Step By Step Process & Items Needed To Re-Varnish Chairs
The varnish is an explicit topcoat that dries hard. But sadly, it is more vulnerable to yellowing and cracking as compared to polyurethane, which means that it must be eliminated and then reapplied. Getting rid of the cracked as well as the yellowed varnish takes a bit of elbow grease, but the occurring hard shine lasts for many years to come if you take care of it properly. If in case you want to apply varnish to the chairs, then you first need to gather some items & then go through the step by step process carefully:
Items Needed
- Drop Cloth & Screwdriver
- Plastic Trash Bags(Optional)
- Painter's Tape(Optional)
- Scraper & Goggles
- Painter's Mask & Sandpaper, 180-Grit
- Tack Cloth & Paintbrush
Step By Step Process
- Start the process by covering the place of work with the help of a drop cloth & position the chair on top of the drop cloth. If it is possible for you to raise the chairs up onto a work table, then it will become uncomplicated on your back to work on them.
- Now, with the help of a screwdriver, detach the chair's upholstered seats & position them at a secure in order to use them again later. If in case it is not possible to detach the seats, at that time cover them in plastic trash bags & should be held on with painter's tape, so that the finish on the fabric should be protected.
- Next, brush away any clearly loose, cracked, or peeling varnish with the help of a long-bladed scraper. But make sure not to cut out or trim the chair with the corners of the scraper.
- After that, you have to wear safety goggles as well as a painter's mask & then start sanding the old varnish with the help of 180-grit sandpaper. The sanding process may take some time, particularly if the chair has any decorated scrollwork, but if in case you use a power sander, then it has a huge risk of damaging the finish below the varnish. After the sanding process is done, you will notice some of the sanding dust. So, with the help of a tack cloth clean the chair from top to bottom & eliminate all the traces of the dust.
- Now, apply a fine varnish coat with the help of a paintbrush. Go about your process slowly in order to make sure that you are spreading a fine, even coat with no sturdy borders where your brush strokes converge.
- Finally, give the varnish some time to dry & the time recommended is specified on the instructions of the label. Usually, it takes at least 24 hours or longer depending on the humidity and the kind of varnish you have used.