Turn Trash Into Treasure with a Little Refinishing

Making something that is old and ugly look beautiful again is such a wonderful process. Watching someone's junk become your treasure is part hard work and part dreaming. As you work and see the results, you feel like an artist drawing on a canvass. This creation is yours and you will display it with love and affection. You may even be thinking about handing this delight down to your children who will look upon it with love too. Or you may be starting your own apartment or house on a budget. Rather than buying new and busting your budget, you can purchase old junky items and make them new again with your love and care. Whatever the reason you are refinishing furniture, you are an artist with a vision.

** Refinishing Tip ** Once you have this out of the way you may also want to let your neighbors know that you will be carrying out some refinishing work. Your crucial task however, is to take very accurate measurements of all the materials you will need but remember that mistakes at this stage can be costly. It is important if you are taking responsibility for the home refinishing materials that you have sufficient budget and a comprehensive list of everything the contractor will require.

If you're like me, then you love searching for hidden treasures at places like thrift shops and yard sales. Often, you can find a fantastic item that may not look like much, but that can be given new life with a little refinishing!

For example, on one of my many yard sale jaunts, I found the most beautiful wooden rocking chair. Problem was, this chair looked terrible. No one wanted to buy it because it looked dirty and old. I plunked down $10 for this sad looking chair and took it home with me for a little tender loving care.

The first thing I did was sand the existing finish off of the rocking chair. It wasn't too hard, because there wasn't much of it left. Sanding is a crucial step because no wood piece is going to properly take a new paint or stain without it. I will say, it was a bit labor intensive, but worth it. I used a 120 grain sandpaper at first, then finished the piece with a 220 grain.

Following the sanding, I rinsed the entire chair off with a light spraying from the garden hose and sat it in the sun to dry thoroughly. After drying, I applied a coat of grain filler to fill in the grain and provide a smooth surface for the stain. This product is like a paste and after being worked in with a stiff brush, should be smoothed to a uniform finish.

Next, it was time to prime for stain using a sanding sealer. I made my own using a bit of stain plus paint thinner. After two coats of sanding sealer, it was time to sand once more using a 220 grain sandpaper.

** Refinishing Tip ** Making a nice room... Generally a relaxing lounge chair with a floor lamp and table will also work well if you want to use it as a reading room as well. The effect can be further refined when you remodel you master bedroom by adding something that shows your love for your friends and family; photographs which will need an antique brass style frame to display them in. In a room like this colors that create the best effect are the darker blues, darker browns and the type of green that you see naturally in woodland as these colors produce a warm womb like feeling that is also good for a restful nights sleep.

After the sealer came the best part -- the stain! I used a rich oil based oak colored stain on this rocking chair, and I must say, it came out beautifully! By finishing with an oil based polyurethane coating, the chair was given extra durability and a gleaming shine. After the chair was completely dry, the only thing left to do was add a colorful seat cushion.

Now when guests come to my house they all want to sit in my antique rocking chair! If only they could see what it looked like when I brought it home, they'd be amazed! I know I am!

Copyright 2006 Jim Sterling - All Rights Reserved

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Furniture Repair & Refinishing (Ultimate Guide)

Packed with detailed information, Furniture Repair & Refinishing takes a hands-on approach to furniture repair and restoration. Written by an authority in the field, the book teaches-through step-by-step instructions and full-color photo how sequences-everything the beginning furniture restorer needs to know to achieve professional results, whether planning a simple repair or a full restoration. All tasks are rated for difficulty and feature tools and materials lists.


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Black & Decker Finishing & Refinishing Wood: Techniques & Projects for Fine Wood Finishes (Black & Decker)

Finishing & Refinishing Wood offers inspiration and straight-to-the point instruction on how to salvage mistreated wood surfaces and turn them once again into things of beauty. Readers will learn how to effectively use new, environmentally safe strippers to remove old paints and varnishes, how to patch and repair damaged surfaces, and how to apply stains and achieve glass-smooth new finishes with no fuss. This book features the latest tools, including fine detail sanders and high velocity finish sprayers. Fifteen carefully chosen case studies show how to apply these techniques to a variety of wood projects. An entire section is devoted to spary application of stains and surface finishes - the most important new trend in the world of wood finishing.


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Sailboat Refinishing

Make your boat shine again! No improvement to a tired-looking boat will have a more dramatic impact than refinishing, and few tasks are easier. Here is everything you need to achieve a fabulous finish on your fiberglass boat's bottom, topsides, deck, spars, wood trim, and belowdeck surfaces while saving time, money, and grief. What reviewers have said about Don Casey's boat maintenance books: "Astonishingly clear text and illustrations. The reader can almost feel the hand-holding this book provides through each step."-- Dockside "I own many books filled with advice, but I strongly suspect that this is the one I will consult most."-- Sailing "Casey makes tricky points clear in hundreds of illustrations and lively prose."-- SailNet "If you have an older sailboat, you need this book."-- The Ensign

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Weekend Refinisher

Bruce Johnson, author of the COUNTRY LIVING Column, "Antiques Across America," draws on ten years of professional refinishing experience to show you all the shortcuts and tricks of the trade. All you need are a few common hand tools and household supplies. Packed with charts, tables, step-by-step instructions, and easy-to-follow illustrations, inside you'll find the confidence you need to tackle any piece.

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3M R8736 Odor Relief Respirator for Wood Refinishing and Painting

3M, Painting & Refinishing Respirator With Odor Relief, Helps Provide Relief From Non-Harmful Dusts, Mists & Annoying Orders, Using Aerosol Paint Spray Cans, Brushing Or Rolling Water Based Latex Paint, Applying/Removing Solvent Based Paint Strippers Or Staining, Varnishing Outdoors, Retail Version Of The #8511.

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Rustoleum Tub and Tile Refinish Kit- White

Don't replace it - Refinish it! Rust-Oleum Specialty Tub & Tile Refreshing Kit acts and looks like porcelain and ceramic. Apply to ceramic, porcelain or fiberglass. Epoxy Acrylic Formula just like the professionals use. PRODUCT FEATURES: -Fast-drying -Indoor/Outdoor -Durable, corrosion-resistant Pre-treat tub with a household cleaner rather than muriatic acid.

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Furniture Refinishing in a Class by Yourself

• Has a small drop-leaf stand ever caught your eye at an estate sale?
• Have you always admired that ladder-back chair in your grandmother’s attic?
• Did you ever spot an old commode put out for curb-side pickup?

Expert furniture refinisher and teacher Marge Van Slyke from Rome, NY has written an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to repairing, sanding, staining, and refinishing to help you give old furniture a second life!

In this wonderfully illustrated book, she shares more than 30 years of experience in furniture repair and refinishing with a pleasant, personable style that shows why she has been a popular teacher of the craft for many years.

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Furniture Refinishing

FURNITURE REFINISHING: Preparation: Disassembling hardware, handles, pulls and mirrors, applying stripper, stripping old finish; Refinishing: Refinish sanding, applying stain, final sanding, sealing and finishing. Length: 30 min.

From Do It Yourself, Inc., producers of top quality home improvement, woodworking and how-to videos since 1984.

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Black Ice 5 1/2"x9" 2000 Grit 50 Pack



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Finishing and Refinishing (Fine Woodworking On)



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Residents on a committee that is putting together a renovation plan for Washington Community High School have a daunting task ahead of them. In the next two weeks, they need to take the most crucial elements of two renovation options designed by BLDD ...

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