Asked on May 27, 2019

How do I refinish a wooden toy box/bench?

Joann
by Joann

I was given a wooden toy box that I would like to turn into a bench to place at my front door. The previous owner said it had several layers of paint and bid me good luck refinishing it. Now I’m hesitant to just paint it. My questions are, do I remove all the old paint or just paint over the existing paint with outdoor paint? If I have to remove all the old paint, how do I do that? Are there other things I should know before I begin this project-what am I in for? Thank you for the help!

  4 answers
  • Kelli L. Milligan Kelli L. Milligan on May 27, 2019

    I would lightly sand it and prime with exterior oil based primer, then do 2 coats of semi gloss latex exterior paint. No other sealers needed


    • Joann Joann on Jul 20, 2019

      I am going to try this method with this bench and see how it turns out. As I mentioned to “William”, I’m all for options. Thank you for the suggestion.

  • William William on May 27, 2019

    Just lightly sand with 220 grit sandpaper to remove any shine. Prime with Kilz primer then paint your color. You can use acrylic latex paint. Seal with three coats of a water based polyurethane.

    • Joann Joann on Jul 20, 2019

      I’ll try this with another bench I have and see how it turns out. I’m all for options. Thank you for your help!

  • Patty G. Patty G. on May 28, 2019

    Take it to Econo Auto Painting and ask them to paint it for you just like they paint cars. It will be a hard , shiny and gorgeous. No need to sand when they do it!👍😉😀

  • Sandra Allen Sandra Allen on May 28, 2019

    If you like rustic, there are some gels that will dissolve the paint like it was old gelatin. Then, using a blowtorch, make it like it was a log-hewned finish.