So i have this cherry wood nightstand that i've inherited. It's a. the ugliest color of stain that I've ever seen on cherry wood (what posessed my mother? I'll never know..) and b. very beat up as I got it when I was a kid and I've distinctly screwed up the top stain part of it. Otherwise it's in good condition, no chips, big dings or even bad scratches on it - just screwed up finish.

I've been told by the person who gave it to me that they don't care what i do to it, so long as I don't throw it out.

So I'm debating but don't really know enough about wood to know (and YES i did google, and just got more confused!)

1. Can wood be painted over stain? If I paint it, can that ever be sanded off and the wood re-stained entirely?
2. Now from what I've googled, the way to do this is
sand
wipe it down
prime (depending on directions)
paint

But I never got a clear answer on what KIND of paint should be used.

Alternatively if I wind up not painting it, anyone know how to strip and restain wood?

I'd hire somebody but it's one small nightstand and i dont want to bother with the rest of the set (not all of which do i even own), and it's not worth it to have a pro do it unless i do all the pieces.

[Edited on January 21, 2008 at 9:20 PM. Reason : .]

1/21/2008 9:19:21 PM

If there's a lot of little nooks and crannies in it I can promise you now, you are getting in way over your head. I would either give this thing back, or give it to Goodwill. Refinishing furniture nicely is a very time consuming process.

1/21/2008 9:27:22 PM

I wouldn't paint it. It's cherry. It is worth stripping the old finish off and re-staining.

Go to the wood (glue, stain, etc.) section of Lowes. There are several spray-on or wipe-on products for removing the old finish. Do that first.

Then sand. Probably starting with about 140 grit sandpaper to get rid of all the old stain and scratches that are left and then following up with 220 grit to make it nice and smooth.

Then stain. Pick a nice color. Again, Lowes.

Then put on a polyurethane top coat. Sand with 220. Repeat until you have two or three coats.

Should be really nice looking when you're done.

[Edited on January 21, 2008 at 9:34 PM. Reason : l]

1/21/2008 9:33:50 PM

It's got some trim work (kinda like simple moulding you'd see in an apartment but ...prettier without being more complicated) but it's fairly simple stuff - nothing intricate on it. There's no carved in designs/patterns or anything like that- most of the surfaces are 100% flat.

And nah, I'm keeping it because like i said, i've had it as my nightstand since i was a kid, and worse to worse i'll just eventually have the entire set redone - it would be worth the money. (It may be simple but it's actually pretty nice furniture).

1/21/2008 9:35:23 PM

pleasepleaseplease DONT paint it. Take the time to sand it and stain it. It'll look MUCH better and you'll appreciate it more later on.

1/21/2008 9:45:16 PM