How to remove varnish from furniture?

Dani3

Im looking at removing stain / varnish from my television unit

It is made with pine it is stained a reddy color and would like to change to a light stain

What tools and materials would I need to buy and steps to do, to achieve my goals

Thank you

EricL

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about varnish removal.

There are two methods to remove the varnish on your table. Use an Orbital Sander in conjunction with 180 grit sandpaper. The other method is to use Bondall 1L Water-based Paint & Varnish Stripper. Both methods will be messy as the sander will emit a lot of sawdust and the varnish stripper will create a lot of stripped varnish gel. Several applications may be necessary to remove all the varnish. Unfortunately, you will still need to sand the timber to remove the reddy stain that's on it.

I'm currently restoring a beautiful french provincial style table and it is taking a while due to the hidden curves and corners of the table. My number one piece of advice for your project is to be patient with the preparation process. It will take a while to remove all the stain on the television unit, but once it's ready, it will pay off as you'll get the finish that you're after.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing the start of your TV unit restoration.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to restore wooden furniture.

Let me tag some of our experienced members @craftyhopper, @DanaR and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

shefu

Hi Eric,

Do you know how long it took to sand the whole tabletop down to basic wood in this video?

I'm trying to estimate time for my kitchen doors that are about that big.
also grateful for any advice you might have for restoring kitchen cabinetry or wooden doors to remove the old reddish stain and varnish and make them lighter to match a black but sort of colour .

thanks

Shefu

EricL

Hello @shefu

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. it's sensational to have you join us.

Conservatively, it would probably have taken them at least more than half a day to sand that table down. It all depends on how thick the former coating is. If it is very thick, then it will take some time to sand down the appliance. My best advice is to invest in an electric random orbital sander and a detail sander.

The orbital sander will sand down the large flat areas and the the detail sander will get to the tight corners. This will cut your sanding time in half when compared to hand sanding the furniture.

In regards to your doors, it all depends on what you are painting over it. If you are staining it again then all the old stain and sealer must be removed and the door sanded back to timber. But if you are painting it in colour, you can sand the surface of the door and then apply a stain blocking primer to prevent the old stain from rising up.

I suggest finding a spot in your house where you can leave the cabinetry under cover and protected from the weather. It's important that it be protected from the elements while you are sanding it down as moisture will damage the timber if left unsealed for too long.

I suggest having a quick look at this discussion - Upcycled bedside drawers by @AthenaGeorgia.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric