Hi from MA and a quick question

laurawoof

Hi everyone -

I really just joined to find out a few things....

Specifically: how does one re-stain the inexpensive natural pine dining room furnitutre that we all bought when we graduated college?

I heard that gel-stain can stick to anything. Is this true, or for dining room chairs, will I need to sand 'em down first?

Thanks,
Laura (a handy-person newbie)

KUIPORNG

I think the poly is the material you for sure need to sand away.... although I am not an expect, but that seems the issue if you don't sand, once the poly is gone, if you do not sand away the stain, the only problem is the outcome of the final color..... which you may or may not like....

NateHanson

Was the "natural pine furniture" unfinished? If it was merely oiled or completely unfinished, you can use any oil stain over it. If it had a varnish finish applied, then you would either need to sand it off completely before staining (not likely to work well), or chemically strip it (not pleasant), or recoat it with a tinted polyurethane. This last choice would be my recommendation if the finish that's on there is intact (not peeling). Give it a light sanding all over (320 would be good), and then brush on a tinted polyurethane that gives you the desired finish color. Between coats (when fully dry) sand very lightly with 400 grit paper and 0000 steel wool (paper on flat parts, wool on edges and curved or round parts and in corners). Leave the final coat unrubbed, or for a satin finish, rub it out with 0000 steel wool.

laurawoof

the base of the wonderful table that i got, the feet of my sofas and the teak birds that the original owners of this 1954 raised ranch epoxied to the fireplace are all dark dark dark.

black or espresso will go well, and we have so many of the chairs i can afford to make a few errors. (my hubby and i both had those pine tables).


ooh, nate - tinted poly works, and thanks for the indepth how-to! i can do that and satin finish it.....

yay!

laura

slickshift

Hello laurawoof