r/furniturerefinishing

Walking through a thrift store looking for treasures, as I'm sure many of you do, I spotted this yellowed-blonde, crudely repaired and heavily damaged Lane Cedar chest. I inspected it and checked the $10 price tag and thought to myself: "This is beyond my skills and not worth refinishing." and also "Isn't this illegal to sell with the auto-lock mechanism?". I decided to leave it be and head home.

That night I got home and I couldn't stop thinking about that gross chest. I needed a project to work on and my girlfriend and I needed a place to store our blankets. The thought of what might be hiding under the aged-blonde lacquer captured my imagination. I hurried back the next day, crossing my fingers that it was not claimed by another person.

To absolutely no ones surprise, it was still there and I purchased it. So I got to work right away on attempting to strip the finish. Stripping blonde furnish is something you'd wish on your worst enemy. Multiple rounds of Klean Strip and it was hardly budging. I got so discouraged I left it outside in the rain where it got dark water spots all over the top. I was ready to haul it to the curb and give up. I told my girlfriend I was going to throw it away and she said "Please don't, I love it".

Now I couldn't throw it away, she was invested and believed that I could transform this thing into a useful piece of furniture that we could cherish. She was right. It got me thinking about how this piece is perfect for practicing all of the techniques a refinisher needs to be successful. It was low-pressure, something I didn't pay much for and isn't worth much. So I put my head down and threw everything I had learned as a novice that has refinished only 3 other pieces.

Practice by doing and hone your skills on pieces that are expendable. It will allow you to feel more confident when you start working on a valuable or sentimental piece. Don't give up or you will make it harder on yourself when you decide to actually do it. Lastly, the feeling after completion of your project is truly incredible.

Finishing Schedule:

1. Stripped with acetone (a lot) and Klean Strip stripper
2. Oxalic acid to remove water stains
3. Sanded 180 and 220
4. Veneer fixes with Mohawk Cherry Epoxy Putty
5. Mohawk Medium Walnut Wiping Stain
6. Mohawk EZ Vinyl Sealer
7. In-painting with Mohawk Blendal Sticks
8. Mohawk Raw Umber Glaze
9. Mohawk Medium Dark Walnut Toner
10. Mohawk Satin Pre-Cat Lacquer

I ordered a made to order wooden table and after it arriving nearly a month later than it should have I opened it up and it has this huge split in it. I contacted the company straight away and they said this is natural characteristics of the wood. Surely this can’t be the case? There are other parts to the table with minor hairline cracks and knots etc which I would agree is natural characteristics of wood but not this, it’s basically split in two? They have been so rude and unhelpful and said I can pay to return it but when I put the details online it said about £200 to return! Any advice please?

I think it's veneer. I would like it be in some brown tones ( walnut or lighter brown ) or ay lighter shade will do. Do I need to sand it or will any gel stain work without sanding. What about those no sand methods you see on YouTube. This will be my first time doing a furniture piece so plz guide me through it. TIA

I’m pretty new to refinishing furniture and still learning as I go. I’m working on this table and used Minwax oil-based Dark Walnut stain.
I’m really happy with how the flat top turned out, but I messed up the decorative edges. Some areas absorbed way more stain and turned almost black, while other areas stayed much lighter and now it looks really blotchy.
I haven’t applied polyurethane yet because I want to fix this before sealing it.
Since I’m new to this, what would be the safest way to fix it without ruining the top? Should I sand the edges back and restain them, or is there a better way to even everything out?
Any advice is appreciated, I’m trying to learn and hopefully save this before I make it worse!

Saved these two from bulk trash pickup, with the intention of refurbishing and selling however this is my second solo project. My intention is to sand and stain a dark brown, re-upholster with olive green fabric, and fix (or replace?) cane backing. I'm wondering if this sounds feasible and asking for any tips on technique or product.

Also wondering if these are vintage and if I should just refresh for resale. Seems like real wood as the worn edges have grain peeking through unlike veneer, but the only label I found on it says Singer and may just be for the seat padding. Thanks in advance!

I picked up this mid century sowing box for my fiancé as a Christmas present, and i was hoping to give it a bit of love.

While I could sand it all back that feels like the wrong move as it would lose some of its charm.

I’m a complete novice at this, I’ve not done any wood working since school

There are also some chunks missing from the coating on the legs.

Any tips you all have for getting this looking great for her I’d be grateful.