Wood Refinishing – Give Wood a New Lease On Life

Have an aging home? Is the wood fading and losing its luster? It doesn’t need to remain that way. Give your doors and interior trim a new shine by using these wood refinishing techniques.

Wood refinishing is not that difficult. Do-it-yourselfers frequently take it on. But with all the options for paint strippers, stains, varnishes, and other finishes that even a small hardware store offers, it’s easy to become confused.

Wood finishes last for years and provide natural wooden beauty and refined class. However, this beauty gradually fades over time. Colors lose their potency, stains recede, and the wood begins to show its age. Refinishing the wood reverses that.

Wood refinishing starts with stripping paint, in order to expose the wood for the new finish. It can then be sanded to smooth out the surface and create a better look. A stain gives the wood color and brings out the natural elegance of the wood. A finish, usually clear, protects the wood from the elements. These steps make any piece of wood look better. With a little effort, refinishing the wood in your home can make it much more fresh and appealing.

The following articles will help to take the confusion out of wood refinishing. We will be adding new articles to this page, so we invite you to bookmark this page.

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Clear Wood Finishes and Sealers

By D.Cummings
Everyone has thought a time or two about refinishing something in their home. From the wood cabinets in the kitchen to a bar the look can be much better just by sanding it all down and putting on a clear wood ...
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Conversion Varnish

This video answers the question “What is the difference between a Conversion Varnish and a Lacquer”. These coatings are technical and this video’s purpose is to give a general summary comparison. There are ...
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Different Types Of Wood

By Steve Anthony
This video shows several types of wood and briefly discusses their characteristics. Wood species shown include Burch, Poplar, Maple, Pine, Oak, Cherry and Mahogany. *After viewing please consider offering your own insights ...
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Distressing Wood

By Dan Clark (www.upscalewoodfinishing.com)
This video show various wood distressing techniques and the tools used. Includes making worm holes, cracks, chaining and hewning. These techniques can be used on any wood surface to give it an “old world” look. Use on ...
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Exterior Wood Door Restoration

By anonymous.
This video shows the steps needed to take a worn varnished front door through the preparation and refinishing processes and have a ‘like new’ wood door. Includes; Wood Preparation and Sanding Applying ...
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How Conditioning Wood Affects Staining

By Steve Anthony
This video shows the effect of conditioning wood before staining. Demonstrates conditioning on a piece of Pine before staining. With softwoods, such as Pine, using a pre-stain conditioner will help prevent a ...
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How to Apply Stain to Wood

By Steve Anthony
This video includes tips and techniques used to apply wood stains. A dark wiping wood stain is applied to Burch plywood. *After viewing please consider offering your own insights and opinions, this would be a big help ...
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How to Stain Wood

By Mark Donovan
This video discusses the basic steps used to apply wood stain. Includes a discussion of the differences between hard and soft wood, use of a pre-stain conditioner, application techniques and using an oil base wiping stain. ...
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Using an HVLP Spray Gun

An hvlp spray gun can be difficult to use at first. Spraying any clear finish or paint with an hvlp or cup gun can be a little tricky, but with practice using this type of paint spaying equipment will become easy. A HVLP system is ...
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Interior Cabinets Stain

By Rosalyn Boss (Bullhead City, AZ)
Make sure you sand off all the old top coat, even if it looks like no color is left on the wood. Yes! It takes patients, but if you missed any spots you’ll be sorry later like me. Always test the stain color on one ...
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