You don’t know what you need to know until you know it… unless you learn from my mistakes!

Last week, I professionally refinished a midcentury dining room table. It’s a stunningly cool piece of timeless furniture (and currently for sale in my showroom for $495).

As I refinished the piece, I got to thinking about two tips that could easily elevate your work. And… here they are!

Tip One: You can sand veneer!

For a long time, I steered clear of sanding veneer for fear of burning through it. No longer! Sometimes the fastest way to remove a finish is sanding it off. And if you’re careful, you can do it without damage and with an orbital sander. I started sanding with 120 grit, then finished with 180 grit.

Tip Two: Don’t stop at stain!

In my early restorations, I left a lot of meat on the furniture bone by stopping my professional refinish job with the stain. For one, stain is blotchy. For two, the color of stain tends to fade quickly. To solve both of issues, I now use toner after staining. No inconsistency and vibrant color is ensured. The key though, before toning, is to apply a sealer like Mohawk’s EZ Vinyl Sealer, which ensures the lacquer doesn’t pull up the stain and run the piece! It also helps prevent the lacquer from cracking as it ages, providing a malleable under coat.

Check out the full transformation video below to see the before and afters.