How-To Tuesday: Refinish Wood – No Sanding!

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How-To Tuesday: Refinish Wood – No Sanding!

How-To Tuesday is a series that incorporates both brand new and newly edited posts from the archives.  Enjoy!

Original posts: No Sanding! Refinish Wood with Gel Stain, Reveal and Video

A Mid-Century Modern Dresser, Before and After

Mid-Century Modern Chest of Drawers, Before and After

Mid-Century Modern Chair

I first discovered this technique while working with affiliate link General Finishes JQ Gel Stain, 1 quart, Java on my son’s mid-century dresser.  It was amazing – I refinished the wood drawers without sanding!

This works beautifully under the following conditions:

• The original finish is in good condition.
• The original finish does not have any shiny lacquer or shellac topcoat.
• You want to go slightly darker in stain color and not lighter than the original finish.

Here is a YouTube video on the process.

The Duncan Phyfe Dining Table top was the perfect candidate for the No Sanding application of  affiliate link General Finishes JQ Gel Stain, 1 quart, The original top was worn but otherwise in pretty good condition.  Since the table only needed a little bit of shoring up and we wanted to go darker in color, it was the perfect candidate.  Yup – no sanding needed!

Here is a closeup of the top before I stained it and you can see quite a bit of red. My customer wanted to tone down the red and create a darker finish against its newly painted white legs.

After cleaning and removing any dirt, I applied the first coat of the gel stain.  I used General Finishes Java as it is a dark color that creates a deeper hue and toned down the red.  Using a soft cloth, I dipped it into the stain and wiped it onto the top going in the direction of the grain.  I allowed that to sit for a day or two and then applied the second coat.  Again, I let that sit.

I came back and gently went over the top with a soft cloth.  This removed the tiny bit of excess stain that had not adhered.  For the sealer, affiliate link General Finishes SH Gel Topcoat, 1/2 pint, Satin was the perfect option.  I used a staining sponge and liberally applied the urethane onto the sponge.  I then wiped it along the grain, making sure to keep a smooth and even coat.  It was the perfect finishing touch.  It gives the top some sheen and finish plus a durable finish.

A few more examples of the java gel stain without sanding.  Matthew’s mid-century modern chest of drawers as well as his mid-century modern chair makeover.  Fantastic results!

I always love more YouTube subscribers!  Please pop over to my channel, Suzanne Bagheri and subscribe for more tutorials – cheers!