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to refinish

to refinish

9 6.1
Make furniture or floors look new by removing old paint and putting on new paint
  • verb
  • /ˌriːˈfɪnɪʃ/
translation icon : reacabar
  • After the renovation, we decided to refinish the hardwood floors for a fresh look.
  • refinished floors
  • refinished furniture
  • refinished cabinets

Oh, hydrates, primes, sets and refinishes skin.

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Examples

  • I went to Nate's auto body shop, had all the seats refinished.

  • The walls, window frames, and shutters were painted white, and the floors had been sanded and refinished in a light amber color.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Do you know how many times they refinish the floors in here?

  • So, I hired him in the workshop to refinish furniture.

  • All it needs is to be refinished with a little love and care.

  • For the floor, I actually thought about refinishing it with a darker color.

    Blog text (3)
  • Did you refinish it?

  • She refinished all the tables herself.

  • We had yet to bleach and refinish the aged and begrimed pine floors.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The gym has a honeyed look from the late afternoon light on the freshly refinished floors.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

to finish
vsto refinish
  • Informal
239 2.4

To put a final protective or decorative layer on something

focuses on renewing an existing surface, often by removing the old layer first
to redecorate
vsto refinish
41 3.2

To change the inside of a room by adding new paint, wallpaper, or furniture

applies beyond interior design and often involves removing old surface before renewal
to refurbish
vsto refinish
31 4.6

To make something clean and like new by fixing or decorating it

targets surface renewal specifically rather than broader repair or renovation work
to repaint
vsto refinish
27 1.3

Paint something again to make it look new or different

covers renewing any surface, not only by applying paint
to redo
vsto refinish
19 3.4

Change parts of a room or building to make it look new

is limited to renewing surfaces rather than major remodeling or structural work
to repave
vsto refinish
5 3.5

Put a new hard surface on a road, street, or path that already has one

is used more widely for objects and often removes the old surface layer first
to resurface
vsto refinish
4 3.9

To put a new surface on a road or floor

applies to smaller objects and often involves removing the old surface layer first
to recoat
vsto refinish
1 3.5

To put a new layer of paint or finish on something already painted

removes the old surface first before applying a new one
to revarnish
vsto refinish
1 4.1

To put a new clear coat on wood to restore its shine

uses varnish specifically rather than other kinds of surface renewal
to reface
vsto refinish
1 6.7

To put new material on the surface of something so it looks new

involves removing the old surface layer first rather than just covering with new material
to respray
vsto refinish
3.7

To put a new layer of paint or treatment on something again using small liquid drops from a machine

uses spraying as the method rather than removing the old surface first
to repolish
vsto refinish
3.3

Make a surface shine again by rubbing it

is a deeper process that often removes the old surface layer before renewal
to reglaze
vsto refinish
  • Specialized
6.7

To put a new shiny layer on a bowl or bathtub to make it look new

uses glazing specifically rather than removing and replacing general surface layers
to replate
vsto refinish
  • Specialized
8.3

Cover an object again with a thin metal layer to make it look new

applies metal coating specifically rather than removing and reapplying other surface layers
to furbish up
vsto refinish
  • Archaic
6.2

To make something old look new by fixing or cleaning it

focuses on renewing the surface rather than full restoration or renovation
to change surface
vsto refinish
5.2

To make the outside of something look, feel, or work differently

describes any surface change, not specifically removing and replacing the old surface layer

Antonyms

885 1.4

To harm something so it becomes less useful, valuable, or healthy

256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Thorough

to rebuild
485 2.8
to restore
219 3.5
to refurbish
31 4.6
to refinish
9 6.1
to touch up
8 3.8

Surface Forms

refinish infinitive
refinished past
refinished past participle
refinishing present participle
refinishes third person singular

Morphology

refinish = finish (semi-transparent) = re + finish

The prefix 're-' is regular, but learners often know 'finish' mainly as 'complete', not the specialized sense 'apply a surface finish'.

Etymology

Refinish comes from the prefix re- meaning 'again' and the word finish, which here means the outer 'surface' or final coat. So to refinish something is to give it a new surface by doing the finish 'again'.