4 Furniture Refinishing Supply Finds That Won't Break the Bank

After investing in quality paint and brushes for your refinishing project, you'll want to save some money with these budget-friendly supplies you can find at your local Dollar Tree to help complete your refinishing supply "arsenal", as I like to call it.

Check out my favorite finds in this post!

This post may contain affiliate links, where I will receive commissions from your purchases.

Thank you for supporting my blog and read more about my disclosures here.

For any step in the furniture refinishing process: cleaning, stripping, sanding, painting, finishing- and everything in between - you're going to need supplies. And, supplies can get costly and eat into your profits! One of the ways I've learned to keep my costs down is to buy certain supplies inexpensively, but still get the job done effectively. This is where my local Dollar Tree comes in to save the day.

You'll find some of my favorite go-to items that I grab for each piece of furniture I refinish below.

Find #1: Paint Brushes

One of my favorite dollar store items to stock up on are inexpensive brushes. Of course you'll invest in some quality paint brushes (my go-to favs are the Country Chic 1.5" Oval and any Zibra paintbrush) for applying paint to your furniture piece. But for furniture stripping? Applying stain? Painting those intricate details? Some of the less expensive options you can get at your local dollar store work perfectly. During my trips to our Dollar Tree, I always grab an extra paintbrush or two. I keep these in my workspace specifically for applying stripping agents like (Citristrip)

or when I'm grain-filling my wood pieces to achieve that smooth painted finish. The foam brushes are always a favorite when I'm applying any of my wood stains. I'll also use them for painting techniques like blending or applying Rub-N-Buff to my hardware. And some small artists brushes are always by my side while I'm painting as well. These are perfect for painting hard-to-reach areas (like around door hinges) or along details and trim. In the auto-motive section you can even find these oval sponge applicators. I keep a handful of these in my workspace at all times and use them for applying wood bleach to raw wood, as well as some of my favorite water-based stains and topcoats. It makes application and clean up so easy.

Find #2: Cleaning Supplies

Ask any furniture refinisher and they'll tell you that they clean their piece at least a half dozen times before it's complete! I joke and say that my furniture pieces are usually cleaner than most of my home. With that in mind, you're going to want to have a host of cleaning supplies on hand when your tackling your furniture flips. That include buckets, cleaning/degreasing agents

(my favorites inexpensive options are Dawn

Dish Soap, Krud Kutter, and Simple Green). Wiping down furniture with lint-free micro-fiber cloths is an excellent way to achieve a smooth flawless finish, while also being eco-friendly since they're reusable. When I'm cleaning a piece of furniture I also have a number of scrub-brushes ready for different parts of the piece. You'll want several options for getting the surface, the trim, and the details and grooves to remove all the dirt and grime that's settled in those hard-to-reach spots over the years. Scrubbing your piece well is so important prior to painting it and having the right scrub brush for the job helps with that part of the process immensely!

Find #3: Business-Related Items

Looking to keep your overhead business costs to a minimum? Don't overlook some of the items you can find for your small business at your local dollar store to help you do just that! For each furniture care package that goes home with my customers, I send a small container of touch-up paint and I make sure to stock up on these at my Dollar Tree. I also send my customers home with some small felt pads for the bottom of decor items to protect them from scratching the surface of painted furniture piece. Also, I'm constantly jotting down ideas, sketches, and to-do lists in a notebook I keep at the ready, also from the dollar store. Looking for Sharpies? The Dollar Tree has you covered. Even this cute "Idea" notebook is perfect for jotting down all my blog post ideas!

Find #4: Unexpected Items from the Kitchen Section

Don't forget to stop by the kitchen supply section before you leave your dollar store. Plastic measuring spoons and cups are great for making custom color mixes, or mixing up milk paint. Small rubber spatulas are great for stirring paint and scraping out those lasts bits of paint from the bottom of your cannister (if you know, you know - paint is gold in refinishing!). The last great find I grab for in the kitchen section are stacks of plastic funnels. I use these to dilute my paint with bottled water or adding denatured alcohol or cleaning agents to my spray containers. I've even used them for pouring my paint into smaller containers.

Interested in knowing about the other products I use? Find more of my must-have supplies and affiliate links in my Amazon Storefront.

I'd love to hear from you! What are the dollar store supplies you grab for when you're supplementing your own refinishing arsenal? Have questions? Be sure to leave a comment below.