My bedroom furniture is worth about $5000, it came from my grandmas, it is all over 50 years old. It is called Hitchcock furniture. Tips or advice on all steps to refinish it? Help please!
If the furniture is solid wood, stained and varnished, you can strip the varnish off with paint stripper. Follow the directions on the can.
If the pieces are stained, the stain will remain. It is soaked into the wood. You can now apply a new coat of varnish, water base poly or tung oil (easiest).
If you do not like the stain color, you can paint the furniture. All poly or varnish should be removed. Prime first with a good quality primer. Get it tinted to 1/4 the color of the paint you plan on using if the paint is a dark color. Otherwise use the primer as is.
Then apply a couple of coats of the finish color.
Satin latex for low sheen.
semi-gloss latex for more sheen.
My opinion on old furniture. It if good quality, solid wood, I wood remove the varnish down to the stained wood. then rub on a couple coats of tung oil. Preserves the wood great, shows all the grain, easy to use, no mistakes.
If the furniture has some veneer on it, thin pieces of good wood, you will have to be careful with the refinishing as you could easily cause these thin pieces to lift or if sanded, sand too heavily and sand right thru them.
To paint, you really should remove the doors, hinges, etc to get a smoother job and buy a good quality brush too.
It really makes a difference in the finish looking good or cheap.
A 2" brush should coats $8-10. Home D or Lowes.