How To Restore Wood Furniture Without Painting It
Did you know that Country Chic Paint not only makes furniture paint, but a whole collection of other products to help you restore your natural wood furniture as well?
In this tutorial we'll show you a few of our favorite ways to restore old furniture without losing the wood grain look:
Hemp Oil
Our Hemp Oil is 100% natural! It contains only sustainably sourced hemp seed oil so it’s completely safe for the environment and for your health. It can even safely be used on children’s toys and furniture.
Hemp Oil is an incredible tool when it comes to reviving old wood. Not only will it quench dry, thirsty wood and give it a buttery smooth finish, but it will make the natural color and grain of your wood really pop!
Apply Hemp Oil with a cloth, brush, or sponge over clean, raw wood and watch the magic happen before your eyes!
Hemp Oil Product Features:
- 100% Natural: Contains only 100% natural, sustainably sourced hemp seed oil so it’s completely safe for the environment and for your health. It can even safely be used on children’s toys and furniture!
- For Painted & Raw Wood Furniture: Ideal for sealing chalk-style painted furniture & home decor, or raw wood.
- Buttery Smooth: Gives your furniture a soft, professional looking finish that’s buttery smooth to the touch.
- Light Protection: Cures within 30 days to create a light layer of protection on your painted furniture. Best for lightly used furniture such as side tables, nightstands, buffets, etc.
- Eco-Friendly: Hemp Oil is all natural so you don’t have to worry about harsh smells or chemical content.
- Comes in 8oz bottles
How to Restore Wood Furniture with Hemp Oil
- Make sure your furniture is clean and dry to start. Give it a wipe down with a vinegar-water solution, if necessary. Remove all dust and debris.
- If the wood has anything on it like varnish, stain, etc. you may want to sand it down so that the Hemp Oil can really soak in and penetrate the wood. This is particularly important if the wood has damage like water rings or light scratches that need to be repaired. Sand lightly to start as you don’t want to go too deep if you’re working on a veneer!
- Clean off any sawdust you created.
- Apply a thin coat of Hemp Oil to your entire piece with a lint-free cloth, sponge, or a paint brush.
- Let it soak in and dry for 12 hours.
- Use a lint-free cloth to buff away any excess oil. Keep buffing longer if you want to add a bit more luster to the finish.
- For higher traffic pieces like coffee table tops, we recommend adding a second or third coat for optimal durability.
- Hemp Oil is an all-natural product with no chemical additives, so it can take about four weeks to fully cure. You can of course start using your paint almost right away, but be mindful of the finish and use it gently for the first week.
- Re-apply Hemp Oil every 2-3 years, as needed.
For more information on Hemp Oil application, check out this tutorial.
Furniture Wax
Clear/Natural Wax – Natural Sealant for Chalk Furniture Paint or Raw Wood
Antiquing Wax – Natural Sealant for Chalk Furniture Paint or Raw Wood
Black Wax – Natural Sealant for Chalk Furniture Paint or Raw Wood
White Wax – Natural Sealant for Chalk Furniture Paint or Raw Wood
Grey Wax – Natural Sealant for Chalk Furniture Paint or Raw Wood
Gold Wax – Natural Sealant for Chalk Furniture Paint or Raw Wood
Pearl Wax – Natural Sealant for Chalk Furniture Paint or Raw Wood
Furniture Wax is perfect for protecting your painted or raw wood furniture. It adds a beautiful, polished finish to any project, and because it’s all-natural, it’s also excellent for protecting children’s cribs, toys, and other furnishings.
Our Furniture Wax is available in seven colors:
Simply apply Furniture Wax to your raw wood furniture with a Wax Brush and buff away the excess to a subtle sheen using a lint-free rag.
Use Clear Wax to keep the original wood color while adding protection and a buttery smooth feel, or choose a tinted wax to add some extra color!
Furniture Wax Product Features:
- For Painted & Raw Wood Furniture: Ideal for sealing chalk-style painted furniture & home decor, or raw wood.
- Buttery Smooth: Gives your furniture a soft, professional looking finish that’s buttery smooth to the touch.
- 100% Natural & Eco-Friendly: Contains only beeswax and natural tree nut oils so it’s completely safe for the environment and for your health. It can even safely be used on children’s toys and furniture!.
- Light Protection: Cures within 30 days to create a light layer of protection on your painted furniture. Best for lightly used furniture such as side tables, nightstands, buffets, etc.
- Delicious Scent: Low Odor. All you’ll smell is yummy beeswax!
How to Restore Wood Furniture with Furniture Wax
- Make sure your furniture is clean and dry to start. Give it a wipe down with a vinegar-water solution, if necessary. Remove all dust and debris.
- If the wood has anything on it like varnish, stain, etc. you’ll want to sand it down so that the Wax can soak in and penetrate the wood. This is also important if the wood has damage like water rings or light scratches that need to be repaired. Sand lightly to start as you don’t want to go too deep if you’re working on a veneer!
- Clean off any sawdust you created.
- Apply a thin coat of Furniture Wax in any color to your entire piece. For best results, apply with a wax brush using circular motions to make sure you spread the wax evenly into every nook and cranny.
- You can allow the wax to dry for a few minutes, or simply start buffing it immediately with a dry, lint-free cloth. Keep buffing longer if you want to add a bit more luster to the finish.
- For higher traffic pieces like coffee table tops, we recommend adding a second or third coat for optimal durability.
- Furniture Wax is an all-natural product with no chemical additives, so it can take about four weeks to fully cure, but as long as it’s been buffed well you can begin using your piece gently after just a few days.
- Re-apply Hemp Oil every 6-12 months, as needed.
Additional Tips:
Keep in mind when using our wax that it’s 100% natural, so it might feel a little different than waxes you’ve used in the past. If the wax is too firm for your liking, we have some tips here on how to soften it up.
