[silvertab78]

My mom wants to refinish the following table. The description from the place she got it says "White-washed weathered fir wood with lime, purple, aqua, and peach hues." She wants a darker color (like a dark brown). And that she want it to be "shiny" to match her more modern pieces of furniture.

Normally I would tell her to sand/strip any of the paint, stain it and finish with a glossy poly.

However, I think she is more comfortable with paint and I don't think she cares much keep the natural grain look.

She can sand off the current color and paint it. Simple enough right? I am just worried that because the description says it is fir that she wont get a smooth finish. Any thoughts?

 

[Steve Neul]

If paint is what you wish there is no reason to sand the old finish off. You could just paint over it with an oil based paint. The table is intended to be rustic so I'm not sure the outcome painting it, especially with a high gloss paint but that is a personal choice thing. Personally I think it looks better like it is with the exception of what they did with the drawer fronts. Another option would be to strip it and use a stain on it.

 

[cabinetman]

The wood looks more like pine than fir. If it were to be painted, I would give it a good wipe with mineral spirits, lightly sand, and seal the knot holes. Then an oil base enamel could be used as a topcoat.

.

 

[Quickstep]

I think you'd have to do a fair amount of sanding and sealing to achieve a smooth finish. Shiny is achievable if a somewhat rustic look is acceptable. Minwax PolyShades has a color called Bombay Mahogany that looks like a dark brown to me.

http://www.minwax.com/wood-products...hades?gclid=CKL1n53muLwCFW3xOgodOWMAEw#Colors