How to Refinish a Formal Dining Room

Formal dining rooms consist of chairs and tables made from quality, expensive wood. These woods are often difficult to stain for various reasons. Dark woods such as cherry tend to dry to a too-dark color after a stain is applied. In such instances, many people opt to bypass stain and use instead a simple coat of glossy, protective varnish. Lighter woods such as oak have tight wood grains that prevent absorption. This usually causes dark stains to dry unevenly and splotchily. When refinishing your formal dining room furniture, select the right finish coat or you will end up with disappointing results.

Instructions

1

Move the formal dining room furniture to a ventilated area, such as a patio or garage, and place it on drop cloths.

2

Sand the formal furniture, using a palm or power sander equipped with 120-grit sandpaper. Sand along with the wood grain. Stop when the wood finish appears dull.

3

Exchange the 120-grit sandpaper for a finer, 220-grit. Sand the dining room furniture again, using the palm or power sander. Stop when the wood feels smooth.

4

Wipe down the furniture with tack cloths and protect areas you do not want finished by covering them with plastic coverings and painter's tape.

5

Open the can of stain and stir the contents, using a wooden stir stick.

6

Fill a 1-gallon plastic painter's pot halfway the with stain.

7

Apply a light-colored stain to light-colored wood furniture with a paintbrush made for use with oil-based paints. Brush the stain onto the wood. Brush vertically, effectively saturating the wood with stain.

8

Wipe excess stain from the formal furniture, using cloth rags. Wait six hours for the stain to dry.

9

Wash the paintbrush and painter's pot with mineral spirits.

10

Open the can of varnish and stir it, using a wooden stir stick.

11

Dip the clean paintbrush into the can of varnish; saturate only the tip of the brush.

12

Brush the varnish onto the furniture in a vertical motion, being careful to smooth any runs. Wait six hours before using the furniture.