Refinishing Old Wood Furniture
Refinishing is the most visible part of restoration and the easiest to rush. The goal is to remove an old surface coat while leaving the wood, the patina at the edges, and the joinery intact.
Deciding whether to refinish
Not every worn piece should be stripped. A finish that is only dull or lightly scratched can often be cleaned and revived rather than removed. Stripping is appropriate when the coating is cracked through to the wood, lifting in sheets, or so darkened that it obscures the grain. On veneered pieces, the deciding factor is the thickness of the veneer; older furniture frequently carries veneer under a millimetre, which leaves almost no margin for aggressive sanding once the finish is off.
If the piece has obvious antique or maker value, the conservative path is to clean and wax rather than refinish, because an original surface usually cannot be recovered once removed. For everyday solid-wood furniture meant to stay in use, a full refinish is reasonable.
A quick test for value before stripping: look underneath and inside drawers for labels, stamps or hand-cut dovetails. Irregular, slightly uneven dovetails point to hand work and an older piece that may be worth preserving as-is.
Identifying the existing finish
The stripper and method depend on what is already on the wood. A small, hidden test spot tells you most of what you need.
- Shellac: softens and dissolves with denatured alcohol. Common on older North American furniture.
- Lacquer: softens with lacquer thinner. Often sprayed on factory pieces from the mid-twentieth century.
- Oil or wax: wax smears under a cloth with mineral spirits; a thin oil finish leaves little film at all.
- Polyurethane or modern varnish: resists alcohol and lacquer thinner, and generally needs a chemical stripper.
Stripping the old coat
Work in a ventilated space, protect your skin and eyes, and follow the directions on the product you choose. The sequence below is the order the work tends to happen in.
- Remove hardware and set screws aside in labelled bags so nothing is lost or forced back into the wrong hole.
- Apply the stripper in a thick, even layer with a natural-bristle brush, working a manageable section at a time.
- Let it dwell until the finish wrinkles or lifts; resist scraping early, which only smears softened coating around.
- Lift the residue with a plastic scraper along the grain, then clean detail and carving with a brass brush or pick.
- Neutralise or clean the surface as the product specifies, and let the wood dry fully before any sanding.
Preparing the bare surface
Once the wood is stripped and dry, the surface is rarely ready for finish. Raised fibres, residual stain in the pores, and small dents all show up under a fresh coat. Light sanding levels the surface, and minor dents in softer woods can often be raised with a damp cloth and a warm iron before final sanding. The detailed grit progression is covered in the companion guide.
Continue with Sanding Wooden Furniture by Grit, then choose a protective coat with Protecting Wood in the Canadian Climate.
References
Background on wood finishing and conservation is available from public institutions, including the Canadian Conservation Institute and general entries such as Wood finishing on Wikipedia.