Refinishing furniture is a way to get stylish, good quality furniture that works with your decor, without spending a lot of money.
Where to Find Pieces to Refinish
Thrift stores, yard sales, classifieds (which are online in many major cities), Craigslist, Facebook, used furniture stores.
- Where I live the thrift stores are not usually the best place to find furniture, because furniture refinishing has become trendy and people tend to swipe the good pieces up fast, but sometimes you can find a gem.
- Yard sales can be seasonal. My favorite yard sales are in older neighborhoods that have a larger retired population. When the older generation moves in with the younger or, sorry to say, passes away, you may find some good sturdy vintage pieces, for very little. They don't make them like they used to! They really don't.
- The online classifieds where I live is my best option. Craigslist may be best in some towns. I don't have to drive all over to see the item before I buy it. I can also impose a price limit on my searches. (always be wary when shopping from individuals online, though I have had no problems with furniture buying).
- Many towns now have Swapping pages on Facebook now. Just do a search and you may find one to join. this means a year round yard sale that you don't have to drive around for.
- Used furniture stores are sometimes the more expensive option, but you can find pieces already refinished or painted, with minimal to no work left to make them look decent. You can also just brows to get ideas, which I tend to do much more than purchasing. I have found many by doing a search in online maps, or in the phone book.
Tips for buying used furniture
- Try to avoid pieces that are not solid wood.
- Shake the piece to be sure it is not wobbly. Table legs need to be sturdy to start with.
- Inspect it fully assembled as well as apart (if applicable).
- If it has drawers check them all for sturdiness. Dovetail joints are the best drawer construction methods. If they are loose they can be glued back together.
- If there are missing knobs or handles make sure they are easy to replace, and budgeted in.
- Try to find styles that will work with the pieces you already have.
- Make sure it will be easy enough for you to sand and paint. (grooves, carvings, spindle features, removable hardware, etc. just make sure you can handle it)
- If it has already been repainted, you may not want to buy it, unless you are sure they followed proper methods, with the right kind of paint. Some paints will peel right off of some surfaces.
Armchair Pair
I just finished some Italian Renaissance style chairs that were freely given to me by a neighbor, who attempted to refinish, but lets just say it was not turning out well.
She had used cream colored pray paint over the already white surface. It was very splotchy. I advise against using spray paint on most furniture pieces (except metal bars, or outside pieces) because it is difficult to get an even coating, without drips. She also attempted to recover the seat, and left it baggy.
Since there was an oil based spray paint on the surface, the process I needed to follow is:
- sand to rough up
- prime so the paint will stick
- paint with enamel (I used white right out of the can)
- gray stain to get the desired antique effect (I brushed it on and wiped it off with a rag.)
- Polyurethane protective clear coat
Any furniture that has a wood stain will also need to follow this process to use a latex or acrylic based enamel. Or you could use an oil based paint on oil based wood stain and skip the primer and the clear coat, but the clean up is harder (unless you toss the brushes).
When recovering seats I tend to keep the original fabric, or in this case vinyl, in tact and add fabric over top. Since these seats were curved, in order to prevent the bagginess in the middle, I had to stretch the fabric across the part that dips down first, stapling from the middle out, alternating sides to gradually work outward to the ends. Do not be afraid to pull the fabric tight because it can loosen over time. The corners need to be pulled really tight and folded over each other underneath.
