Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Paint or stain?

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Expert: - 9/19/2007


Question
I picked this nice coffee table at a yard sale, it is supposed to be part of the Ethan Allen farm house collection. The color is a sort of medium brown, which I do not like. I wanted to have a red coffee table, but this was cheap, I thought I should be able to finish it myself! Should I stain it (and keep the wood grain visible, which is beautiful to look at), or paint it? Please advise, and also how to go about it.

Answer
Hi Nishtha
Nice to hear from you.
If you stain, you will need to remove the existing finish with stripper.
Then apply a red stain and top clear coat.
If you paint, all that is needed is a light sanding.
So you decide how much work you want to do LOL
Personally I never cover up a lovely wood grain, nor would I apply a red stain to it...just my preference.
Great question
Regards
Eileen

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks

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Eileen Cronk

Expertise

Hi..I can answer most questions about the repairing,stripping and refinishing of all your old furniture and wood items(the things we call antiques)I can give advice about what to buy/avoid at auctions/flea markets. I do not give appraisals on antiques.

Experience

I have been refinishing antiques for the past 30yrs. While I have taken several courses over the years,I have found that "hands on" learning is the best teacher. Perhaps I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made while learning.

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