Showing results for beginners
🌐
Quora
quora.com › What-s-some-advice-you-could-give-to-a-beginner-in-the-restoration-of-furniture
What’s some advice you could give to a beginner in the restoration of furniture? - Quora
Answer (1 of 13): There’s a lot of information out there and if you’re not sure where to start, it can be overwhelming. However, if you learn the following basics you should have an excellent grounding and be able to get by until actual experience takes over: * Learn how to properly sand and fi...
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/furniturerestoration › where do i begin to glean proper knowledge on wood and restoring furniture? any recommendations for a specific youtuber or a guide or resource ya’ll have used to gain your knowledge?
r/furniturerestoration on Reddit: Where do I begin to glean proper knowledge on wood and restoring furniture? Any recommendations for a specific youtuber or a guide or resource ya’ll have used to gain your knowledge?
August 27, 2021 - They are basically impossible to restore to factory standards. Plating is best left to professionals, and some hardware can be sent out, but the cost is usually too high. Sanding above 800 grit on wood is beyond the asymptote of diminishing returns. Wood uses wood glue. Superglue is not to be used. Same goes for spray foam and duct tape. Anything with fiberboard, MDF, or peeled off veneer is a broken heart waiting to happen. Most Ikea furniture for example cannot be repaired.
🌐
French Creek Farmhouse
frenchcreekfarmhouse.com › 2023 › 10 › how-to-refinish-wood-furniture.html
How to Refinish Wood Furniture: A Step-by-Step Guide
JavaScript is disabled in your browser · Please enable JavaScript to proceed · A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser
🌐
HowStuffWorks
home.howstuffworks.com › home & garden › home improvement › home diy › diy projects
10 Tips for Refurbishing Old Furniture | HowStuffWorks
November 21, 2023 - Do a little research to determine your piece's value before you restore it. Inspect it for marks or labels that may indicate its origin. If you suspect it's worth some money, consult a professional before proceeding with any work. Take photos of any markings or tags for your records. Removing a collectible antique's finish could lessen or void its value, so hold off on stripping or sanding until you know exactly what you have. If you're not an expert furniture restorer, don't worry.
🌐
Woodrich Brand
woodrichbrand.com › home › blog › beginner’s guide to wood furniture restoration: essential tools and techniques
Beginner's Guide to Wood Furniture Restoration
September 11, 2024 - If you’re new to wood furniture ... hone your skills before tackling more complex pieces. Small items like picture frames, stools, or side tables are ideal for beginners....
🌐
Midwestlifeandstyle
midwestlifeandstyle.com › home › a beginner’s guide to refinishing vintage furniture
A Beginner's Guide To Refinishing Vintage Furniture - Midwest Life and Style Blog
May 20, 2025 - Do you have a piece of furniture in need of some TLC? Follow along with my easy step-by-step beginner's guide to refinishing vintage furniture.
Find elsewhere
🌐
Renovated Faith
renovatedfaith.com › home › projects › furniture tips & makeovers › furniture painting tips › the ultimate beginner’s guide to refinishing furniture (diy tutorial & video)
The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Refinishing Furniture (DIY Tutorial & Video)
April 29, 2025 - There’s nothing that seems more ... a piece of furniture and scraping it off a little at a time. No thank you! Fortunately, is easier to go OVER the old finish instead of removing it. It will also give you a smoother and longer-lasting finish. Easy Restoration Hardware Finish ...
🌐
Care And Repair
careandrepair.com › home › tips and ideas › the basics of furniture restoration: expert advice for beginners
The Basics of Furniture Restoration: Tips from a Handyman
January 24, 2025 - Proper preparation and patience are key to successful furniture restoration. Start by cleaning the piece thoroughly to remove dirt and grime. Then, assess the damage and decide on your restoration approach.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/finishing › furniture restoration starter kit?
r/finishing on Reddit: Furniture restoration starter kit?
September 7, 2020 -

Hello all.

I started working with wood and making smallish projects during quarantine as a way of keeping busy and creative. I am at a point where my limitations (equipment, space, and experience) have slowed what I can do creating.

So I decided I want to try and work from the finished project backwards: I want to try rehabbing/restoring an old piece. Maybe something found at a thrift store or garage sale. Does anyone have recommendations for a good "Restoration Starter Pack"?

Any help is appreciated!

