Is It Better to Paint or Refinish Woodwork?

When you have woodwork in your home, you know that there will come a time when you need to spruce it up. Whether you should paint it or refinish it is something you have to decide. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and professional painters can help you to explore these so you can make the right choice.

Time Considerations

 

How long it will take to paint or refinish ultimately depends on the condition of the woodwork before you get started. Both can be time-consuming, but in most cases, it will take more time to refinish compared to painting. However, painting can also take time if you have to do things like scrape it before applying a new coat.

 

Degree of Skill

 

Whether you choose to paint or refinish, there is a degree of skill involved. If you have not done either before, it is a good idea to have professional painters come in and do the work so that it is done quickly and correctly. In most cases, refinishing will require more skill because there are more steps involved in this process. However, there is a technique that must be used when painting too to ensure opaque and even coverage.

 

Prep Work Involved

 

For both options, you will want to clean the wood and make sure that it is free from dust and other debris. If you choose to refinish, you will need to sand down and strip the wood so that it is able to absorb the stain you use to refinish it. With painting, if there are only one or two coats of paint and it is not peeling, you can usually paint over the existing paint.

 

Now that you better understand the good and the bad of both options, you can make the decision whether to paint or refinish your woodwork in your home. Professional painters can also help you with other interior painting and exterior painting tasks.