Surface Preparation
Do It Yourself Furniture Refinishing Basic

Surface preparation is probably the most important part of furniture refinishing. After the old paint or old finish is stripped from the furniture and before any finishing process is started it's necessary to carefully prepare the surface.

Let the surface dry thoroughly, at least 24 hours, then check to be sure thatthere aren't any bits and pieces of old paint or finish left.

When you're certain that all the old finish is off, then clean the surface with an after stripper cleaner, denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner and 0000 steel wool. Although many furniture strippers say that they are water washable, water isn't a good thing to use on wood as it will raise the grain.

The next step is very important in surface preparation. Keep a pair of cotton gardening gloves handy just for this purpose. After your furniture refinishing project has thoroughly dried after the final cleaning and rubbing with the 0000 steel wool put your cotton gloves on and run your hands over the surface very carefully. If the gloves don't snag anywhere, don't sand the furniture, let a patina grow.

If the gloves snag, then you'll need to lightly sand. See the sanding section .

If the surface under the gloves feels just a little rough, then go over the area again with your cleaning solution and 0000 steel wool.

When you run the gloves over the surface and if feels smooth, then your surface preparation is complete and you're ready for the next step in furniture refinishing. See the stain section.

Citristrip Paint Remover Wash (see our dot com website). Removes residue from wood, metal and masonry. Prepares stripped surface for finishing. Pleasant orange scent.