Refinishing Antique Wood Furniture

In this tutorial we will be giving you step by step instructions on how to refinish antique wood furniture, and we will list all of the supplies and tools that you will need for this project.

Refinishing antique wood furniture can be tricky. There are so many different factors to consider when taking on a project like this.

The age and condition of the piece of furniture. Is the surface stained or painted? Does it need any repairs? Are you able to do the repairs yourself, or do you need a professional to handle that aspect of the project? H

Refinishing antique wood furniture can be a lot of work. But when you are finished you will have a unique piece of antique furniture, truly one of a kind!

But first we need to find a piece of antique wood furniture to restore, so let’s get on Facebook Marketplace and see what we can find…

Facebook Marketplace

Sometimes it is hard to resist the pull of Facebook Marketplace. So many treasurers to find! My search for a “new” dining room table and chairs led me an hour away, yes to the Big City!

My New Treasure

This table and chairs had been on Facebook Market place for a little while. As you can see it had already been reduced. I offered him $100, and he kindly accepted. I sold my white chairs for $50.00, that means my new antique dining room table and chairs cost me only $50.

The carved detail on the table sides and the chair sides really caught my attention.

Historical Detail: The ad said that the table was from the 1920’s, We looked at the table extender hardware on the bottom of the table and found copyright information. Upon further research we found the copy right for the table extender hardware was 1929.

How to Refinish Antique Wood Furniture

We will go into each step, that way you will know what is involved in refinishing antique wood furniture. Buy all your supplies and fabric ahead of time. A complete list of supplies is at the bottom of this post.

Refinishing Antique Wood Furniture -Steps

1. Clean your antique pieces
2. Repair if necessary
3. Sand
4. Stain
5. Clear Coat
6. Upholstery work if needed
7. Decorate, Relax, and Enjoy

Cleaning the Antique Furniture

Step one is to remove the seats off of the chairs, before cleaning the wood. To clean the antique wood table and chairs use a little mild dish soap and water and a damp rag. I let my antique furniture dry overnight.

Sanding Antique Waxed Furniture

Use a very fine grit steel wool. Grade 000 is very fine steel wool and used in furniture restoration. Our dining room tabletop had been waxed, so we needed to lightly sand the tabletop with the steel wood to remove the wax layer.

Sanding Solid Cherry Antique Tabletop

***If you do not have wax on your antique furniture piece that you are refinishing SKIP THIS STEP!

Don is removing the wax off of the top of the antique table so that it can be refinished. He is using a flashlight, so nothing gets overlooked. Now he can wipe with a tack cloth. Next comes applying the stain.

Hint: The new table legs had already been removed when we picked it up. Our existing table is still in the dining room as well. Don basically used the old table like a work platform and sat the new tabletop right on it. It made a perfect work surface.

Funny Story:

The white antique table was a restore find for about $45.00 I chalk painted the beautiful legs. The top was not solid wood only veneer. Most of it was chipping away. We bought a 4 X 8 sheet of 1/4″ pine. Well, that was about 9 years ago, and the top was never installed on the dining room table. We sold the white chairs on Facebook Marketplace. for $50.00 the table did not sell, so we removed the table legs…wait and see what we end up using the table legs for, you will definitely be surprised!

Refinishing Antique Wood Furniture

NON-WAXED FURNITURE

Once your furniture has been cleaned and has dried, you can lightly sand the furniture with 220 grit sandpaper. Wipe clean with a tack cloth. Apply your coat of stain.

How to refinish antique wood furniture -Staining

Let’s start refinishing the antique wood furniture. Pick your oil-based stain color. I went with Dark Walnut. When we first brought our table and chairs home, we thought that the wood species was walnut. So, I went with a dark walnut stain. The chairs and table sides and legs were stained a dark walnut already.

The tabletop had been sanded at some point recently and waxed. The top was in beautiful shape. When Don was sanding the tabletop to prepare it for stain, and once it had been sanded, you could clearly see that it was solid cherry!

Chairs Before Staining

The table and the table legs were in pretty good shape. We did not take a really good look at the chairs until we got home and did not realize how worn they were.

But as you can see from this close up picture, the wood was very dry, the clear coat had worn off and some of the stain was missing.

But look at that detail. The same detail is on the side of the table. That is what sold me of this antique dining room set.

The one thing I was concerned about was the condition of the wood. The wood was so raw in several places, and I wondered how it would accept the stain. I assumed that the raw wood areas would be much lighter than those that were still dark.

So staining is not really that difficult. Just dip a rag or staining sponge into the stain, and wipe onto the piece of antique wood furniture you are restoring. You can work the stain in a bit, making sure to get in any of the more detailed areas. Then with a clean rag wipe your furniture and make sure you have no runs or streaks.

