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Tips for Your DIY Wood Refinishing Project
August 24, 2017 01:33:49pm
Your wood furniture in your house sustains wear and tear simply from daily use and enjoyment. Scratches, scuffs, water rings, dents, and other damage can appear seemingly out of nowhere, even to the most careful homeowners. When wood furniture is looking worse for the wear and needs to be refinished, you may start to plan a DIY refinishing project. Our tips can help!
- Do Your Research – Do your homework before you even pick up the sanding block. Make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into, and be sure you can find the instructions and materials you’ll need for the job. Find out what prep work is required, how much time you will need to complete the project, and an approximate cost for the materials and tools you will need to purchase. A DIY wood finishing project can be a major undertaking, and is more complicated than simply going to big box store and buying a can of stain, with a finished product an hour later.
- Use Protective Gear – Make sure you have all the necessary protective equipment to perform the work safely. Strippers and solvents will destroy ordinary gloves in minutes, so for the sake of your hands, invest in good quality gloves that are appropriate for the task you will be doing and the materials you will be handling. Make sure you have dust masks and even a respirator with filter refills. Sanding produces clouds of dust that you should not breathe. Lacquer, shellac, and varnish all give off fumes, and the fewer of these fumes you inhale, the better. Liquid varnishes can spatter and fumes can irritate your eyes, so protect yourself with the right glasses or goggles.
- Set Aside Time – Most projects require several days or even several weekends to complete. Some of this time may even be spent simply waiting until you can proceed. For example, many tasks call for polyurethane, which takes a long time to dry and often requires multiple coats. You may also need to make additional trips to the hardware store if complications arise.
- Keep Your Work Area Tidy – Your project will almost certainly involve sanding, so your work area should be a place where you can get messy. At the same time, any and all dust and debris in the air will settle into your finish, leaving behind specks as it dries. Maintaining a tidy workspace will be tough, but it will save you great frustration in the long run.
- Be Patient – Don’t assume that your project will get finished quickly. You may have to redo certain steps to achieve the results you want, and in some cases you may have to learn as you go. Woodworking is an artform, so enjoy the process and know that the finished piece will be worth your time.
Follow our tips and your wood furniture finishing project can be successful as well as satisfying. It’s a great feeling when the final coat of varnish has dried, and your antique chair, end table, or dining room furniture can be reincorporated into your home. If you have doubts about completing the project yourself, find the best local furniture refinishing service and trust the job to them. It’s possible that the task may become too complex, too expensive, or downright dangerous, and in such cases, it’s best to trust your furniture to a highly rated professional restoration shop.
Jax Furniture Refinishing and Upholstering is the best wood furniture refinishing shop and the company to trust with your project. Decades of experience set us apart from other furniture restoration and refinishing shops, and our experience is matched only by our passion for what we do. Your furniture will be cared for by a furniture finishing and repair expert in a shop devoted to the meticulous process of furniture restoration. Instead of embarking on a long and tedious DIY furniture repair project, trust it to us! We are the best professional wood furniture finishing service in Northeast Florida, including historic Riverside Avondale, San Marco, Ortega, and the greater Jacksonville area, and we’re the perfect fit for your furniture refinishing needs!
