Painting · Stripping · Hardware
For a piece that wants colour instead of stain: stripped, primed and painted, with the hardware back on and working.
Paint makes sense when the finish you have is past saving or never suited the piece. Chipped and peeling paint, a dated orange stain, or a surface that reads as laminate from across the room are the usual reasons people bring a piece in.
It also makes sense when the wood underneath is plain or mismatched. Drawer fronts in one species and a case in another will never stain evenly, and a good coat of colour ties them together.
The old finish is stripped, or at least deglossed so new paint has something to hold, and repairs and fills are made first. A primer goes on, then brushed or sprayed coats of colour, sanded lightly between them so the surface comes out smooth instead of orange-peeled.
Look at the pieces below to see the range. A grey buffet keeps a dark stained top over soft grey doors and black hardware. A glass-front hutch goes teal with its brass left bright. A chest-on-chest goes clean white with antique pulls on every drawer. Distressing only happens when you ask for it.
It is all done at the bench at 37 West George Street, and you don't pay until you're satisfied.
If the wood is handsome, with real grain or figure, stain shows it off and paint hides it for good. Cherry, mahogany and quartersawn oak usually belong in a stain. Painted pieces tend to be the plainer, workhorse ones: a buffet, a rocker, a dresser that has to match a room.
A split between the two is common, and the grey buffet is a good example of it. Not sure? Send David a photo at (410) 259-7693 or call the shop and he will say which way he would go.
Two-door buffet painted soft grey with a dark stained top and black hardware
T-n-T Furniture Refinishing, Pay when you're satisfied. Call (410) 857-9353.
Grey, teal and white pieces from the shop. (410) 857-9353.
Leaning toward stain? Read refinishing and staining. A painted piece with a loose joint or a crack starts at furniture repair and restoration, and the gallery has more finished work.