How To Strip & Prepare Old Battered Furniture For A Makeover
Many of you have asked me how I get professional looking paint jobs on my furniture and I promised to help you out. I've dragged my feet a little bit since there are many different ways to do this. Some projects need very little prep work while others will take longer to prep than they will to paint and stain them. You've told me that you've been inspired, but you're new to this and don't know where to start, so based on that I've done a very detailed blog post on the multiple steps I used on this old vanity.
Today I'm sharing the numerous steps it took me to prep this beat up old vanity. The vanity had great bones. The drawers worked well and it didn't have any odors. The finish was an obvious mess, but I honestly didn't look at it very closely in the dark garage before buying it.
Heed my warning friends! Ask the owner to move the piece of furniture outside so you can view it in a well-lit area. If they're not willing to do that, then you should probably walk away.
You can see faded areas and dark areas, crackled finish, surface scratches, and deep gouges. Can all of this be fixed? Sure it can! But at the same time, if you are flipping furniture for a business then you need to realize that 1.) time is money, 2.) lots of supplies will be needed to strip this baby and 3.) there are easier/better projects out there! If you're redoing it because it was your grandma's then none of that matters of course.
At the beginning of each project you should remove the hardware and make any needed repairs first. Then you should assess your project and determine the best method for stripping it. This piece has turned legs, small grooves above and below the drawers, and intricate carvings on each side of the mirror.
Since this piece is more complicated because of the grooves, delicate trim, gouges, etc, I had to go through a multi-step process over the course of several days to prepare this baby for new stain and paint. She looks gorgeous after getting all that ruined finish off and is now ready for her new makeover. For my very detailed tutorial along with a list of supplies you will need see my blog post at:
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Very pretty! Totally back to life.
Frequently asked questions
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I am refinishing a dresser and someone spilled motor oil on the top. Is there any way to get the oil stain out?
I have a similar project, only someone set a watermelon on it (dresser was in the garage) and forgot about it! Is it possible to get that huge rotten food stain out of the wood??