THE 10 BIGGEST FURNITURE REFINISHING MISTAKES BEGINNERS MAKE (AND HOW TO AVOID THEM)
- Olive Street Designs
- Nov 21
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 21
If you’re diving into the world of furniture refinishing, first of all—welcome. It’s incredibly rewarding, but it can also be incredibly frustrating if you’re working blind. Over the years, I’ve watched beginners (and even experienced refinishers) repeat the same mistakes that lead to extra work, uneven finishes, and disappointing results. The good news? Every one of these mistakes is completely avoidable with the right approach and a little practice.
Consider this your guide to the ten biggest furniture refinishing mistakes… and exactly how to steer clear of them. I’m going to explain not just what goes wrong, but why it happens, what to do instead, and how to get consistently beautiful results on dressers, nightstands, desks, buffets—whatever you’re tackling.
All products mentioned can be found in my Amazon Storefront - organized for you in categories for easy shopping. I only recommend products I use and trust.
THE 10 BIGGEST FURNITURE REFINISHING MISTAKES
1. Not Cleaning the Piece Before Starting
This is the single biggest mistake I see. New refinishers are excited to sand, strip, or paint—but skip the most important first step: cleaning. Even furniture that looks clean is almost always coated with years of oils, polish, dust, and fingerprints. If you skip cleaning, those contaminants get ground into the wood during sanding or prevent paint and primer from bonding.
What to do instead: Use a degreasing cleaner like Krud Kutter or a vinegar-and-water mixture. Get into corners, carvings, and edges. Wipe it down twice: once with the cleaner, and again with clean water to remove residue.
Your finish will go on smoother, bond better, and you’ll avoid fisheyes, peeling, and separations.
2. Sanding Too Aggressively
Sanding is a skill, and beginners often treat it like a speed event. They grab a coarse grit, turn the sander up full power, and dig in. The result? Sanding swirls, gouges, uneven color, rounded edges, and often irreversible damage—especially on veneer.
What to do instead: Start with the least aggressive option that gets the job done. For most pieces, 120 grit is a safe starting point. Work evenly with light pressure and let the sander do the work. If you’re removing a heavy finish, go ahead and start at 80 grit, but transition correctly:80 → 120 → 180 → 220
Each step removes the scratches from the previous grit. This keeps the surface smooth and avoids visible lines when you stain.
Pro Tip: Use a sanding sponge for curves, legs, and carved details to avoid flattening them.
3. Skipping Primer When Painting
A lot of beginners skip primer because they don’t understand what it actually does. Primer is not optional—it’s what prevents stains, tannins, and old finishes from bleeding through your paint. It also dramatically improves adhesion so your paint doesn’t chip or peel months down the road.
What to do instead: Use a high-quality bonding primer. Shellac-based primer is your best defense against bleed-through, especially on oak, mahogany, and cherry. Apply thin coats and let them fully dry before painting. Even with the all-in-one paints of today, I still choose to prime.
If you only take one piece of advice from this entire list, let it be this one: Always prime. Your finish will look cleaner and last longer.
4. Not Letting Products Fully Dry or Cure
One of the biggest problems beginners run into—without realizing it—is simply not giving products enough time to dry or cure. Dry time and cure time are two completely different things, and when you rush either, you end up with sticky surfaces, peeling paint, cloudy topcoats, or brush marks that won’t level out.
New refinishers often think, “It feels dry… so I can move on.”But furniture products dry from the outside in, and what feels dry to the touch may actually be wet or soft underneath. That softness is what leads to fingerprints, dents, impressions, tackiness, and layers that don’t bond properly.
This is especially true in colder weather, humid climates, or when coats are applied too thick.
What to do instead: Always follow the recommended dry time on the product label, and remember that those times are based on ideal conditions. If it’s cold, humid, or still tacky to the touch, wait longer. For paint, primer, and topcoats, thin coats dry faster and stronger, while thick coats stay gummy.
Cure time—the time it takes the finish to fully harden—can range from a few days to 30 days depending on the product. You can use the furniture gently before it’s fully cured, but avoid heavy objects, decor with rough bases, stacking items, or dragging anything across the surface.
The more patient you are during this step, the better your results will look and last.
5. Leaving Chemical Stripper on Too Long
Chemical stripper is fantastic when used correctly, but most beginners aren’t sure how long to leave it. Too short, and it doesn’t work. Too long, and it dries out, becoming sticky, gummy, and incredibly difficult to remove.
What to do instead: Follow the timing on the label—usually 15 to 25 minutes—to let it soften the finish without drying. Once it bubbles, scrape gently with a plastic scraper. Never let stripper sit for hours or overnight; it actually makes the job harder.
