Furniture Stripping & Refinishing

We have a lot of experience stripping and refinishing furniture. We repair and refinish antique furniture rescuing tables, sideboards, chairs, and other pieces that may otherwise have been scrapped. We are skilled in difficult furniture finish repairs and color-matching finishes. We handle heirloom and antique pieces with care and use gentle furniture stripping techniques that won't disturb the integrity of the original furniture construction.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?

I have a antique table that has been passed down 3 generations that was in serious need due to water damage. I am very emotionally attached to the entire set and it dates back to 1890 - 1900 era. I was so nervous handing it off to a stranger ... I could not believe the excellent condition that was restored, and I could not have been happier. I will be taking the chairs next. Surpurb skills!

Marla Anthony
Facebook Review

Old Virginia Woodworking
5
2018-07-26T20:03:49+00:00

Marla Anthony
Facebook Review

I have a antique table that has been passed down 3 generations that was in serious need due to water damage. I am very emotionally attached to the entire set and it dates back to 1890 - 1900 era. I was so nervous handing it off to a stranger ... I could not believe the excellent condition that was restored, and I could not have been happier. I will be taking the chairs next. Surpurb skills!
Don did a fantastic job repairing my grandmother's antique dining room chairs. Highly recommend 🙂

Sierra Gaskins
Google Review

Old Virginia Woodworking
5
2018-07-26T20:12:38+00:00

Sierra Gaskins
Google Review

Don did a fantastic job repairing my grandmother's antique dining room chairs. Highly recommend 🙂
Don's work and desire to go the extra mile was outstanding! Quick and efficient in a time when days mattered. Great service and attitude!

Danny Mefford
Google Review

Old Virginia Woodworking
5
2018-07-26T20:16:11+00:00

Danny Mefford
Google Review

Don's work and desire to go the extra mile was outstanding! Quick and efficient in a time when days mattered. Great service and attitude!
I bought a table from an online yard sale. I loved the shape and size of the table. However, the finish did not match my china cabinet. Old Virginia Woodworking did an excellent job re-staining the table. It now matches the china cabinet perfectly.

Missy Phelps
Facebook Review

Old Virginia Woodworking
5
2018-07-26T20:28:51+00:00

Missy Phelps
Facebook Review

I bought a table from an online yard sale. I loved the shape and size of the table. However, the finish did not match my china cabinet. Old Virginia Woodworking did an excellent job re-staining the table. It now matches the china cabinet perfectly.
My table is absolutely beautiful. It is over 50 years old and now looks like new! Highly recommend.

Carol Arrington
Facebook Review

Old Virginia Woodworking
5
2018-07-26T20:30:28+00:00

Carol Arrington
Facebook Review

My table is absolutely beautiful. It is over 50 years old and now looks like new! Highly recommend.
5
5
Old Virginia Woodworking

1. We Use Gentle Furniture Stripping Techniques

Before/After: Professional furniture stripping and refinishing

Gentle Furniture Stripping Wash

Yes, wash is the correct word. We never, ever, dip furniture here. Dipping furniture in paint stripping chemicals can dissolve old adhesives and weaken joints that have held tightly for decades. Instead, we gently wash down each surface with the minimum amount of stripper required to dissolve the finish and only the finish.

We use two different brands of commercial wood stripper so if one type does not work we can switch to the other. Your furniture is safe with us and we will restore it to grand condition.

This huge steel stripping tank is where we wash off old finishes.

Professional furniture stripping tub

Gentle Handling

We are careful to avoid damaging or disfiguring the original architecture of each piece when refinishing antiques.

Matching Original Materials & Fasteners (when possible)

We do everything we can to replicate the original look of your furniture. Some of the ways we do this are:

  • Using fasteners that are faithful to what was used on the original item.
  • Looking for materials that will match what was used decades ago.
  • Minor carving, when required, to restore furniture to its original appearance.

 

2. We Try NOT to Burn Up Your Furniture!

It may seem obvious that we try not to burn up your furniture. But, it seems, our strongest (former) competitor in this area burned his shop two times in just a few years. I feel bad for him. He was a nice guy. So far, we have been blessed to avoid that particular problem.

One of the actions we take to reduce the chance of shop fires (and burning up your refinished furniture) is to use a non-combustible stripper for most of our projects. It works a little slower than the flammable stuff but we believe it is safer for both us and for your antiques.

