...A Handy (Wo)Man...

I have always loved old things. Notice I carefully selected the word old and not vintage. The word vintage has been hijacked by the dipsh*#$ on Etsy who put vintage buttons, thimbles, stamps and other useless old flotsam in a vintage Mason Jar and expect people to pay money for a magical vintage crap collection.
Do you know what I had to do to find that on Etsy? Type in "Mason Jar full of Vintage Buttons." BAM. One of FIVE results. Five people expect you to pay money for this crap because it's vintage and charming. It is a jar full of wooden spools and buttons, PEOPLE. Anyway, I digress.....old things.

I love to shop at an antique store in G-Town when I can. Katydid Antiques is on Main Street, and it is huge.  I will caution you, though: it is full of great finds, but it is also full of a conglomeration of crap. Buyer Beware. Thou must dig sometimes. This past summer I was looking for something table-like to go in our hallway.  I found an old, cruddy, yet sturdy dresser. Always one to see possibilities, I gave it a loving home for the bargain price of $30.00.  Someone had begun to strip the dresser before the antique store picked it up, so it looked like this:

However, 95% of the dresser was still caked with years of varnish, paint, and crud. I have had several people see the finished product and ask me how I did it. Well, my enterprising friends, I will tell you.
To refinish your own piece of old furniture, you will need:

1.) A good pair of thick, chemical-resistant gloves (You can find at Wal-Mart in the paint section)
2.) A plastic scraping tool (Also available at Wal-Mart in the paint section)
3.) Finish-Stripping Spray (I used Citristrip: Available at any Hardware store) This is a Must-Have.
4.) 60 Grit and 200 Grit Sandpaper
5.) Old rags and a Paintbrush
6.) Wood Stain of your desired shade. (I used Minwax Dark Walnut)
5.) A Belt Sander (for the faint-hearted) Note: It is 100% possible to do this without a belt sander. If you have a belt sander and know how to use it, it will make the process slightly easier.

- Remove any and all drawers and hardware from the piece.
- Cover the floor of the area you will be working in with newspaper, sheets, or any old thing.
- Spray the Stripper onto the surface of the piece. Let the Stripper sit for the amount of time prescribed by its specific use directions. Once your Stripper has begun to work, your piece will look like this:
- Once your finish/paint has become soft (as above), you may begin to remove it with the scraping tool. If the finish does not come off easily, you have not let the Stripper sit for an adequate amount of time.
- After you have removed as much of the finish as is possible by using the Stripper, you may begin sanding off any excess finish with the 60-Grit Sandpaper.  Sand vigorously until the natural wood is fully exposed.
- Once you are satisfied that all of the old finish has been removed from the piece, sand the entire surface with 200-grit sandpaper. This is an important step in ensuring that the surface will accept the new stain finish.
- Wipe down the surface of the piece to remove any excess dust left over from sanding. Once your piece is dust-free, you may begin applying the new finish!
- Always consult the specific instructions for the finish you have selected, but here is a general run-down:
* Apply the stain with a soft brush with the direction of the wood grain!!!
* Let the stain sit for the prescribed amount of time (usually 5-15 minutes).
* Remove any excess stain with an old rag.
* If surface is not your desired shade after one coat, you may apply additional coats once the original coat is dry.
* Allow the piece to dry completely after desired shade is reached.
* Put your new piece of furniture in a conspicuous area so that it will elicit copious amounts of "oohs" and "aahs."
This project will probably take at least 3 days, possibly longer, depending on how much time you devote to it.  However, it is worth it!  I got a nice piece of furniture for no more than $50.00!!!


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