One Coat or Two

If you are happy with the tone of your wood, then there is no need to apply a second coat of stain. However, if you would like the tone to be a little darker, you will have to apply a second coat of stain.

Oil based stain require 2-12 hours of drying time, in between coats of stain. Water based stains dry faster and only need about 4-6 hours in between coats of stain.

As for my project, I used one coat of stain. On the very raw areas I did have to do three coats of stain.

Hint:

We used shop rags because they are thin, flexible, and light weight, on the smooth areas. The staining sponges come in handy for any raised or detailed areas.

Refinishing Antique Wood Furniture -Chairs After Staining

What a difference stain makes. The chairs were so dry and lifeless. All I can see now are the CARVED DETAILS!

Refinishing Antique Wood Furniture – Chair legs before

Structurally the chairs were not in great shape. They were all wobbly and loose. Don had to put screws in the bottom rails, and then add a wooden dowel to repair them. He spent several hours repairing the six dining room chairs.

Hint: The wooden dowel rods were not staining as dark as the rest of the chair, so to my husband’s dismay, I used a black permanent marker on the dowels and then rubbed a little stain on afterward. You can’t even tell.

At one point they must have had a puppy. The bottom rails had so many little chew marks on them, maybe several puppies over the years based on the look of it! My husband said, ” It just gives the chairs character!” If you look closely then I guess it gives them a lot of character.

I actually loved the worn look on the table and chair legs, but the chair rails were in such bad condition and the wood was extremely dry, that I decided to stain over them.

Future Project:

Maybe at some point I will distress the legs to get back some of the worn patina!

Refinishing antique wood furniture – Chair legs after

So, what do you think about the legs now? I think they look rich!

Have you stained a big project like this? Did it turn out the way you wanted it to?

This was the biggest project refinishing project that I have ever done, and when I say I, I mean my husband and me.

The dining room was torn apart for quite a while. The original antique dining room set with 6 chairs, and now another antique dining room table and 6 chairs. Most of which were in the dining room, and some of the chairs found their way into the living room. Have you ever had a project that seemed to take over the house?

Reminder: Remember to let the oil-based stain dry for 72 hours before applying the clear coat.

How to refinish antique wood furniture – Now on to the Clear Coat

Here are some of the supplies that you will need for the clear coat:

Fiber Paint and Stain Pad

This large pad made it very easy and fast to apply the clear coat.

Of course, I did not insert a pole, I just held it in my hand. It was nice because the handle is flexible.

Protecting your Antique Furniture-Clear Coat

If you are using a water based clear coat or an oil based clear coat, wait 72 hours for the oil-based stain to completely dry!

If you are using a water based clear coat or an oil based clear coat, wait 24 hours for a water-based stain to dry.

Apply Clear Coat

Apply even coats of Polycrylic water based topcoat with the fiber stain pad. Work in the direction of the grain.

To make it easier to apply use a metal paint tray with a plastic disposable liner. This product has a quick dry time, usually about 2 hours.

In Between your coats of clear coat, you can sand with the 220-grit sandpaper to remove any air bubbles. Wipe clean with a tack cloth.

Normally you will apply about 3 coats of clear coat.

Orange Oil for Antique Furniture

I decided to clear coat only the antique tabletop.

On the table sides, legs and the chairs, I used a product called Orange Oil. As you can see from the before pictures of the chairs the clear coat has worn off, and even some of the stain.

The wood was extremely dry so I felt like this might be a better choice, rather than clear coat on the table legs and chairs.

Reupholstering the Chair Seats

It is now time to get to the upholstery! How exciting!

Fabric Number One

Since this is a dining room set, let’s start with re-upholstering the chairs. As you can see the top layer of fabric was a grape leaf pattern.

First you will need a screwdriver to remove the seat. Flip the chair over and remove the screws.

To remove the fabric, you can use an office staple remover to pull the staples out. If part of the staple is still stuck in the wood, then you can use a pair of dykes to pull it the rest of the way out.

Fabric Number Two

This fabric was a very rough orangish/red fabric…so nasty…you can see all the cat hair stuck to it. I am highly allergic to cats, so I broke out in hives!

Fabric Number Three

This fabric was a burgundy plaid vinyl fabric. The cat hair from the top two layers was actually stuck in the third layer as well.

The Original Fabric was a Tapestry Fabric

The original fabric was a brown and gold tapestry fabric.

I decided to wash this vinyl fabric very well, and just recover it, instead of removing the burgundy plaid vinyl fabric as well as the brown and gold tapestry fabric.

New Fabric for Chairs

Beautiful peach, rose and sage green fabric with a soft light blue background.

