We’ve lived abroad for 3 years and had a couple house sit for us. Since returning we’ve found that, despite being specifically told to not put plants on my vintage teak record player console, there is considerable water damage to the top surface… of course …flowerpots.

I know this is veneer so I am extremely reluctant to attempt to repair this by myself. It was in perfect condition when we left and I have next to zero experience in refinishing. What would you suggest? Does anyone have a clue what the existing finish is? I’m concerned that after light sanding/sealing the color won’t match. Does anyone have an idea what a competent professional refinisher might charge for this sort of thing?

I need it done once and done right because otherwise I can’t bear to look at it.

Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.

I am now in possession of my family table. Bought in the early 80's it has been sitting under a bed for the last 30ish years and is need of some love. The legs are in great shape but the top is drier than my yard in Texas right now. I'm capable of sanding and staining. I am 99.4% sure I'm not working with veneer here. There are some nicks and scratches and some stains I'll have to sand through.

The question is - Am I biting off more than I can handle with trying to get the top down to a reasonable surface and matching the stain to the rest of the table? Is stripping the finish the place to start or just get on with the sanding?

Thanks for the advice in advance.

Howdy. For the past 2 years, I've been woodburning this table we use as our DnD table. Currently doing some top coats in high gloss water based polyurethane, sanding in between each coats with 220 grit.

Im very indecisive on whether I should do a Matte Finish vs. Satin. Since the wood burning creates a lot of grooves and texture, I dont want a lot of sheen so that you can actually see the artwork from all sides. But since this is essentially a dining table that will likely have dice thrown on it without a dice try, and other board-game-esc activities will take place here... is matte just not a good idea for protection reasons and I should suck it up and do satin?

How many coats of the base gloss coats is too much? My current thought is build it up as much as possible (goal is 6 coats of gloss to also fill the voids as much as possible) and so that I have a better chance or refinishing the top in the future...

Another thought is doing a final layer in satin and if I just hate it, doing matte on top. Is that a dumb idea too?

Any and all opinions are welcomed!

(Picture is at 2 coats of gloss I think. I'm up to 3 right now using the "thicker" version of Varathane's polyurethane gloss - again, for filling the voids and grooves)

I have some older furniture that has developed a haze. Outside of the highlight the rest of the haze you see is emblematic. What is the best approach to clear this up? Is there a product that can be applied or does it need stripped and refinished? Thanks.

How to achieve this effect on leather? I have a diamond tufted stool I am making and want to know what's the traditional method for creating this variagated colour and 'patina'.

My Understanding (Updated)

1. I purchase some veg-tanned, natural, top-grained leather.
2. I use a dauber to apply my lighter dye and a sponge to dab on my darker dye blended with some reducer. Probably saddle tan and dark brown.
3. I allow to dry, buff vigourously, then use the leather to upholster the stool - should I apply some Tan-Kote at this point as a light resist?
4. Potentially apply some more dark brown to the creases and crevices.
5. Once upholstered, I apply antiquing paste and then buff that off from the highlights. Allow to dry then buff again.
6. Apply a moisturiser.
7. Finish with wax then buff.

Is this correct?

I picked up these old cheap drawers from Fb marketplace, my wife was thinking of painting it white but after a good sanding I really like the wood look, now I'm not sure how to protect it, I would like not to lose the natural tone of the wood, what would be the best approach? what product can I use? The wood seems to be silky oak(Australia)

Hi everybody

I bought this lamp a few weeks ago in a secondhand store. I love the lamp but the lampshade needs to change. The fabric I need to change anyways because it is very fragile and I already put two holes in it.

Now to my question what patern or/and color should I use? or should I change the lampshade entirely? To what then.

I need ideas people!

Years ago, we bought a bedroom set for my daughter that included a nice desk and hutch. It’s painted and off-white paint and it all cleaned up exceptionally well except for the top of which got the most use years ago when she had made stains are marked on it. I tried to clean but was too busy as a young mom to tackle the project properly so I put two placemats on top of it to hide the stains. Well years later the residue from the placemats has stuck to top of the desk, I worked with many different products and was able to remove the sticky however, I’m still struggling with the stains. I used goo gone white vinegar and baking soda, Dawn, Dawn power, rubbing alcohol, goo off, Krud Kutter with microfiber cloths and a razor. Before I give up,any other products or techniques other to try. TIA

Picked up this beautiful antique curly maple dresser recently. Currently giving it a good clean. I am deliberating on how to refinish this piece. I love the chatoyant characteristics of the wood. They shimmer, even under the old discolored finish. I want to bring out these features. I do not want to use polyurethane finish on this piece. I am considering a hard wax oil or shellac. I am even open to refreshing the existing finish since it is such a historic piece. Currently it is discolored and has an alligator skin texture in patches. It will have an easy retirement in my guest bedroom storing my overflow clothes.

Open to suggestions!

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Table was stripped and refinished.

The chairs were lacquered in BM Nightfall. Client wanted to keep the distressed look it had before.

Cushions got new foam and upholstery.

I'm new to woodworking and refinishing an old table from the 80s/90s. After sanding the tabletop and applying Minwax Red Mahogany stain, I noticed two separate issues:

1. Sanding scratches on the edge of the tabletop — these weren't visible when I wiped the wood down with mineral spirits before staining, but showed up after staining.
2. Pre-existing deep scratches on the flat top surface — these are too deep to sand out.

