood that it is attached to!
This is particularly harmful to furniture with wood veneers, as veneers can be very thin. It is very, very easy to sand through a veneer if you aren’t careful !
Photos Above: A before and after view of a twin to queen bed conversion. After a full refinish (including stain matching),the additions blend in perfectly!
Step 3 – Applying Sealer
After refinishers stain a piece of furniture, they allow it to dry for 12-24 hours.
An expert furniture refinisher doesn’t immediately apply lacquer.
The resulting finish would make the furniture look “thirsty.”
The wood tone would not look as saturated and the lacquer would not be as smooth as the customer would expect.
This is because sealer is the key to nourished-looking wood and a crystal clear finish.
Sealer (also known as sanding sealer) fills wood pores and allows the lacquer finish to lie smoothly.
The larger particles of sealer allow it to sit on top of the wood, instead of immediately sinking into wood pores, as lacquer would do.
The sealer “bulks” up the finish and lays the foundation for lacquer.
“Is shellac a good sealer for antique furniture?”
Shellac is appropriate for older antique furniture, whose original finish may have been shellac.
It is also useful on furniture that may have had a silicone-based polish applied.
Photo Above: Sealer is the key to making finished wood look nourished and luxurious.
Step 4 – Spraying Lacquer for a Professional Finish
After the two coats of sealer are completely dry, it is time for the star of the finish world: lacquer.
Lacquer is what makes modern wooden furniture look and feel luxurious.
Its fine particles allow it to easily form a smooth, even layer that reflects light and give wooden pieces a luminous appearance.
Our lacquer article will give you an overview of what lacquer is and what kind of furniture we use it on.
Most refinishing involves lacquer, but specialized or older antiques can require more historic finishes, such as French polish.
To learn more, read our blog article on traditional finishes
“How do professionals apply lacquer to furniture?”
Professional refinishers apply lacquer with a spray gun and compressed air.
They also have a dedicated spray booth with a fan and filter that removes lacquer particles from the air.
Removing these floating lacquer particles is important!
If they fall back onto the newly lacquered furniture, they will create a grainy texture and ruin that beautiful, mirror-like finish you’ve worked so hard for!
A spray booth is a big investment, but it’s worth it!
Photos Above: Mumford Restoration's spray booth allows us to achieve a smooth, mirror-like finish.
Furniture Refinishing Timeline
However, external factors can impact the timeline.
“How long does professional furniture refinishing take?”
Professional furniture refinishing can generally take a week of solid work.
It can take a bit longer when unexpected issues arise.
For example, if the refinisher discovers that your piece of furniture needs to be reglued or has significant structural issues those will need to be addressed before work begins.
Finish reactions and blushing can also result in delays.
“What affects the furniture refinishing time?”
There are many variables that affect furniture refinishing time.
The most common factors are:
Weather: Cold weather and humidity can slow the drying process or cause the finish to become cloudy (known as “blushing”)
Oils and Silicone: Many commercially available furniture polishes contain silicone, which can eventually penetrate the finish.
Body oils can as well–you’ll usually see darker areas on frequently touched areas of furniture, such as the arms or the headrest. That’s normally occurring body oil that just builds up over time.
If silicone or oils are deep in the pores, fresh sealer and lacquer may not adhere properly. The refinisher will need to remove the new finish and take several additional steps to try to remove the oil and silicone.
Photo Above Left: This antique table (whose marquetry you'll recognize from the photos above) achieves a rich color and a beautiful satin finish after refinishing.
Above, Right: An example of a common reaction, known as "fisheye." This is generally due to regular, past use of a silicone-based furniture polish. This photo comes from the website of Popular Woodworking.
Trust Mumford Restoration for Expert Furniture Refinishing
Furniture refinishing is half art, half science.
Understanding each stage of the refinishing process helps you appreciate the craftsmanship behind a truly beautiful piece.
Take a look around your home and in thrift stores and antique stores. Do you notice a difference in the appearance and quality of finishes you see on pieces of furniture from different eras?
We hope this article has given you some tips for your DIY furniture refinishing project.
Now, you have the knowledge to turn that $20 thrift store find into something that fits your style!
If you have any antiques, heirlooms, or special pieces that you want to ensure are finished expertly, call our restoration consultants!
At Mumford Restoration, our third-generation refinishers specialize in antique furniture refinishing and restoration for clients throughout the Raleigh, NC area.
Our expert artisans combine traditional methods with modern materials to ensure your furniture retains its original charm while gaining the strength and finish to last a lifetime.
Are you ready to restore or refinish a treasured piece? It could be an 1800s sideboard, a mid-century modern dining table, or even a modern writing desk!
Call us at 919-510-6310 or submit an online form to discover how we can help you preserve your furniture’s history and beauty for years to come.