Top answer
1 of 4
8
Depends how damaged the stuff you're repairing is. If it has no structural damage: sandpaper, tac cloth, quality brushes/sprayer, containers for thinner and varnish etc. will get you pretty far. Don't forget a drop cloth much bigger than you think you need, and a respirator with filters for gases. I'd do yourself a favor and buy a random orbital sander and a detail sander though, I wouldn't want to restore furniture by hand sanding.
2 of 4
6
I'd say start with quad nought (0000) steel wool and a basic furniture cleaning solution: equal parts oiled linseed oil, raw linseed oil, and turpentine. This can remove dirt and restore lustre to an old finish. Next is repairing scratches; stains, brushes and topcoats. Buy all your stains in the same carrier--all oil is best. Then a piece of glass. Just window glass, broken is okay. You are going to hold the glass over the furniture with a stain/stain mixture on it in order to match the colour. You can also use artist's oil paints (expensive) or universal tinting colours (UTC), which should be available at a well stocked paint store, to alter the colour of an oil stain. Or to make your own with some of the boiled linseed oil you have left over from making the cleaner. When you fill a scratch, you use an artists brush. Then use a really fine-point artists brush, match the dark grain colour, and draw grain lines through the repair. These should extend beyond the repair in order to draw the eye past/over the filled scratch. Tricky, but you'll get there. Other parts of your repair kit are things like glue, veneer, and small pieces of different woods. When working with antiques, the best to worst list runs hide glue (very reversible, takes stain), white or yellow glue, then polyurethane glues like Gorilla and your epoxies. You\ll also need tape (masking or painters) to use as clamps, and, well, clamps. If you're choosing your jobs, great. you can pick jobs that give you a new challenge and allow you to buy specific tools. Keep in mind that you don't have to strip everything you see (makes me crazy!). Fill a scratch, draw in grain, put down a topcoat patch, then, if called for, re-top-coat the whole piece. Spend some time learning about veneers and veneering so you can repair hardwood faced plywood. Don't be afraid to cut veneer holes bigger to make it easier to align grain and fool the eye. Heat substrate and veneer before applying hide glue in a veneer repair. Oh, and dents--where the wood is compressed but the fibres aren't broken--can often be repaired by putting a wet cloth over the dent and heating with an iron. Start with cheap thrift store pieces that really don't matter in order to learn the techniques. Maybe a piece you're willing to damage in order to practice a repair. It takes a little time to learn, but there are a lot of people out there making their living repairing furniture. That could be you. Have fun!
🌐
Family Handyman
familyhandyman.com › home › skills › woodworking › furniture
Furniture Refinishing Guide: How to Refinish Furniture Without Stripping It
July 14, 2025 - A seasoned pro tells you how to clean, repair and restore old worn finishes without messy chemical strippers. Furniture refinishing will be easier from here on out! ... Stripping furniture is a messy, time-consuming process. And sometimes the results aren’t as great as you had hoped. Fortunately, ...
🌐
Embrace Home Loans
blog.embracehomeloans.com › refinishing furniture: a guide for beginners
Refinishing Furniture: A Guide for Beginners
February 27, 2025 - Learn how to refinish furniture like a pro! This beginner-friendly guide covers essential tools, techniques, and tips to transform old pieces into stylish decor.
🌐
Bogleheads.org
bogleheads.org › board index › community › personal consumer issues
Furniture refinishing/restoration--advice for beginners - Bogleheads.org
First, a bit on terms: Refinish = removing the existing finish and adding a new finish Restore = return it to its original state Refurbish = recycle parts of something that seems unsalvageable I often started with a Howard's Product - it can work miracles: https://www.howardproducts.com/product/restor-a-finish/ https://www.howardproducts.com Disposing of left over material from furniture refinishing can present a challenge which might be part of the $2,500 estimate (labor, material &c. add up fast also). This is hazardous material and its disposal where I live is regulated; the county has a site for disposing of the material; individuals are not charged an extra fee, companies have a different fee structure.
🌐
Domestika
domestika.org › en › courses › 1566-furniture-restoration-and-transformation-for-beginners
Online Course - Furniture Restoration and Transformation for Beginners (Antic&Chic) | Domestika
March 29, 2021 - Creators of the interior design studio Antic&Chic Celia and Marc are here to teach you how to restore and transform your old furniture or household items to revitalize and add character to your home.
🌐
Bosch DIY
bosch-diy.com › home › all about gardening & diy › restoring old furniture: how to make antique pieces look like new!
How to restore furniture to look like new! | Bosch DIY
April 10, 2025 - This DIY guide shows how to restore furniture and give antiques a new lease of life, with useful tips, techniques and advice on different types of materials.
🌐
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How To Restore Furniture: A Beginner's Guide - YouTube
Don't throw away that old furniture just yet! In this video, I'll show you how to restore it using some simple techniques. This is a great way to breathe new...
Published   August 23, 2022
🌐
Instructables
instructables.com › workshop › woodworking
Refinishing Old Furniture : 15 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables
October 18, 2017 - Refinishing Old Furniture: This example shows how to refinish a cedar chest, but the technique is the same for any wooden furniture. I've also included a lot of information about other techniques, and their pros and cons, as well as some tips I've found for making the job eas…
🌐
Amazon
amazon.com › Furniture-Restoration-Repair-Beginners-Bonner › dp › 0946819645
Furniture Restoration and Repair for Beginners: Kevin Jan Bonner: 9780946819645: Amazon.com: Books
This comprehensive book answers every question on the subject of restoring furniture. How to fix a wobbly chair or a scratched table top; how to identify and repair finishes and veneers; how to stain wood or remove white ring marks; how to French ...
🌐
Amazon
amazon.com › FURNITURE-RESTORATION-BEGINNERS-Step-Step › dp › B0F28SM7C8
FURNITURE RESTORATION FOR BEGINNERS: Step-by-Step Techniques to Revive, Repair, and Refinish Vintage & Modern Pieces: Steve, Benard: 9798315231417: Amazon.com: Books
Creative & Rewarding – Express your artistic vision and enjoy the satisfaction of transforming forgotten pieces into stunning furniture. Potential Side Business – Turn your passion into profit by selling your beautifully restored furniture. With easy-to-follow guidance and practical tips, this book is the ultimate beginner’s guide to furniture restoration and upcycling.