Furniture Refinishing

Cindy Piccoli walks through the steps of restoring furniture from removing old varnish, lacquer or shellac to refinishing it. Caution: Wear protective gloves, and use a mask when working in a poorly ventilated area.

Steps:

1. Be sure the piece of furniture is stained, not painted. To determine the finish, saturate a cotton ball with nail polish remover and press it on the wood. If the wood is painted, nothing will happen. If the wood is stained or varnished, the cotton ball will absorb some of the color.
2. Pour wood stripper into a glass container, and soak a piece of extra-fine steel wool in it.
3. Wring out the steel wool, and begin rubbing it over the wood. Rinse the pad in the stripper when it becomes too soiled. Gradually, the stripper will lift the finish, and the bare wood will appear.
4. Pour plenty of tung oil on a soft cloth, and rub it into the wood in the direction of the grain. It will highlight the wood's beauty and leave a natural finish.

Resources
wood refinishing kit - Formby's
The Thompson Minwax Company
Website: www.minwax.com
Also in this Episode

Decorating With Style : Episode DWS-144
•	Romantic Table Settings
•	Furniture Refinishing
•	Movable Mural