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How to upcycle stained timber furniture?

Hi,

I have few pieces of these pieces which are dated but structurally sound. I was wanting to get rid of the stain and then wax the natural wood (?maybe). A) do I use a paint stripper to remove the stain or do I sand it off? B) what would you recommend for finishing it?

Thanks!

ps it's more red than what the first pic demonstrates. I'm assuming it's a cheap pine underneath so very open to suggestions if a natural wax will be no good.

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JacobZ

Hi @becjk,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

To remove the stain and prepare for a new coating, I propose using a stripper such as this Intergrain 1L Liquid 8 Timber Stripper alongside a scraper such as this 100mm Sharp Edge Paint Scraper.

Move the workpiece to a well-ventilated area and wear gloves, a mask and protective clothing while applying the stripper.

Remove the handles, hinges and hardware and place them in a safe spot.

Ensure you follow the manufacturer's instructions for the application of the stripper and work in sections, so you comfortably have time to remove the coating before the workable time is up.

Once the bulk of the coating has been removed with the stripper, you will need to sand the whole workpiece, starting with aggressive sandpaper such as 40 grit, followed by medium grit such as 120 and finally fine grit such as 240.

There will be a lot of sanding to do, so a random orbital sander is worth using. You might even like to consider a belt sander for the large flat surfaces and a detail sander for the more intricate sections and corners.

You might also like to have a read through How To Restore Wooden Furniture for some guidance.

If the workpiece is pine, a natural oil or wax would still look fantastic, but it would look quite yellow, which people aren't often fans of. You might like to consider the range of furniture paints from Porter's Paints, or a stain and varnish such as this Cabot's 1L Walnut Water Based Stain And Varnish.

Another option that is very in right now is to lime wash the timber. You can check out How to lime wash timber furniture by @prettyliving for some guidance on this process.

Allow me to tag some of our helpful members to see if they have anything they can add or some inspiration to offer, @arfabuck, @daniknight4, @Renowayoflife, @Herrenovacation.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

becjk

That's awesome. Thanks for the advice. Looking forward to getting started.

JacobZ

Hi @becjk,

I'm excited to see how you go.

Please don't forget to update us on your progress and don't hesitate to ask any questions you have along the way.

Jacob

arfabuck

I would go along with Jacob if you are confident in that process.

I personally have never owned 40 grit sandpaper for woodworking.. On a pine piece, such a yours, you could possibly get away with just sanding with 100 grit and finishing with 180 grit. If you are varnishing then you never need to go beyond 180.

Sanding with very fine grits imparts very fine wood particles into the grain of the wood. Wiping off/ vacuuming/wiping with turps etc with get 75% of the dust out and can be said to be sufficient to wax/stain/varnish.

However if you want to have 100% clear timber with no opacity, especially if it has natural colour or good figure, you will need to go one step further. That is to lightly burnish with a cabinet scraper. - a rectangular piece of high carbon steel, ( you can make one yourself by cutting up an old handsaw blade ). Practice on a scrap piece of timber to get the 'feel' of the tool. Hold the steel at about a 45 degree angle and with a little pressure lightly scrape the entire surface.

The improvement is as stark as night and day. The timber will come alive and reveal all its beauty as if it was still growing.

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