First: old paint and lead
Safety— Check before you sand
EPA lists refinishing old furniture among the jobs that can expose you to lead, and the Forest Products Laboratory advises assuming that an old layer of paint may contain it. EPA also notes that the CPSC does not recommend consumer lead test kits for consumer products, so a home test on a chair is not conclusive. If the piece is old and painted, follow EPA's lead guidance before sanding, scraping or heating it; EPA's own advice where sanding cannot be avoided is to wet the area, sand as little as possible and clean up thoroughly.
Choosing the step
| Condition | Option | Example | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dirty, dull, sticky with polish | Clean | Denatured alcohol and water on a maroon pad (GF's prep) | Repair scratches or wear |
| Light scratches, sun fade | Restore | Howard Restor-A-Finish | Remove or soften the finish; fill deep damage |
| Small marks in a finished surface | Fill | Minwax Wood Putty (never hardens) | Take wear or build a surface |
| Sound but worn thin | Recoat | Clean, scuff 220–320, apply a compatible topcoat | Change the colour much, or fix a failing finish |
| Cracked, peeling or failing | Strip | Chemical, heat or mechanical removal | Keep the original finish |
Products are examples described by their makers. Test each step on a hidden area.
Clean
Grime and old polish hide a finish's real condition and stop new coats sticking. General Finishes' preparation for applying its topcoats over a finished surface starts with cleaning: a 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and water on a maroon non-woven pad. Once clean, judge the finish again — it may need nothing more than wax or polish.
Restore
Restorers work into the existing finish rather than removing it. Howard describes its Restor-A-Finish as solvent with stain and mineral oil that penetrates the finish to blend light scratches, sun fade and similar damage, and says it will not remove or soften the existing finish. It is a cosmetic repair: it cannot rebuild a finish that has worn through to bare wood.
Recoat
A sound but thin finish can take a new coat over the old. General Finishes' instructions for its oil-based and water-based topcoats over a finished surface are to clean it, then scuff it with a fine 220–320 foam pad or a maroon pad. Compatibility is the risk, because the old finish is usually unknown:
- Minwax says its oil- and water-based polyurethanes can go over each other once the first is fully cured.
- Minwax says lacquer and polyurethane are not compatible in either direction.
- Wax on the old finish must come off first — Minwax gives that reason for not waxing its polyurethane.
- Test the new coat on a hidden area and check its adhesion before doing the whole piece. See polyurethane and shellac and lacquer.
Strip
The Forest Products Laboratory reserves removal for finishes that are extensively cracked or peeling. Methods, cautions and the full sequence are in stripping wood; afterwards, the wood is sanded and prepared as for new work in how to sand wood. Veneered pieces have only a thin face to sand; go lightly. Outdoor furniture and doors need exterior products — Minwax, for example, points to its spar urethane for exterior wood.
Before refinishing
- Lead considered for any old paint, before sanding or heating
- The piece cleaned and the finish judged again
- The least invasive step tried first
- Every product tested on a hidden area
- Compatibility checked before any new coat
- Veneer identified, and sanded lightly if at all
Sources
Products are described as their makers describe them and are examples, not recommendations; the old finish on a given piece is usually unknown, so every step is tested on a hidden area first. Lead guidance is EPA's.
- 1.
Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2026.
Used for: Refinishing old furniture listed as a job that can expose you to lead; wetting and sanding the minimum if sanding is unavoidable; CPSC not recommending consumer lead test kits for consumer products.
- 2.
Christopher G. Hunt. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 16: Finishing Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2021.
Used for: Removal necessary when a finish is extensively cracked or peeling; assuming old paint layers may contain lead; sanding after stripping.
- 3.
What is Restor-A-Finish? (product FAQ). Howard Products.
Used for: Restor-A-Finish as solvent with stain and mineral oil that penetrates an existing finish to blend light scratches and sun fade, and does not remove or soften the finish.
- 4.
Technical Data Sheet, Arm-R-Seal. General Finishes, 2020.
Used for: Preparing a prefinished surface for Arm-R-Seal: cleaning with a 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and water on a maroon non-woven pad, then sanding with a fine 220–320 foam pad or maroon pad.
- 5.
Technical Data Sheet, High Performance Topcoat. General Finishes, 2019.
Used for: The same preparation of prefinished wood before the water-based High Performance topcoat.
- 6.
Minwax Product Guide. Minwax.
Used for: Oil- and water-based polyurethanes applied over each other once the first has fully cured; lacquer and polyurethane not compatible; wax removed before recoating polyurethane; Helmsman Spar Urethane for exterior wood; Wood Putty for marks in finished wood.
About this guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.