Refinishing Mahogany Furniture With Oil

Sand your mahogany furniture to remove the old finish using sandpaper or a sander. Apply methylene chloride to the mahogany if sanding does not achieve the desired results. Complete sanding after using the paint stripper.

Scratch a steel wool on your furniture to further remove small remnants of its old finish. Use a soft brass bristled brush to dig out any old finish pieces that are stuck in the mahogany's wood grains. Clean the stripper from the wood using mineral spirits, and allow the furniture surface to dry for a day.

Apply grain filler to the mahogany, as this type of wood naturally has an open grain structure that keeps your final finish from appearing smooth. Choose a grain filler color that matches the color you plan to stain the furniture to keep the grain inconspicuous. However, select a color that is different from that of the future stain to make the grain stand out.

Pour some of the oil-based liquid stain on a rag and rub the oil on the furniture, allowing it to flow into the wood. Rub the oil so that it runs with the grain. Wipe off extra oil with a clean rag, and let the furniture dry completely.

Rub an oil finish on your mahogany with a rag to create a natural wood appearance as your top coat. Then, remove the excess oil finish that did not penetrate into the mahogany using a clean rag. Sand away any blemishes present, and apply more oil finish to these spots.