Can I stain over wood that is already painted?

Question

I have found a glider rocking chair that I like and that is affordable, but the wood is painted white. The other furniture in my nursery is a dark espresso, not as dark as black and not as red as cherry. I am wondering if I can stain the wood to the color I want and what that would entail? Would it really be a pain in the butt or worth it?

~Thanks for the advice! :)

Answer 1

You will need to strip the wood in order to stain it.  There are various methods you can use, depending on how intricate the detailing is on the glider.  I would try a detail sander (Ryobi makes one), with a selection of sandpaper from 60-150 grit.  It will take a lot of work, but it will be rewarding.  Hope this helps.  Good luck.

Answer 2

There are some fancy things you can do with gel stains and graining tools.  Its possible to get results that are attractive but they never have the look of real wood.

Answer 3

Stain will not soak into paint, only into bare wood. Paint the chair instead, it's lot less work than stripping the paint off.

Answer 4

Sorry, no.  Wood is like a sponge that absorbs stain.  Once something is painted; the wood can no longer absorb.

You will need to strip the rocker and it will be alot of work, very messy (sandpaper) and potentially stinky/ toxic (if you use a chemical stripper)

Why dont you paint it black or dark expresso?  I have expresso furniture that looks great with other painted pieces.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

To stain it would require stripping off the paint, a herculean task. Have you considered painting it? There are a huge number of custom color choices available at most home improvement stores.

Answer 6

You would need to strip the rocker first. If this is for a nursery beware of the fumes. They are dangerous to breath by anyone, especially young children and expecting moms. I would either take this chance to use an accent color from the room decor or take a drawer front or other small piece and find a paint that matches the wood tone. Most major paint stores and hardware stores even have a special tool with an eye that can look at an object and create the perfect matching color for you.

Happy Decorating.

Answer 7

i think that you would need to get the white paint off of it first. You can either strip it off or use a sander to do this. I would then stain it.