Understanding furniture refinishing appears to be simple and in some cases this is very true.

Modern products like lacquer allow for re coating easily by spray gun, an experienced person can bond a new coat of lacquer to the old whether it be a new clear coat or a coloured coat or what is known as Furniture Painting, using long lasting durable lacquer that will expand and contract along with the wood.

When you encounter furniture with the finish in bad shape, its always best to remove it. Varnishes, Paints, Urethanes should all be stripped before spraying for best results. The main issue is how well is your current finish holding on to the wood? Is it cracking, peeling, lifting, fading etc.?

So you decide removing that old finish is best?

Applying a chemical to the old finish, softening enough to remove with scrapers, brushes, pads or what tool is appropriate for the type of wood you are dealing with. Using the correct products and tools along with time and patience, one can tackle a wood refinishing job and do a great job.

Safety First - You need a very well ventilated area free from dust, follow any manufacturer's instructions on use.

Let's talk about the time needed to get good final results, often people believe that it looks easy enough and underestimate the time needed. Flat surfaces tend to be less time consuming. When you encounter the detail (chair spindles, grooves, carvings, any end grain, veneers) this is where your time will be needed along with the proper approach. The detail can be compounded when paint is present.

Gauging the time needed to finish a piece is something that experience can only do. Chairs are the most time consuming pieces of furniture you will encounter. Depending on the current finish, (colour and type) along with the wanted (colour and type) of finish there can be different approaches. As a professional I can say that 4-6 hours of time is needed for each chair to do a complete refinish. This can easily double or triple for the rookie and again the more detail and the presence of paint will add to this time. Some strippers can lower this time by dipping or power spraying the stripper. However there are problems that can happen under these circumstances. Glues can be loosened, veneers can peel, wood grains can be raised and create problems later. If you don't have someone to strip the pieces by hand then the flow over method is the next best, this can be very safe when completed by an experienced person.

There are many species of wood used in furniture, each having its own natural colour and characteristics that can affect the ease of stripping as well as the final colour. When you’re looking to get a colour match with other pieces of furniture you need someone with experience. Simply buying what appears to be the correct colour on a sample wood piece, can come with surprises. Wood density (soft & hard woods) will absorb stain differently, this density can vary not only from species to species but also based on the way the wood was cut and how the grain is exposed. When an old finish is being removed it is very important that no traces of the old finish are left behind. This can cause a blotchy appearance, some woods like Pine when stained always appear blotchy. Hard woods are more difficult to get dark colours to absorb. With all the types of products available it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to use. There are wiping stains, penetrating stains, gell stains, NGR stains, urethanes, polyurethanes, varnish, oils, paint, shellac, lacquer and they come in water based Low VOC and solvent based forms.

If you’re still ready to tackle that piece of furniture, make sure you know what you are dealing with and how your going to get your end result prior to beginning. Many a time I get the call after the customer has started, then realizes what is involved.

Pricing tends to vary by region and when getting quotes it is important to know the process the refinisher is using. Hand stripping versus dipping or flow over, sprayed finish versus a brushed or wiped on finish.

Using a professional furniture technician will likely also give you that factory sprayed finish, there are many craftsmen that still hand rub oils or brush finishes on and do very good jobs. My opinion is that the sprayed finish wins hands down.

Do the research, understand what your up against and have fun, don't try and rush your project. A great looking refinished piece is very rewarding!