Trade Secrets

Refinishing Wooden Furniture

Designer Deborah Burnett provides this tip for finding out the type of finish that is on a piece of furniture: Test an out-of-sight area with a cotton swab or cotton ball that is dipped in acetone nail-polish remover (see photo). If the cotton sticks or the finish softens, the finish is varnish, lacquer or shellac. These can be removed with a furniture refinisher. If there's no effect, the finish is polyurethane and can be removed with turpentine or mineral spirit.

Resources
Comfortable Living by Design
by Deborah Burnett
Humble Abundance, 1999
Order this title from Amazon.com.

You Can Do It! Decorating
This is a videotape decorating series that shows how to use affordable products and what you already have to create professional-looking decorating results.
Design Service Inc.
E-mail: deborah@deborahburnett.com
Website: www.deborahburnett.com
Guests
Deborah Burnett
ASID Registered Interior Designer/Licensed Building Contractor, Design Services, Inc.
E-mail: deborah@deborahburnett.com
Website: www.deborahburnett.com
Also in this Episode

Our Place : Episode OPL-248
•	Geometric-Designed Vase
•	Contemporary Furniture
•	Exotic Canister Lamps
•	Trade Secrets