I went to several stores before I found this fabric, it is perfect for an Elegant Cottage Home! If you are looking for fabric to recover your chairs, just remember to get extra fabric if you have any kind of specific repeat pattern on your fabric.

Poly Fil

After removing the old fabric and laying the Poly Foam on the top of your chair seat, cover the foam chair seat with a layer of Poly Fil that is cut about 2’inches bigger than your chair seat. Hold your hand on the Poly Fil and flip the chair seat over.

Upholstery Stapler

This is where the cordless upholstery stapler comes in.

This cordless upholstery stapler was worth every penny! I am not strong enough to use a hand stapler with one hand and hold the fabric with the other hand. I need both hands to pull the trigger on the stapler, so therefore I cannot hold the fabric taught, without help. If you are strong enough or have help, then you can use a regular staple gun.

The upholstery stapler and staples can be purchased at the same location. If you do a lot of upholstery projects, you will never regret this purchase.

Poly-fil Padding

Make sure that the Poly Fil is centered on the chair board. Fold over the edge and staple, you will need to fold the Poly Fil a little differently and bunch it up a bit as you turn each corner, but still try to make sure it is lying flat of the top of the chair seat.

Reupholstered Chair Seats

Despite the ware on the chairs, I think they turned out pretty well. The stain covered up the years of neglect and puppy chew marks. If we had more time, I am sure my husband would have sanded the chair rails in order to remove the rough areas left from our little puppy friends!

Well, here is the finished chair. What do you think? Have you ever upholstered a chair before? Let me know how it turned out. Did you have any problems with it? Or make the mistake and skip the padding, like I did?

Refinishing Antique Wood Furniture – After

The solid cherry dining room tabletop is just lovely!

Protecting your wood table

Whenever we have guests, I like to protect our table with a thick plastic clear table cover. It is so easy to spill a drink or dump your plate when you are having family and grandchildren over for the holidays.

I purchased one from Amazon along with a green velvet table runner, and a new white tablecloth for the dining room table. I really love the look of a long white tablecloth. Plus, white goes with everything.

Our new table should seat 8 comfortably, but the way the legs on the table are in a V shape, you can only fit 6. Since the table is so much bigger, I ordered a much larger white tablecloth, (90 x 132) perhaps too large.

The corners of the tablecloth actually touch the ground, and the tablecloth has about a foot or more of fabric covering the chairs. You can’t even see the table legs, or the upholstered chairs. Well, time to re-order a slightly smaller tablecloth (70×120) this one should be perfect! But if I want to be extra fancy, I can just use the one in the photograph below.

Refinishing our antique wood dining room and chairs took so long to finish that I was unable to exchange or return the tablecloth. I will definitely be ordering a size smaller soon.

Decorated Antique Dining Room Table

Now on to the fun part! Decorating the table. Simple for Summer, but just wait till Fall and Christmas!

What I would Change

Funny Story:

My antique dining room chairs had never had any Poly Foam on them, just layers of fabric. So, the chair seat was very hard. I purchased the Poly Foam shaped like a chair seat. But since my antique chairs are from the 1930’s, no matter how I turned the Poly Foam on the chair they were not the right size.

We had this antique dining room table and chairs in our dining room for about two months already waiting to be refinished. My original antique table and chairs were also in the dining room.

I did not feel like going back to the store to get Poly Foam and cut custom sizes for my chairs, so I just skipped that step. Sometimes projects take longer than expected. I usually am patient and will wait so that they can be done the right way. But in this case, I did not.

People had been sitting on these chairs for about one hundred years, without padding, how hard could they be!

Very Hard!

Hint: Just go to the store and buy some Poly Foam, even if you have to cut custom sizes, you will thank me later.

Refinishing antique wood furniture-Supplies

• Fabric
• Fabric Stapler
• Fabric Staples
• Poly fil
• Poly Foam (to add padding to your chair)
• Min wax stain (dark walnut) or stain color of your choice
• Staining Sponges
• White Shop Rags
• Paint stirring sticks
• Fine steel wool grade 000-Only if you have waxed furniture
• 220 grit sandpaper
• Tack clothes
• MinWax polycrylic: clear ultra flat (for a flat furniture finish)
• Fiber Stain and Paint Pad
• Metal or Plastic Paint Tray
• Paint Tray Liner
• Orange Oil (use on whatever areas that you prefer not to clear coat)

Now you know how to refinish antique wood furniture!

We are so excited to see your refinished antiques! Please send us your before and after pictures. My husband is a finished carpenter….so…

if you have any questions, or comments please contact us, and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Would you like to know more about us, or see our 1840’s historic home renovation, including the installation of structural pine timber beams.

I hope you and your family have a blessed day!

Catherine Glowinski

Share!