Wood Refinishing
How to Strip and Refinish Wooden Furniture
A detailed walkthrough of chemical stripping, sanding, grain filling, staining, and applying a durable topcoat — from first coat to final buff.
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Furniture Upcycling & Restoration
Give Old Furniture a Second Life
Practical techniques for stripping, repairing, refinishing, and repurposing wooden and upholstered furniture — written for Czech homes.
Featured Articles
Restoration Guides
Each guide covers a specific technique — from surface preparation and chemical stripping through to final finishes and fabric replacement — using materials available in Czech hardware stores.
Upholstery
Reupholstering Fabric Chairs at Home
How to remove old fabric, replace foam and webbing, cut new material, and staple or tack it securely — without professional equipment.
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Upcycling
Upcycling Old Furniture in Czech Homes
Ideas and methods for turning dated or damaged pieces into functional, updated items — including painting, decoupage, hardware swaps, and repurposing.
Read guide →Core Techniques
Where to Start
Most restoration projects follow a predictable sequence. Knowing which phase you are in helps avoid common mistakes — like applying a topcoat before the wood has fully dried.
01
Assessment
Examine joinery, surface condition, and structural integrity. Identify loose tenons, cracked rails, or broken upholstery supports before touching the surface finish.
02
Stripping
Remove existing paint, varnish, or lacquer using chemical strippers or heat — depending on wood species, finish type, and how many layers have built up over decades.
03
Repair
Re-glue joints, fill grain defects, replace broken hardware, and address any rot or insect damage before applying any new surface treatment.
04
Finishing
Sand progressively from coarse to fine, apply a chosen finish — oil, wax, shellac, or polyurethane — and allow adequate drying between coats.
Czech Hardware Stores Carry Everything You Need
Baumax, OBI, and Hornbach stock most strippers, fillers, stains, and finishing products described in these guides. Specialist upholstery supplies are available at fabric shops in Prague, Brno, and Ostrava.
Materials & Tools
What You Will Actually Need
A realistic list — not a maximalist toolkit. Most wooden furniture projects require fewer than fifteen items, most of which are reusable across multiple restorations.
Surface Preparation
Abrasives & Scrapers
- Sandpaper 80, 120, 180, 240 grit
- Sanding block (rubber or cork)
- Cabinet scraper
- Wire wool 000 grade
- Tack cloth
Chemical Products
Strippers & Finishes
- Methylene-chloride-free paint stripper
- Wood stain (water- or oil-based)
- Shellac sanding sealer
- Polyurethane topcoat
- Danish oil (for open-grain woods)
Upholstery
Fabric & Fasteners
- Upholstery fabric (min. 300 g/m²)
- Foam sheet 40–50 mm density
- Jute or elastic webbing
- Staple gun (8–10 mm staples)
- Tack hammer & upholstery tacks
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Questions About a Specific Piece?
Describe the furniture and the problem. We publish responses to common questions in follow-up articles.