How to Refurbish Old Dining Room Chairs

If you have old dining chairs that are still functionally sound, you can refurbish them to give them a fresh or even antique look. Normal wear and tear causes the original finish to fade and expose the bare wood underneath. This makes the dining chairs unsightly, and they may even look out-of-place with the table or other decor. With just a few items and some common hand tools, you can refurbish your old dining chairs and give them new life. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Spread dropcloths over the floor in an area that is well ventilated, such as a detached garage, and place the old dining chairs on top of the dropcloths.

2

Squirt a little liquid degreasing dish soap into a bucket and fill with warm water. Throw a sponge or two into the bucket, allowing the sponges to absorb the warm, soapy water.

3

Clean each dining chair thoroughly, then rinse out the bucket and refill with plain water. Wring out the sponges until all the soap is gone, then rinse and wipe down each dining chair with plain water and let air dry.

4

Put on rubber gloves and drip a little mineral spirits onto a clean cloth. Wipe down each dining chair liberally, until the bare wood is completely exposed. In addition, use a steel wool pad to get the old finish off the wood. Let the mineral spirits evaporate off the dining chairs.

5

Abrade each dining chair with 120-grit sandpaper to remove any of the old finish that may be left and to rough the surface. Sand in the same direction as the wood grain as much as possible.

6

Wipe down each chair with a tack cloth to clean the surface. Brush on a coat of gel stain with a paintbrush. Let the gel stain set for 10 to 15 minutes, then use clean cloths to wipe away excess gel stain. Rub over the remaining gel stain with clean steel wool to prep the wood for the finish.

7

Apply a coat of polyurethane or varnish to each chair using a paintbrush or clean cloths, to finish. Let the polyurethane or varnish dry for about four hours or as long as directed by the manufacturer before using your refurbished dining chairs.