Can I save ugly oak furniture?

[aweilba]

You can totally save them! Restaining and repainting are both easy options. IMPO, repainting is easier because you don't necessarily have to sand it all down and get the old stain off first. But with a good stain remover and sander, you can restain it whatever color you want fairly easily and cheaply.

[tarheels]

Paint them a color, please, not brown. Brown painted furniture doesn't look cute. www.inthefunlane.com/2009/07/bedroom-armoire.html

[steenbean18]

Look into a gel stain! We did that with several pieces of furniture and a bathroom vanity...amazing results!

Before:


After:

[steenbean18]

Sorry, I guess it's hard to tell, but first picture is grainy honey oak.

[steenbean18]

The gel stain is kind of half stain, half paint. It's NOT painty looking though! You can still see some grain through the finish and it looks like an espresso finished cabinet. I agree that brown paint is nasty.

I got the idea and instructions here:

ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0105280230861.html

I lightly sanded everything but didn't strip. Allowing for dry time between coats and top coat, it took 5 days or so but I was working too

It really wasn't hard. I'm planning on doing our kitchen and other bathroom as well because we've had it for a while and it's held up really well. I used the General Finishes gel stain that the poster in that link recommends and it's AMAZING!! Great to work with and MUCH better than other gel stains I've tried. It was hard to find (tiny little woodworking shop across town) but well worth it.

[winofairy]

May 22, 2012 18:23:19 GMT -5 tarheels said:

Paint them a color, please, not brown. Brown painted furniture doesn't look cute. www.inthefunlane.com/2009/07/bedroom-armoire.html

Totally agree with this ^^^

[winofairy]

May 22, 2012 18:27:46 GMT -5 steenbean18 said:

After:

Absolutely LOVE it! :Y: