A beginner’s guide to refinishing furniture

By L aura F enton The Washington Post

The lacquer was chipping away from my mid-century modern dining chairs — one of which also had a wobbly leg — when I contacted two refinishers to inquire about a makeover. The estimates they gave were so high that I considered giving up and buying something new. But then I wondered: Could I do it myself? These chairs were not fine antiques after all.

When I asked pros whether refinishing wood mid-century furniture was doable for a novice, I got mixed replies. “Anyone who is willing to put in the time to learn about the process, and practice and perfect the techniques can get a good result,” said Mary Duffy, who runs Maine Mid Century in York County, Maine. Still others cautioned about the delicate skills and toxic chemicals involved: “I would recommend people pay someone else to do it,” Nicole Gendron, who runs a Massachusetts business refinishing and selling mid-century pieces, said in an email.

But just as these responses varied, so, too, does the complexity of refinishing jobs. Some repairs are straightforward, while others are much more intensive. So, based on guidance from vintage furniture experts, here’s what is — and is not — worth trying yourself.

When to call a pro

There are some refinishing projects for which you will always want to tap an expert. Anything with issues beyond the finish, such as heavy water damage, missing veneer or significant deterioration — for instance, if a dog chewed off a portion of a leg — should be handled by a pro, said Bob Kennedy, who teaches refinishing techniques via a subscription Facebook group and co-owns Atomic Age Modern in Mesa, Ariz.

Professional help may also be worthwhile if the piece is an heirloom. “If you want the best possible job and it really means a lot to you, then I would hire a professional,”

Kennedy said. Likewise if you’re dealing with something rare by a well-known designer — say, an Eames molded plywood lounge chair.

The type and style of wood will also determine how beginner-friendly the project is. Kennedy said that American-made walnut pieces are easy to work on, while Danish teak is more delicate, so you’ll need to be extra careful not to sand through the veneer. Staining maple, Duffy said, is “a nightmare” — which was my cue to take my maple dining chairs to a professional.

If you’re embarking on your first project, you’ll also want to avoid pieces with a lot of tiny corners. While a spindle chair might seem less daunting than a dresser, the large, flat surfaces of a dresser will be easier to tackle than the nooks and crannies of the chair.

When it’s possible to DIY

If watermarks are your only problem, Gendron suggests Mohawk’s Super Blush Retarder aerosol spray as a quick fix, calling it “the industry se- cret everyone who owns wood furniture needs to know.”

Move your piece to a well-ventilated space, such as the garage, and apply a few light coats of the spray to remove the white moisture marks — no additional finishing required. While there are many tricks and hacks out there for taking care of water rings, Kennedy advises avoiding “home remedies.”

Revive a tired finish

If you have a piece with a slightly failing finish (think dull coloring and only the lightest scuffs and scratches), you might not need a full refinishing. Instead, try the “scuff and spray” method: Sand lightly with a high-grit sandpaper (at least 400 grit) or a green Scotch-Brite scour pad, then spray on a layer of professional-grade lacquer. The pros I spoke to recommend the aerosol products sold by Mohawk — more on those below. Remember to always work in a well-ventilated space. “See how it looks,” Duffy said. “If it comes out looking cleaner, it’s perfectly acceptable to stop there.”

— not just a room with the windows open, Duffy said.

“When I say ‘well ventilated,’ I really mean well ventilated, like with a powerful fan,” she said. “And you still need a 3M respirator mask with P100 cartridges.”

A garage is ideal, but a covered porch or pop-up tent can work. You’ll also need this space for a while: Kennedy estimates that a standard dresser will take a beginner about 20 hours to refinish.

To strip off the old finish, Duffy recommends a product called Stripwell QCS. Strippers by the Klean Strip brand, she says, are also cheap and effective.

After allowing the stripper to do its work, use a putty knife to scrape away the residue. (In its how-to videos, Stripwell recommends using a plastic version instead of metal as a precaution against damaging the veneer.)

Tackle a full refinish

If you can see bare wood or your piece has deep scratches, many water stains or ink marks, you’ll need a full refinish. You’ll strip, sand and potentially address color with stain, glaze, toner or a combination of all three, before finishing with multiple coats of lacquer.

Because both the stripping products and the finishes are harsh, you’ll need a well-ventilated space for your project

Once you’ve removed the finish, follow the product’s directions for cleaning the stripper from the wood, then let it dry completely before sanding. Kennedy and Duffy both recommend investing in a random orbital sander, a tool designed for ultra-smooth sanding that costs less than $100.

One of the most common mistakes beginners make is sanding through veneer, so go slowly, the pros say.

SEE REFINISHING, PAGE F8

Lee Reich | In The Garden

ARECENT TELEphone call to my sister caught her setting zucchini transplants in her garden. “Transplanting zucchini?” I queried. “Have some faith in nature.” Transplants for sale this time of year entice my sister and other beginning gardeners too often to set out plants rather than seeds in their gardens.

I pointed out that not every plant likes to be transplanted. Tomato plants yanked out of the soil will resume growth if their roots or even just their stems are covered with moist dirt in due time. But the roots of plants like corn, poppies, melons, cucumbers, and squashes (zucchini included) resent disturbance.

Carrots, parsnips, and other root crops also transplant poorly. Their taproots become the harvested roots, and if bent or broken while young, forked, rather than straight, smooth carrots and parsnips result.

This is not to say that it is impossible to successfully transplant squash, poppies, beets and the like. Any plant can be transplanted if enough care is taken not to damage the roots. A plant does not even know it has been moved when a large enough ball of soil is carried along with the roots. (To paraphrase Archimedes, “Give me a big enough shovel and I can transplant any plant.”)

My sister told me that her zucchini plants were growing in plastic cell packs. If the roots were not yet crowding each other against the plastic, and if the plants were gently slid out of their containers, the transplants will survive. I have heard of gardeners even transplanting carrots very carefully, no doubt.

Many plants do transplant easily, yet are not worth the effort. A friend transplanted peas one year. Granted, his peas were a foot high indoors when mine were just breaking through the ground out in the garden. But how many pea transplants can one care for? I grow about 60 feet of double rows of peas in my garden, from which I expect about 12 pounds of peas. Each pea plant, though, yields only about a quarter of an ounce of peas. Who has enough space and time to sow, water, then transplant even two dozen pea plants for the paltry six ounces of peas those plants would yield?

Generally, plants whose seeds are sown closely spaced in the garden are not worth transplanting. In the flower garden, this would include alyssum, portulaca, and pot marigolds (though I admit to starting a few alyssum plants indoors so they would spread and flower sooner). In addition to peas, some other vegetables not worth growing as transplants include spinach, mustard, and beans. Leaf lettuce should be sown directly in the ground. Heading lettuces such as iceberg, bibb, and romaine are worth transplanting because each plant needs space in order to head up well. (Alternatively, heading lettuce could be sown directly in the garden, then thinned to the appropriate spacing.)

“Trust nature,” I told my sister. “Sow seeds on the correct