Save THOUSANDS!?!, I must be exaggerating, furniture isn't that expensive. Well, take a look around your house. Do a little inventory, add up what you've spent on furniture. My kitchen table sells for over $700 at Pier 1 Imports. I got it used off of Facebook and refinished it, it looks brand new. My coffee table? $450 new, I got it for $25 at Goodwill. These end tables were $5 at Goodwill, and you can see the results from the before and after pictures.
But I Don't Have Time To Look For Furniture
Quality used furniture is fairly easy to find. Yard sales, Goodwill, the Habitat For Humanity Restore, Facebook and Craigslist are just a few of the places I've found the items that fill my house. Don't buy the first thing you find, do a little price comparing, and make sure you get quality old furniture with dovetail joints if possible. Tables and dressers with peeling tops are difficult to refinish as they are laminated. You will need to replace the top, and that can be messy and expensive. You need solid wood furniture to take the stain.
But Isn't Stripping The Finish Going To Be Messy And Dangerous?
It can be, if you are using a standard stripper made from petroleum distillates. But we are going to do it the easy way, and use a non toxic citrus-based stripper. I actually strip the furniture, stain it, and varnish it indoors. Here are the tools of my trade...
You spread a nice even coat of the Citristrip on with a paintbrush, then give it a couple hours to set. Before it is completely dry, you scrape it off with a plastic scraper. All of the old finish and stain will come off in a thick layer. Make sure to lay down a sheet of painter's plastic to catch any drippings. Then wipe any residue off with a damp rag. Allow the piece to dry completely. Now inspect your piece for dings or dents. If you find any, mix a little Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty and fill them in, then dry overnight.
I Want Matching Furniture Sets
Here's where the fun part comes in. You can customize your furniture however you want, by mixing and matching stains and paints. I prefer the natural wood look, so I use Minwax Semigloss Stain. The color used on these end tables is American Walnut. You can use a brush to spread the stain, but I prefer a lint free cloth. Make sure you stir the stain for a few minutes, then dip a corner of the cloth in it. Go with the grain, rubbing the stain in. It wont take long to get a rhythm going, and with practice, you'll be able to do an entire piece of furniture in a few minutes. Let the stain dry for around 12 hours.
Now you need to protect your furniture. I prefer to use Minwax Semi-Gloss Polyurethane varnish. Let's go back to that lint free cloth. You can use a brush, but you don't want the varnish to run. Leave a thin coat, then allow to dry for a few hours. Repeat, then take a fine sandpaper (I prefer 220 grit), and give it a light sand to make the coat even. Now two more coats, then more sandpaper, then a final coat.
This Is Going To Take Forever!!!
It actually takes me a total of maybe 3 hours over the course of two days to refinish a piece of furniture. And if you do a couple pieces at a time, you already have the materials out and ready, so it only takes a couple of extra minutes to do each extra piece. So go ahead, find yourself a piece of furniture that looks like it should be YOURS. Refinish it, then sit back and enjoy the compliments on how nice your furniture looks. As you gain experience with woodworking, you'll be able to make custom pieces to go with the rest of your decor. I have a custom coat rack to math the natural wood in my living room, and custom bookshelves to match my dressers and night stand in my bedroom. Have fun and get creative fellow Steemians, good luck!!!