Revive that old furniture if it’s worth it
Tips given on how to refurbish old pieces or when to toss them
Claire MacKinnon says the No. 1 reason people want to redo old furniture is because it’s brown and ugly.
Other times, they have a sentimental piece of furniture that has been passed down through the family and they want to modernize so it can continue to be loved.
MacKinnon offers some tips for redoing furniture. The Westville, N.S. woman has been operating her business, the Painted Revival, since the summer of 2020. Her business returns old furniture back to life with paint, but she said painting is just one small task of the job.
REMOVING SCRATCHES
Scratches, water stains and heat marks are often part of normal wear on a well-loved piece of furniture, said MacKinnon. Depending on the age and style of the piece, one might say these marks give character.
But, if you find these surface damages are making your eye twitch, MacKinnon said it’s not always necessary to totally refinish the piece. That can be timely, expensive and more work than it’s worth.
MacKinnon has three little kids who, much to her chagrin, use her dining table as a jungle gym, so she periodically touches up the surface scratches with wood crayons. These wood crayons come in various shades to match your furniture.
STICKY AND SAGGY DRAWERS
For sticky drawers, according to MacKinnon, usually a good wax job will do the trick. Even use an old tea light from the bottom of your junk drawer. Rub it along the bottom, sides, wood slides or wherever there’s frictional contact.
Mass-produced dressers often have thin medium-density fibreboard or particleboard bottoms that sag over time. Take them out and flip them over, suggested MacKinnon. This will allow you to get more use out of them without having to totally replace them.
UNPLEASANT SMELLS
Sometimes old dressers or other furniture pieces come with a smell.
For musty smells, MacKinnon said the piece probably just needs a good cleaning. Then, allow it to air out in a dry space for a couple days.
If the smell comes from cigarette smoke, the above is a good start, but MacKinnon said sometimes it needs to be sealed in with a shellac-based primer called BIN.
Visible mold is not something MacKinnon has ever had to deal with, but her best advice would be to clean, clean, clean. Then seal in any residual mold stains with BIN.
“Some things are beyond saving or not worth the time and money to refinish,” she advised. “It’s OK to use these pieces as firewood in the backyard bonfire. Just don’t go roasting marshmallows over them.”
REFINISHING AND REPAINTING
MacKinnon’s No. 1 tip is to not underestimate the power of prep work. She advises:
1. Take a before photo.
2. Surface wash the piece with trisodium phosphate, a little dish soap and water or a vinegar and water solution and vacuum out dust and dirt.
3. Strip and/or sand. MacKinnon never trusts someone else’s previous paint job. She instead prefers to totally remove old paint before repainting. If it’s a stained piece, a thorough scuff sand is important to remove the shiny top layer to maximize paint adhesion.
4. Prime. If you’re planning to use white or a lighter shade of paint, it’s especially important to prevent bleed through, which will eventually cause yellowy-orange patches to come through the paint.
5. Paint. If you’re doing a single project for yourself, buy fancy brandname stuff, she said. But, if you’re looking to do a few projects or want to get into flipping, consider using a powder paint transformer (BBFrosch or Chalk-Tique) with a quality latex paint, as it’s much more cost-effective and doesn’t limit your colour choices.
6. Topcoat. Seal the piece with a water-based topcoat. Oil-based topcoats will yellow overtime. Or use furniture wax as it is much more user friendly but has a longer cure time.
LEARNING THE TRADE
To learn other best tips and practices, MacKinnon noted the internet has a wealth of information, especially YouTube.
“If you’re patient and determined, it can be very cost-effective and personally satisfying to refinish something yourself,” said MacKinnon.
Sometimes, there comes a point where you decide you do not have the time, talent or inclination to redo the piece of furniture yourself. It’s a matter of deciding what your personal time is worth, she continued.
And, when it comes to buying furniture for your space, MacKinnon urged people to consider redoing their own furniture or buying pieces that have already been flipped. It’s all about reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Shop and support local, she also advocated. There are so many furniture flippers in Nova Scotia and around the Maritimes. A quick inquiry on social media is sure to give you multiple referrals.