How to Refinish a Wooden Chair

Learn how to refinish a wooden chair in just a few easy steps that will make it beautiful and functional again!

Last summer, I refinished an old antique desk, which has been such a wonderful addition to our home. It’s beautiful, functional and a great place for me to work, sew and take photos. But since then, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect chair to go with it. Because I’m admittedly cheap and am trying to move away from buying cheap particle board type furniture, it has taken several months to find THE chair. I’ve searched thrift stores high and low and finally I found this thrift store gem!

I picked up this solid wood chair for only $5 at my local thrift store and it was such a great find! Although I’m not sure it’s antique, it’s well-made and the perfect size for my desk. It wasn’t in the worst shape, but definitely needed a refresh, which I was totally happy to do!

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I figured this project would only take me two days or so, but I was totally wrong. It took me a week to complete, but I definitely learned a few tricks that made it a whole lot easier and that I will be implementing in the future! Check out the video below if you want to watch this makeover form start to finish!

VIDEO

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MATERIALS

TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

STEPS TO REFINISH A WOODEN CHAIR

Clean and wipe down your wooden chair with cleaning wipes or soap and water, then allow it to try.

Apply fume free oven cleaner and allow it to sit for 30-60 minutes in order to strip the old varnish off the chair.

Scrub your chair with soap and water to remove the varnish, then allow the piece to dry. Repeat this process until you’re happy with the result.

Once the wooden chair is dry, fill in any holes if needed, then sand the entire piece. Start with a lower grit sand paper like 100 or 150, then move up to 220 to get a nice smooth finish.

Now is time to stain, seal or paint your chair. I chose to simply apply polyurethane to refinish this wooden chair.

Allow the chair to dry for 12-24 hours and it’s ready for use!

NOTES

If you find a chair like this that needs to be stripped, I highly recommend using fume free oven cleaner. It’s highly effective, has low odor and is a lot less messy than other paint stripper I’ve used.
Start with a low grit sandpaper, like 150, then work your way up to a higher grit like 220 to get a buttery smooth finish.
Be sure your chair is dust free prior to apply your finish, whether that be paint, stain or poly.
Allow your wooden chair to cure or dry for 24 hours before using just to ensure that the finish has set nicely.

LOOKING FOR MORE DIY TUTORIALS?

Looking for more easy DIY tutorials like this? Check these out:

Have you refinished a piece of furniture like this chair recently? Tag me on Instagram (@thesimplehomeplace) to show me your creations!

How to Refinish a Wooden Chair | Thrift Store Flip

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VIDEO