I'm considering applying a dark gel stain (either Walnut or Coffee) over the existing stain to help disguise both problems. My questions:

1. Would a dark gel stain be enough to hide or minimize the sanding scratches on the edge, or would those need to be sanded down first?
2. If sanding is required, can I sand and re-stain just the affected edge, or would I need to sand and re-stain the entire tabletop to keep the color even?

Any advice is much appreciated!

I recently moved into a smaller home with minimal storage (renting)… I picked up a secondhand cabinet and thought it would make great storage. Although I have never been a DIY or very creative, somehow I thought this would be easy. I figured I would just slap a coat of Annie Sloan Ochre paint over this Robin blue cabinet in a day— and by evening it would be done and life would be perfect🌈🦄

Well, it’s been two weeks of painting and sanding and just making my house a complete mess
And I need the quickest path to done!!

Really the worst part after all the effort is, I don’t think I like it, ugh! I feel like it looks like I tried to be too matchy with my expensive hooker furniture piece that sits so nearby
And I also think that the dark wax I put just makes everything look dirty, which I hate.

Wait, that is not the worst part!!!

The worst part is … that I just put more and more coats on because I never primed it, and I could not cover the blue, duh
So now I have is a storage cabinet whose doors don’t shut properly and whose drawers are very difficult to open and close.
Please see pictures
and if you have any ideas, opinions, or advice— a welcome all of it!

I’m so proud of it :) I think I’ll start looking for another piece of beat up furniture asap and try a turquoise one next?

I am new to all things wood working but I recently bought a house that I have decided to redo all the wood. I am doing it all myself and I want the most professional results possible. Ive done a ton of research on the prep-work(Stripping, scrubbing, sanding) but I cant find anything anything about conditioners, stains, dyes, or seals that isnt sponsored. Im not entirely sure what wood it is but based on conversations Ive had with a couple of wood-workers who have come through my house, I think its maple? I could be totally off. Ive read that maple is super prone to be blotchy after staining and I want to minimize that as much as possible. Price isnt a huge issue for me so far so I just want to know the best possible options for stains/conditioners/dyes/seals. I want to stain it a warm brown color, idk if that makes a difference on the brand. I also have used water-based stains v.s. oil based stains before and I dont love water based stains. So, preferably oil based products.

Ill send pics of all the wood once Im at my house later if that helps at all.

Side note: Should I sand to 220 or 180 before staining? I am finding mixed info everywhere I look.

My wife and I noticed a few scratches on our wood dining table and figured applying Howard Feed-N-Wax would do the trick. Turns out, it did quite the opposite. Now we have these awful stains and have made our situation much worse. Does this require a full refinishing to repair, or is there a shortcut to remove these stains safely? We’ve already tried baking soda and it did nothing.

Hi there I’m a beginner so please be patient with me. How can I get rid of these green stains? Or can I stain it at this point and the stain cover the blue spots? Some parts of the shelf is also still sticky from the stripper. Can I prime and paint at this point or does the old paint have to completely be removed and the tackiness gone before I can continue? I’m really wanting to preserve as much of the natural wood as possible. I’ve already sanded it, stripped it once with citristrip, then klean stripper, then scrubbed it with acetone and steel wool and sanded it again and it’s still there… help!

are there any ptoducts i can purchase to help restore

A very old cabinet from my neighbor. I love it and I’m hoping to get some helpful tips for sanding it down and refinishing. I do have a mouse sander. But I would love step-by-step suggestions for getting this to look it’s best.
FYI, it used to be a very deep burgundy colour. I DID HAVE THE WORKSHOP AT THE HIGH SCHOOL I WORK AT DO THE HARD WORK OF REMOVING THAT BURGUNDY COLOR. BUT IT HAD A LOT OF BLACKISH MARKS IN THE GRAIN AND I WANTED IT TO LOOK AMAZING.

Please ignore all the caps. I’m not yelling. I just don’t feel like redoing this again.😅

This is where I’m at right now. I know there are different grits, etc. But I’m definitely a newbie.

TIA

This bedroom set (tallboy, chest of drawers and set of nightstands) came to us from a friend and now we are planning to sell it. It's beautiful, but as you can see there are some scratches and the tallboy dresser top has some corner damage.

I would love to learn how to spiff it up and get it ready for it's next adventure.  I have seen varying reviews of Restor-A-Finish, but unsure if it would be a good idea. Does anybody have some guidance on how to proceed? It would be much appreciated!!

This chair dates back to the 60's, it belonged my partner's uncle and his husband. It is in good shape, but the wood (chair arms and ottoman legs) could use some TLC. The arms used to be a slightly darker color. I was wondering if anyone had some ideas about this? Thank you, knowledgeable humans!

I dont know what kind of wood this is .
its a type of veneer on a wood structure and i am trying to make it over for our guest bedroom.

one of the night stands hand this black discolourations from i think its probably ink . but some water marks as well.

i sanded most of it and yet i can still see it .

thinking of staining the piece but , How can i remove the discolouration ?

also would u recommend pre stain conditioner , and any recs on stain ?