What type of sander do I need to refinish a table and chairs?
Question:I will be stripping and refinishing a wooden table and chairs and am overwhelmed at all of the options for electric sanders. Do I need to buy 2 (one for larger surfaces and one for intricate corners) or can 1 do the entire job? Thanks.
Answers:
First off do your striping outside or in a well ventilated room.
You can sand it all by hand and not go out the money in expensive sanders, but you'll be in for some hard elbow grease.
You just need to understand the basics of the refinishing techniques used by most do-it-yourselfers.
Look first at products designed to clean and restore antique furniture without refinishing, and always test such products in an inconspicuous area before use. It may be that the old finish itself contributes to the value of the furniture.
When refinishing furniture, you must do the most unpleasant part of the job first. Removing the old finish. Once you get to the point of finally sanding the wood, you will have graduated from making a mess to creating a masterpiece.
You can remove old paint and varnish in a couple of different ways, primarily by sanding and by the use of chemical strippers. Heat guns can also be used for stripping and are sometimes used as a supplement to the other methods in the removal of a particularly stubborn finish.
Sanding is a good method only if you have good sanding equipment and are experienced in the use of such equipment. If you are trying to remove an old finish by hand sanding or with a common orbital finishing sander, you will work yourself into a puddle and waste a lot of sandpaper. On the other hand, belt and disk sanders can remove finishes quickly, but since they are capable of removing so much material, you must be very careful not to disfigure the piece by sanding too deeply. It is also difficult to sand varnish from round or decoratively curved areas such as turned table legs.
Depending on how good a job you were able to do with the stripper, you may not have a lot of sanding to do. Just start with 120 grit paper to clean off any finish which may remain and to smooth out any bad places in the wood. Then smooth the whole piece down with 220 grit paper. Finishing sanders are particularly good for quickly achieving a uniform smoothness. When sanding by hand, be sure to sand with the grain.
The quality of your final finish depends largely upon the care you take when sanding. No amount of stain or varnish will correct a bad sanding job. In fact, stain will emphasize any rough places, swirl marks or other defects. Take the time to do a good job. It makes a big difference.
Apply sanding sealer! It is like priming the wood. The sealer reduces the tendency of some woods to absorb stain unevenly. Sealing end-grain prevents the wood from absorbing too much stain and creating very dark areas. Sealer can also be applied after staining and filling to reduce the number of finish coats which will be necessary.
You are almost certainly going to be using stain to achieve the color you desire and to reduce the contrasts between different wood varieties which may have been used in the construction of the furniture. There are several different types of stains and dyes which may be used to color wood.
Always follow the manufacturer's recommendations for the product you are using. In general, liquid stains are applied with a rag or brush and allowed to penetrate into the wood. The longer the stain is allowed to penetrate, the darker the color will be. This only works to a certain extent, however. The excess stain is then wiped off with a clean rag and the piece is allowed to dry. If a darker finish is desired, these steps are repeated.
Good luck and enjoy your restored furniture!
I wish I was there, I refinish furniture. Hand rubbing and all. Make sure the top of the table is wood and not a veneer-if it is you'll have to sand carefully. The chairs, I don't know what they look like but I have never been successful at sanding them, I use stripper, put coffee cans down and put the chair legs in it, then paint the stripper on.
I would use a palm sander and the stuff you can't get to with the sander hand sand it. They also make what they call a detail sander. I think it's a piece of junk. Made just to make money, not to make things easier. As the other person said make sure that it is SOLID wood, because veneer is only 1/6'' of an inch, and you can go through it vary easily. Watch out for the chemicals, vary messy and the fumes can kill your brain...
For intricate surfaces, or limited spaced areas I use my " Rotary Tool with a sanding drum"
For larger areas that are esentially flat I use a belt sander to strip it (going with the grain). No matter what method you use, you will end up hand sanding at some point in the stripping process. I really don't like to do the chemical thing at all - this is a personal preference thingy.
If I were going ot do the chemicals - I would toss it in my wagner elec. Paint sprayer in a sealed off room with great ventalation - wear protective gear is a " Must". Spray it on and cover all remaining areas very well and shut that down as soon as you do.
For me, if there is more than one layer of paint or varnish on the solid wood I would start with a 80 grit sandpaper to rip it faster, then move down to 100 grit.
Remember - once you get to the " Bare Wood" you should consider a wood filler - it will take care of gouges, minor holes, scapes, etc in the wood and make for a much better job in the end.
However, there is a very good option for the " Odorless Chemical Paint / Varnish Remover" I have not tried this since i'm not into the whole chemical method at all. But here is the web site, it may be of help to other reading this too.
http://www.readystripsales.com/...
I would get a set of cabinet scrapers you can get the at rockweler or woodcrafters those are woodworking stores you draw them across the top with the grain
I'll briefly answer your question: buy an orbital sander and some flexible hand pad sanders. Belt sanders can cut too deep quickly. Good luck.
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