How to Refinish Wood Furniture Without Sanding or Stripping

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This coffee table has definitely seen better days, but I've always loved it. It's been in storage for a while and now it's time to refinish it to use in my One Room Challenge project.

I really didn't want to do a full-blown refinishing with sanding or stripping. After doing some research, I decided to try Restor-A-Finish. Restor-A-Finish comes in lots of colors. Walnut looked like the best match for my table.

How to Refinish Wood Furniture Without Sanding or Stripping: Materials

1. Restor-A-Finish

2. rag for application

3. 0000 steel wool

4. rag for wiping

5. gloves

How to Refinish Wood Furniture Without Sanding or Stripping: Process

1. Choose the color of Restor-A-Finish that best matches the finish of your wood.

2. Test on an inconspicuous area.

3. Apply with small pad of cloth. Cover a small area at a time and immediately wipe dry. Do not pour directly on finish.

4. To remove stubborn white ring oxidation or light scratches, apply Restor-A-Finish with a pad of super fine (0000) steel wool. Finishes vary in hardness, so test the pressure used with (0000) steel wool on an inconspicuous spot. Rub lightly in the direction of the wood grain until the blemish is blended away. Cover a small area at a time and wipe dry.

How to Refinish Wood Furniture Without Sanding or Stripping: Results

Here are some befores and afters of a couple of fairly deep scratches in the finish. I was really happy with these results.

The Restor-A-Finish did a fantastic job with white spots and scratches, but it didn't remove dark spots, such as these. It blended everything better than it was though.

Overall, I was very happy with how this project turned out. No, it doesn't look as good as it would have with stripping and refinishing, but it is very good. I would say if a wood finish has the majority light marks, it will be an even better result with Restor-A-Finish.