Is it a good idea for me to stain wood for the first time on my own?
Question:I'm moving out of my parent's house for the first time, and I've been given a nice pair of end tables. Problem is, they have a Maple finish. My favorite wood finish is Cherry.
Is it a good idea for me to try to stain these end tables on my own? I don't know anyone that has experience in staining wood. If I have it done professionally, how do I find a place that will do it for me?
Answers:
I say go for it if you have the time and most importantly if you enjoy working with your hands. It's not diffucult, but it is time consuming. You will have to sand (maybe 100 grit) off the varnish or uerathane or whatever the protective finish is. Wear rubber or latex gloves when you stain (they dont call it stain for nothing). ind a couple of peices of scrap wood to practice with. Get stain, I like minwax, pour a couple ounces on a clean rag rub lightly in one direction. Then wipe it off with a clean rag. The longer you leave it on the deeper the color. Try to be some what consistant. Give it a light coat that way you can always go over it again to darken it. Follow directions for drying. The buy a good eurathane in a spray can. and apply 3-4 THIN coats allowing to dry well in between sand lightly in between coats with a super fine sand paper. You will have a great looking peice of furniture, and a good sense of accomplishment. Have fun.
NO! just don't do it....look in yellow pages or better your local newspaper and find a french polisher. Get a quote.
or serveral and get the job done professionally, it will cost you more in the long run if you try and muck it up! I know I tried!
Do it yourself it will be fun. and if you mess it up you can always use mineral spirits and a little sandpaper to redo it until you are a pro at it.You wont do irreparable damage to it in any way.
If it has maple finish, it may have something over it to protect it from spills etc The new stain may not penetrate the coat unless you remove it either with stripper or sanding, or both. You never know for sure until you try. I suggest you get some wood scraps to practice on, so you can learn without doing too much damage and get discouraged . whatever you do, practice on a piece of scrap material that is the same type. Different woods react differently. have fun.
It's going to be really hard to refinish those end tables. I don't mean the staining part, I mean the sanding the wood down part. Even if you use a stripper(liquid) it's a tough job. But if your up to it, you'll need a liquid stripper,sandpaper,stripping gloves, steel-wool, a tarp or drop cloth,some paint thinner, tack cloth,rags, a couple of throw-away containers,some throw away brushes,(you don't want to use good brushes for this job)Goggles to protect your eyes,Stain, and a clear finish.You can use the two in one stain with the finish in it.You'll need several grits of sandpaper. 220 is a must. Than once you remove the finish on the tables.rinse with clear water and let fully dry. The staining part is easy.Read the back of the stain container for instructions on this and follow them carefully.Bye
Home Depot has some pretty good how to video clinics.
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