How to Refinish Wood Without Stripping

Do you have a damaged piece of furniture that you’d like to bring back to life? I have a table that’s been in my sisters garage for several years. It got damaged, but I don’t want to spend all day stripping it. I want to make it look good enough.

That is my motto when it comes to up-cycling, “good enough”. I like the satisfaction of saving an item from the land fill, but I don’t want to spend an entire weekend doing it.

The secret weapon of this table is that it can transform from a rectangle to a square. It’s perfect for large sewing projects when you don’t have a big space. It’s definitely worth saving. I’m joining with a group of bloggers today to share table projects. You can see all of their DIYs if you scroll to the bottom.

Supplies needed to refinish a wood table

You could use wood stripper, but it’s very stinky and not a minor project. I used sandpaper, stain and a wood pen.

• Sandpaper block – I used a 220
• Walnut stain – If the stain you use doesn’t match the existing stain exactly, you can stain the entire top of the table.
• Howards Restore-A-Finish – I used walnut
• Wood Markers

Before I show you the results of my project that I’ve never stained any furniture before. In fact, I knew so little about staining furniture that I didn’t realize you rub it on and then rub it off.

Steps to refinish a wood table

Refinishing this table took longer than I expected. After my first pass I wasn’t happy with the table so I came back for round two. I watched several videos on how to get rid of scratches and I’m not sure why the process didn’t work the same way for my table. If you have an idea, PLEASE leave a comment at the bottom.

These are the steps I took.

1. Sanding – The first step is to lightly sand the table until it is smooth. I actually ended up sanding the most damaged areas a second time on day two.

2. Washing – Wipe the table clean and dry it.

3. Staining – I used a paper plate and poured the stain onto that. It’s easy to apply with a foam brush and at the end you can toss the brush. I experimented with using both regular stain and Howard’s Restore and Finish. I couldn’t tell much of a difference.

4. Wipe Down – After you apply the stain, take a rag and wipe the excess off.

I repeated this process on day two with one exception, I didn’t sand the entire table. I only sanded the spots with the damage. Here is the table on day two. You CAN still see some of the damage, but it looks 200% better.

If you add up all of the time I spent, including two trips to Home Depot, it probably took about 3 hours spread over two days. I think it was time well spent. Let’s have a look at some of the other table projects.

Beautiful DIY Side Table Makeover For Your Home – Chas’ Crazy Creations

Tiered Tray and Entryway Table – The House on Silverado

Creative End Table Ideas – White Arrows Home

How to Remove Paint, Scuffs and Scratches from Wood Furniture – Grandma’s House DIY

Restoration of an Antique Table – Life At Bella Terra

Simple and Easy Way to Upcycle a Garage Sale Table – Shiplap and Shells

Hutch Makeover – Kippi At Home