Plus we practice smart safety routines like:

  • Capping flammable containers immediately after use
  • Disposing of oily rags promptly
  • No smoking allowed
  • Safely disposing of flammable liquids

What good is your refinished table if it gets turned to ashes? Not much good we'd say.

3. We Color Match Furniture Finishes

 

Getting the Color Right

Color matching of stains and finishes is a very important part of the furniture stripping and refinishing process and is needed on almost every piece of furniture we restore. We carry the entire line of MINWAX oil stains in our shop. You can choose a color from our large sample board, or we can custom match stains and finishes as needed for your refinishing project.

Professional furniture finishing to match color and sheen.

Spot Repairs & Magical Tools

For spot repairs we have a stash of secret tools and materials in our toolboxes to handle spot repairs on your old tables, dressers, chairs, trunks …well you get the idea. We use dye powders, hot wax fillers, crayons, markers, and probably other tools I am not remembering at the moment. We often tint our clear top coats to obtain the best color shading and match possible. We also mix fast-drying alcohol dyes on the spot to ensure color matches.

We keep all our shop stocked with high-quality finishing materials and tools so we are always ready for you to bring in your furniture for stripping, repairs, and refinishing.

4. We Get Top Coats RIGHT

Finish Identification & Matching

We can identify and match most any antique or modern finish including shellac, varnishes, lacquer, or polyurethane. For table tops we often use a product called Waterlox which is a tung oil finish that has some varnish in it. Waterlox is the most water resistive finish I have ever discovered.

Matching 80 Levels of Sheen—like a BOSS!

We are also experts at matching the level of sheen (shine) on your furniture. The human eye can identify about 80 levels of sheen so every repair has to be adjusted to match the surrounding finish. We work hard to make sure our repairs are invisible to the eye, including sheen matching on every piece.

Managing Dust & Drying

We maintain a large spray booth with filtered air intake and side-wall exhaust. This helps us craft beautiful smooth finishes on new or old furniture being sprayed. Keeping dust out of finishes can be quite a challenge but we produce excellent results on large table tops and dresser tops. For antiques we may spray and then back brush the finishes just to make sure the finish looks authentic.

Skilled Workers Don't Drag Their Sleeves in the Varnish

I have trained my faithful apprentice (Tim) to successfully brush out finishes to a high level of expertise. He knows all the rules:

  • Thin top coats properly
  • No long sleeves when brushing
  • No dust on clothes
  • No close walking near the table (or any piece) when finishes are fresh
  • Know the difference between a paint brush and a varnish brush.

Professional Surface Prep

Furniture surface prep takes time but makes all the difference in the final finish. We use a vinyl sanding sealer on every table or dresser top prior to final top coats. Many of the older furniture pieces have soaked up cleaning chemicals like silicone over the years. These chemicals will bleed up and keep the final finishes from laying out properly. So we block them with our vinyl sealer first—then apply final finish coats.

It took a long time to figure all this out but our pain is now your gain. We strip and refinish your tables (or any furniture) and return them to you in wonderful condition.

CHECK OUT OUR

FURNITURE STRIPPING and REFINISHING PROJECTS

Pie Safe: Professionally stripped and refinished

Pie Safe (stripped & refinished)

This is a huge old pie safe we restored recently. The original varnish finish had literally crumbled into powder, the stain was nearly gone in some locations, and there were multiple layers of paint on the stamped metal inserts. It took hours of careful work to remove the paint and prep the pie safe for stain and final finishes. The customer was so thrilled with the results that she gave us another project restoring an antique china cabinet.

China cabinet restoration and refinishing

China Cabinet (water damage restoration)

This old china cabinet was ruined by severe water damage. A customer gave it to me thinking it was past saving. His insurance had already paid him for the piece as a complete loss.

I brought the cabinet back to the shop and gave it to my apprentice Tim as his first potential solo project. In short order Tim sold the pie safe customer on the idea of restoring that china cabinet. Tim did a fantastic job on that project. The formerly destroyed plywood top was replaced with a solid mahogany one. Bubbling veneers were reglued. With new stain and semi-gloss topcoats you can see the dramatic changes to that formerly ruined piece.

And, you know, the original key for the china cabinet fit the pie safe as well, so that was fun for everybody. Now they can lock up both their pies and their china.

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