Ways to Finish a Piece of Unfinished Furniture
So now that you've purchased a piece of unfinished furniture, what do you do with it? No matter what, you're going to have to sand it.
A good first step is to purchase a cheap pair of cotton gloves at a hardware store.
These gloves will help you to identify rough surfaces on the piece because they will drag on areas that need to be sanded when you run your hand across the furniture.
You'll likely need to do at least a little bit of sanding with almost any piece that you purchase.
Sand any rough areas -- you can do this by hand and will probably need to do so at times, but you can save time by sanding large areas with a finishing or orbital sander.
Don't use a belt sander -- they're used for much heavier duty projects and will give you uneven surfaces.
Once you've smoothed out the rough patches, you'll need to re-sand the entire piece so that it has an even overall surface.
If you're staining the piece, it's critical to sand evenly because uneven sanding will result in an uneven color with lighter and darker patches.
If staining is the option you've chosen, apply a stain using a brush, paint roller, cloth, or just your hands -- if you're going with the latter, you may want to wear latex or nitrile gloves.
Make sure you're staining the piece in a well-ventilated area! Apply the stain evenly over the entire piece.
Once it's applied, wipe off any excess that is pooling on the surface.
Let the furniture dry overnight.
Should you decide to apply a finish over top of the stain, it's important to let the stain dry completely before you apply the finish.
Do not put on finish before staining the piece; this will keep the stain from completely sinking into the wood and doing its job.
First, use a sanding sealer over the stain so that it won't bleed through the finish.
This will need to be sanded with a very fine sandpaper once it dries.
Choose your finish -- lacquer, shellac, different oils, and polyurethane are all popular choices.
Depending on the type of finish, you can either spray it or brush it onto the furniture; its best to follow the instructions on the container.
Let it dry thoroughly.
If you've decided to only apply a clear finish and not stain the wood, you'll still need to sand it and apply sanding sealer before adding the finish.
If you decide to paint your furniture rather than staining it, choose a thin paint or mix in some paint thinner.
You'll follow roughly the same steps -- sand the piece thoroughly, apply a sanding sealer, and then spray or brush on the paint.
It may seem like a lot of extra work, but you'll get a much smoother coat of paint, and you'll have options in the future if you decide to strip off the paint yourself or sell the piece to someone else who wants to stain it.
A good first step is to purchase a cheap pair of cotton gloves at a hardware store.
These gloves will help you to identify rough surfaces on the piece because they will drag on areas that need to be sanded when you run your hand across the furniture.
You'll likely need to do at least a little bit of sanding with almost any piece that you purchase.
Sand any rough areas -- you can do this by hand and will probably need to do so at times, but you can save time by sanding large areas with a finishing or orbital sander.
Don't use a belt sander -- they're used for much heavier duty projects and will give you uneven surfaces.
Once you've smoothed out the rough patches, you'll need to re-sand the entire piece so that it has an even overall surface.
If you're staining the piece, it's critical to sand evenly because uneven sanding will result in an uneven color with lighter and darker patches.
If staining is the option you've chosen, apply a stain using a brush, paint roller, cloth, or just your hands -- if you're going with the latter, you may want to wear latex or nitrile gloves.
Make sure you're staining the piece in a well-ventilated area! Apply the stain evenly over the entire piece.
Once it's applied, wipe off any excess that is pooling on the surface.
Let the furniture dry overnight.
Should you decide to apply a finish over top of the stain, it's important to let the stain dry completely before you apply the finish.
Do not put on finish before staining the piece; this will keep the stain from completely sinking into the wood and doing its job.
First, use a sanding sealer over the stain so that it won't bleed through the finish.
This will need to be sanded with a very fine sandpaper once it dries.
Choose your finish -- lacquer, shellac, different oils, and polyurethane are all popular choices.
Depending on the type of finish, you can either spray it or brush it onto the furniture; its best to follow the instructions on the container.
Let it dry thoroughly.
If you've decided to only apply a clear finish and not stain the wood, you'll still need to sand it and apply sanding sealer before adding the finish.
If you decide to paint your furniture rather than staining it, choose a thin paint or mix in some paint thinner.
You'll follow roughly the same steps -- sand the piece thoroughly, apply a sanding sealer, and then spray or brush on the paint.
It may seem like a lot of extra work, but you'll get a much smoother coat of paint, and you'll have options in the future if you decide to strip off the paint yourself or sell the piece to someone else who wants to stain it.
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