Refinished Antique Stool

Problem: Needed to make very worn handed down family heirloom work with my style.

Solution: Refinish stool to match existing kitchen cabinets.

Cost: Under $15

Materials:

• Furniture item to be refinished (gift in my case) $0
• Paint stripper $5
• Cherry stain $2.49
• Polyurethane $4
• Sand paper $2
• Dust mask
• Scraper
• Latex gloves
• Paint brush
• Wire brush

Many of us have old furniture stashed away somewhere collecting dust. The above stool was given to my by a family member. It had been in the family for 100+ years, so of course I had to keep the lovely piece. My options involved hiding the ugly stool in my garage or refinishing it to match my existing decor. I chose the latter and selected a cherry finish to match my traditional kitchen cabinets, since the stool would reside in my kitchen. Little did I know my project would require hours of intensive work to remove 100+ years of wear and tear (including over 10 layers of paint) to restore the stool to its original beauty. For a more modern look I could have used a palm sander to smooth out the colorful array of partially removed paint, which can be seen in the photo on the bottom left.