Repurposing Junkie

Refinishing Kitchen Chairs

Refinishing Kitchen Chairs

I just got done refinishing our kitchen chairs, something I’ve been meaning to do for a while.  They have been the subject of paint splatters for about a year now.  I knew I wanted to refinish them, so when paint got on them from various projects I just waved it away saying, “I’m going to refinish them soon anyway.”  Now that they’re finished they went from, “eh” to “Hey, don’t breathe on those.” 🙂 This is a before picture:

Refinishing Kitchen Chairs; Lighter Stain to Darker Stain

I didn’t sand the chairs down to bare wood because I was going from a lighter stain to a darker stain. Here’s a fantastic article by Salvaged Inspirations, that explains staining from lighter stain to darker stain without stripping down to the bare wood.  As you can see from this picture, it’s not sanded to the bare wood, but enough that the grain will accept the new stain.

Refinishing Kitchen Chairs; Lighter Stain to Darker Stain

I like using an old rag when applying the stain, and a high quality sponge brush when applying the polyurethane.  I applied 2 coats of Minwax Dark Walnut stain (my favorite right now).  I then applied a coat of polyurethane. After the first coat of polyurethane was dried, I sanded with 220 grit sandpaper, wiped the chairs down and applied a second coat of poly.  I almost did the poly process a third time, but opted to stop after the second coat.  Here are the finished chairs:

Refinishing Kitchen Chairs; Lighter Stain to Darker Stain

`Refinishing Kitchen Chairs; Lighter to Darker Stain

Every time I walk by these chairs I want to whistle at them. They clean up nice. 😉

Refinishing Kitchen Chairs; Lighter to Darker Stain

I’m hoping to refinish the kitchen table soon.

Thanks for checking out this post!!

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Comments

  1. They look beautiful. I use to have a set just like that. They are all wood and comfortable. I am glad that you mentioned the point about not having to sand alot when going from light to dark stain it will save me time on my coffee table.

  2. Clean u pnice is an understatement!! They went from ehhh, to WOW!! I really like the color stain you chose! And they have one beautiful sheen on them now. Ok, all paint splatter stays in the other room!

  4. Hahahah Keri, you had me laughing at :don’t breathe at them…I know what you mean, especially when you’ve accomplished such a great transformation! They shine and look so chic! I love the stain you used. I have the exact same chairs in my kitchen, but I think I ruined them by spraypainting them in yellow and turquoise. Yes you heard right. I don’t know what went on with me. But I do love your natural looking chairs a lot better! They look fabulous!!! Great job!

    • Thanks Katrin!! I’m glad this brought some laughter to you. 🙂 I love staining and painting furniture…I think both options are great to give a piece a makeover. I hope to not have to redo these chairs for a while now that they’ve got their fresh coat. 😉

  5. Hi Keri,
    I love the chairs and the energy you have. And you make it look so easy. Can’t wait to see your table!

  7. Keri, I’ve said it before, I say it again: I love the natural stain you chose, they really shine! Thanks for sharing at Share it Link Party this week! 😉

  8. Love the new color, Keri–you did a terrific job 🙂 Thanks so much for bringing them to Vintage Charm this week!

  11. wow. that’s a professional job done here! Thank you for linking it up with us at SHARE IT 38 at FineCraftGuild.com A new party will open tomorrow so hope you’ll be back with us again soon.

  12. Much better now with the darker stain. I have so many chairs waiting for a makeover…one of these days. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Inspiration Party.

  13. Beautiful job!! I have done a lot of furniture stripping over the years and enjoy it immensely also. I would give the chair seats the 3rd coat of poly. It’s a flat surface that is going to be subjected to a lot of wear.

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