If you notice a film on top of your wax, that’s completely natural! The film will slowly develop over time and won’t effect the performance of your wax. Just peel it off the surface and continue using your wax as usual!
For more information on Furniture Wax application, check out this tutorial.
Furniture Glaze
Furniture Glaze | Clear – Antique Patina Special Effects Glaze for Chalk Style Furniture Paint, Eco-Friendly Wood Stain
Furniture Glaze | Smoky Quartz – Antique Patina Special Effects Glaze for Chalk Style Furniture Paint, Eco-Friendly Wood Stain
Furniture Glaze | Tiger’s Eye – Antique Patina Special Effects Glaze for Chalk Style Furniture Paint, Eco-Friendly Wood Stain
Furniture Glaze | Slate – Antique Patina Special Effects Glaze for Chalk Style Furniture Paint, Eco-Friendly Wood Stain
Furniture Glaze | Graphite – Antique Patina Special Effects Glaze for Chalk Style Furniture Paint, Eco-Friendly Wood Stain
Furniture Glaze | Limestone – Antique Patina Special Effects Glaze for Chalk Style Furniture Paint, Eco-Friendly Wood Stain
Create some impressive effects and make a statement with our Furniture Glazes. It’s easy to transform any piece from plain to fabulous with Country Chic Paint’s pre-tinted glazes in a number of unique shades, but if you’re not sure which glaze to choose, we also carry a tintable Clear Glaze.
These eco-friendly wood stains won’t cause you to worry about any harsh chemicals, solvents or unpleasant smells because they are ultra low VOC. Our Furniture Glazes are the perfect alternative to traditional wood stains.
Our Furniture Glaze is available in six colors:
- Graphite (nearly black)
- Smoky Quartz (chocolate brown)
- Tiger’s Eye (warm red brown)
- Limestone (white)
- Slate (grey)
- Clear (can be tinted with any color of Country Chic Paint)
Apply glaze with a cloth, brush, or sponge over clean, raw wood and watch the magic happen before your eyes!
Furniture Glaze Product Features:
- Adds beautiful depth and aging to your furniture
- Five pre-tinted glazes: Graphite, Limestone, Slate, Smoky Quartz and Tiger’s Eye
- Eco-friendly and water-based
- Great alternative to smelly, toxic furniture stains
- Ultra low VOC; contains NO harsh chemical additives such as phthalates, formaldehyde, heavy metals, or solvents
- Can be applied over raw wood to create a stained effect, or painted furniture for an antique look
How to Stain Wood Furniture with Furniture Glaze
- Make sure your furniture is clean and dry to start. Give it a wipe down with a vinegar-water solution, if necessary. Remove all dust and debris.
- If the wood has anything on it like varnish, stain, etc. you’ll want to sand it down so that the Glaze can soak in and penetrate the wood. This is also important if the wood has damage like water rings or light scratches that need to be repaired. Sand lightly to start as you don’t want to go too deep if you’re working on a veneer!
- Clean off any sawdust you created.
- If you chose to use our tintable Clear Glaze, click here for instructions on how to tint your glaze with paint. If you’re using one of our pre-tinted glazes, continue onto the next step.
- Apply one coat of Furniture Glaze using a paint brush or sponge. Work in the direction of the wood grain, and do small sections at a time so the glaze doesn’t dry before the next step.
- While the glaze is still wet, wipe off the excess with a damp, lint-free cloth.
- After your first coat has dried for 1-2 hours, you may apply a second coat to deepen the color, if desired.
- For lightly used furniture you can leave the glazed finish as-is. For medium traffic furniture like nightstands and coffee tables, apply a coat of Wax or Hemp Oil. For high traffic projects like dining table tops or kitchen cabinets, we recommend adding a durable sealant like Clear Coat.
For more information on Glaze application, check out this tutorial.
Paint Washing
This technique is commonly known as “white washing”, but it can be done with any paint color! White washing is a wonderful way to modernize the color of your wood furniture without completely covering up the natural wood grain.
Here are some of our favorite paint colors for keeping a more natural look when paint washing furniture:
White Washing is a very simple painting technique. Dilute any Country Chic Paint color with water in a 2:1 ratio, brush it on to your raw wood furniture, and wipe away the excess with a damp lint-free rag.
By paint washing your furniture you can keep your project looking natural, but cover some of the outdated yellow/orange wood undertones.
Here are some more beautiful examples of furniture that has been “white washed” with the color Driftwood.
How to Paint Wash Wood Furniture
- Make sure your furniture is clean and dry to start. Give it a wipe down with a vinegar-water solution, if necessary. Remove all dust and debris.
- If the wood has anything on it like varnish, stain, etc. you’ll want to sand it down so that the paint can soak in and penetrate the wood. This is also important if the wood has damage like water rings or light scratches that need to be repaired. Sand lightly to start as you don’t want to go too deep if you’re working on a veneer!
- Clean off any sawdust you created.
- Dilute any color of Country Chic Paint in a 2:1 ratio (2 parts paint, 1 part water). You may also leave the paint at full strength if you prefer a more opaque wash.
- Apply one coat of your wash using a paint brush or sponge. Work in the direction of the wood grain, and do small sections at a time so the paint doesn’t dry before the next step.
- While the paint is still wet, wipe off the excess with a damp, lint-free cloth.
- After your first coat has dried for 1-2 hours, you may apply a second coat to make the color more opaque, if desired.
- For lightly used furniture you can leave the finish as-is. For medium traffic furniture like nightstands and coffee tables, apply a coat of Wax or Hemp Oil. For high traffic projects like dining table tops or kitchen cabinets, we recommend adding a durable sealant like Clear Coat.
For more information on paint washing, check out our white washing tutorial.