1. Choosing Pieces for Furniture
Refinishing Projects
By Hayley Ninnis

2. Introduction
• Art and crafting enthusiast Hayley Ninnis regularly
exercises her creativity. Among Hayley Ninnis’s creative
pursuits are furniture refinishing projects.
When a person refinishes an old piece of furniture, he or
she works to take it out of a state of disrepair and make it
new and beautiful again. However, when shopping for
old furniture, it is important to understand that some
pieces are better candidates for refinishing than others.
Shoppers should be wary of pieces that have been
painted over, as the paint might be hiding issues like
water stains with the wood of the furniture.

3. Furniture Refinishing Projects
• Oftentimes, a worn-out piece with just varnish on it
might be a better buy.
Additionally, it’s important to assess the overall
quality of the piece. Generally, furniture pieces
made in the first half of the 20th century have
superior craftsmanship than those manufactured
later. Testing the sturdiness of a piece by trying to
sway it slightly can reveal whether or not it needs to
be disassembled and re-glued, a time-consuming
and often complex process.