The truth about Refinishing Furniture
I used to have this messed-up vision of what “refinishing furniture” really meant. I was under the impression- for many years, that it was a boring hobby that involved stripping off the old finish with toxic chemicals, and then meticulously sanding it down, until the surface was glassy smooth, and then applying the perfect amount of wood stain and antique drawer pulls, knobs or other hardware. Somewhere in this messed-up vision, the cabinet doors (if any) were removed and then re-installed after the whole staining process.
It wasn’t until I had sold quite a bit of my own refinished furniture that I’d realized what I’d been doing. This hobby of buying real wood furniture at thrift shops and yard sales, then sanding the paint or stain just enough to take fresh paint, then decorating it with flowers and patterns, this is for real. This qualifies as real refinishing. Refinishing furniture can totally be fun.
I first started when we lived in Seattle, in a corporate apartment structure. Our neighbors were in town on business with Microsoft or Boeing, and would buy a desk or bookshelf simply because they needed one and the furnished apartments didn’t supply them. Upon moving out, they’d end up in the dumpster just beneath my window. Some were brand-newish while others were second-hand.
I repainted them ALL – including a wicker shelf that was all scuffed up when I got it. When it was time for us to move, we had a yard sale and I put out all of my painted furniture. There was that wicker shelf, a coffee table, a desk, a few book shelves, a few wall-hanging things, like random shelves and mirrors. Anyways, they all sold out within a few hours and NO ONE haggled with the price. In fact, in each case, they asked, and GRABBED it. You might say I was pricing them low, but it was way more than I’d payed. The desk, a simple student-sized desk with one drawer and a computer area, went for $45. This was 1999. I thought it was steep for a yard sale.
Either way, you’d be surprised by what you can do with a little bit of acrylic craft paint and some new, funkyDrawer Pulls & Knobsif you put your mind to it.
I’ve thought about doing my kitchen or bathroom cabinetry, but so far I prefer something non-permanent like furniture.