For detailed areas, use steel wool dipped in mineral spirits to clean out carvings, grooves, and corners.
6. Skipping Scuff Sanding Before Painting
This is one of the most overlooked steps in furniture refinishing, and beginners skip it because they assume primer alone will handle adhesion. Primer helps—but it can't bond properly to a slick, glossy, or factory-finished surface unless that surface has been scuffed first. Paint that goes over an un-scuffed finish may look fine for a few weeks… and then suddenly starts chipping, scratching, or peeling with normal use.
Scuff sanding doesn’t remove the finish. It simply creates micro-scratches that give your primer and paint something to grip onto. Think of it like giving your new finish little “hooks” to cling to.
When beginners skip scuff sanding, they’re relying on the hope that the surface will magically bond to the new finish. Unfortunately, that hope rarely holds up.
What to do instead: Use a fine 180–220 grit or a medium/fine sanding sponge and lightly sand the entire surface. You’re not trying to remove the old finish—you just want to break the sheen. Pay special attention to areas that get touched the most: drawer fronts, door edges, corners, and the tops of nightstands and dressers. After sanding, always wipe the piece clean with a damp cloth or tack cloth to remove dust before priming.
This one step dramatically improves adhesion and longevity, especially on:• Pre-finished factory furniture• High-gloss surfaces• Laminates• Previously painted furniture• Pieces with years of polish or cleaner buildup
You’ll get smoother paint application, fewer adhesion issues, and a finish that actually lasts through real-life use.
7. Painting Over Wax
Painting over old waxed furniture is a disaster waiting to happen. Paint simply won’t bond to wax—it will crack, peel, and slide off. Beginners often don’t realize furniture polish contains wax, and that residue stays on the piece for years.
What to do instead:Clean thoroughly, then sand to break the surface. If the piece has ever been waxed (common on older furniture or chalk-painted pieces), use mineral spirits and fine steel wool to remove the wax before priming.
8. Using Cheap Brushes or Rollers
Bristle marks, lint, shedding hairs, uneven coverage—the brush makes a huge difference in the final look. Beginners often grab whatever brush they have around the house and then wonder why the paint looks streaky or textured.
What to do instead:Use high-quality synthetic brushes or fine-foam rollers. If you’re using chalk paint or mineral paint, a high-quality angled brush gives you clean, controlled edges. Always check your brush for loose bristles before dipping it into paint.
Pro Tip: Lightly mist your brush with water before painting to help the paint glide more smoothly.
9. Ignoring Wood Type
Not all wood behaves the same, and this is where beginners get tripped up. Some woods accept stain beautifully. Others turn splotchy and uneven. Oak, pine, cherry, maple, walnut—they all behave differently, and knowing this changes your approach.
Examples:
Oak: Great for staining, shows gorgeous grain
Cherry/Mahogany: Prone to deep tannin bleed-through, must be primed before painting
Pine: Very blotchy when stained—use a pre-stain conditioner
Maple: Hard wood, doesn’t absorb stain evenly without prep
Walnut: Stains beautifully but needs careful sanding to avoid color variation
What to do instead:Identify your wood first. Adjust your process based on grain pattern, hardness, and age. This is one of the most powerful ways to get consistent results.
10. Not Sealing the Finished Piece Properly
The finish is what protects all your hard work. Beginners often apply too few coats, too thick of coats, or the wrong sheen. The result? Sticky surfaces, streaks, brush marks, or finishes that never fully cure.
What to do instead: Choose a durable topcoat based on your project. Dressers, nightstands, buffets, desks, and coffee tables take a lot of wear. Apply thin coats, let them dry fully, and don’t rush the curing process. This is my favorite topcoat! https://amzn.to/3UAckrW
If you want a soft, modern, professional look, a matte topcoat gives you a beautiful finish. Learning to use a sprayer is another way to obtain the smoothest, most durable finish. This is one I recommend https://amzn.to/49KE83o
THE BOTTOM LINE
Furniture refinishing is a blend of technique, patience, and knowing what to look for. Every mistake on this list is completely normal for beginners—and completely avoidable once you understand what’s happening and why. With the right prep, the right tools, and a thoughtful approach, you can take any dresser, nightstand, buffet, or desk and transform it into something beautiful and long-lasting.
You don’t need fancy products. You don’t need years of experience. You just need the right process, practiced consistently. Before long, these “mistakes” become things you instinctively avoid, and your results will speak for themselves.
RESOURCES + LINKS
Amazon Storefront:All of my favorite tools, supplies, sanding products, safety items, brushes, rollers, and furniture refinishing essentials are organized for you here.
My Ebook:The Beginner’s Guide to Furniture Refinishing — everything you need to start with confidence, including step-by-step processes, tool lists, and expert tips.
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