Tips on Restaining Furniture

Sanding

• Refinishing a piece of furniture with new stain requires that you remove the old stain first. If you put the new stain on top of the old, you will create a blotchy surface that still shows, and may even emphasize, the flaws in the old stain. Because stain soaks into wood rather than sitting on the surface like paint, it can be difficult to sand off completely. The more you can remove, the more even your new stain will look.

Application Techniques

• Wipe the stain on thickly using a rag or foam brush. Leave it sitting on the wood before wiping it off with a clean rag. The darker you want the stain color to be, the longer you should leave it before wiping it. Leave the stain on a minimum of two or three minutes to be sure that it soaks in, and a maximum of 10 minutes so it doesn't start drying and gumming up. Apply the stain and wipe it off by brushing and rubbing in the direction of the grain.

Color

• If possible, use a stain color that is darker than the old stain that you sanded off. This will help to obscure any inconsistencies or spots with the old stain remaining. You can purchase stain in a wide variety of colors, from light maple to deep mahogany. The more smoothly you sand the work before staining, the more even and attractive the final stain coat will be. Test the stain on a piece of scrap wood or on a part of the furniture that won't be seen -- for example, the underside of a seat. This will give you an idea of what it will look like.

Surface Protection

• Because stain soaks into the surface of wood, it doesn't protect the wood in the same way that paint or polyurethane do. The purpose of stain is solely to color the wood. After the stain is completely dry, protect the wood by applying several coats of clear polyurethane. Depending on the type of polyurethane you use, you may need to sand lightly between coats. Read the instructions on the container.