Refurbishing and Restoring have basically the same meaning. The process involves cleaning, touching up worn areas, ( nicks and scratches replacing missing color )applying a new finish ( if desired ) and making any necessary structural repairs. Antique furniture is usually Refurbished or Restored to some degree. I believe that with Antique furniture it's best to do as little as possible. So when I receive an email asking me How to Refurbish old Furniture, this is what I tell them. An example of Refurbishing or Restoring can be found here and here Often all that is needed to refurbish your old furniture is a good cleaning. For information on cleaning your old furniture click here.

On the other hand Refinishing involves removing the finish right down to the bare wood, and starting from scratch. This can be a very time consuming and costly process. Often people who start out wanting to know how to Refurbish Old Furniture end up Refinishing instead because the piece of furniture is to far gone. Example of Refinishing can be found here  here and here. For more examples on how to refurbish old furniture click here  There you will find not only information on how to Refurbish Old Furniture but over 130 guides that cover just about everything on Refinishing Furniture.