I picked up a rocking chair on the side of the road and have done an initial rough sanding to see what it would look like after getting the peeling and cracked finish smoothed up. I don’t want to invest a ton of time but would like to make it respectable to use, as it is solid, comfortable and has a nice design. What options do you suggest for a previously finished chair with some residual finish, perhaps previously painted(?)
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Paint. Chairs like this were traditionally painted, and look fantastic.
Peter Galbert has an outstanding couple of videos on finishing Windsor chairs with paint.
If you're ok with paint, as John_C2 suggested, sand it smooth, prime it and paint.
If you prefer a varnish, I would use Formby's furniture refinisher with an abrasive pad to get the old finish off. Then, I would go with a wipe on varnish, unless you have spray equipment. If you can spray, you can use lacquer, water based varnish, conversion varnish...
Thanks! Is there any clear or semi-opaque finish that could work? My spouse is reluctant to pain, as she can’t imagine a color for a Windsor rocker. Thoughts?
You can make a durable semi-opaque finish by mixing latex paint and water based poly. Change the ratio to change the opacity. Flat paint with semi-gloss poly is a good place to start.
After painting, I would suggest putting a few coats of polyurethane clearcoat on top to protect the paint, especially if the chair surface will be used often.
https://printsbery.com/invitations/wedding/blue
If you're married to the idea of painting, use milk paint. You'll love the results. Woodcraft.com has several good articles on it.
Deference to John's penny's worth, if paint's not your thing there are a lot of choices. Telling you what I'd use is no use to you. I'm a devout oil finish fanatic.
Anyhow, I'd begin with a chemical stripper and elbow grease followed by 60, 80, 150 and 220 grit sandpapers. Note: don't forget a grit. One guess - you just might need glue along the way. Stock up. And sponge brushes, not bristles. And that's my opinion.
By the by, good looking chair.
Mikaol
When a customer specifically asks for something other than oil I suggest urethane or polycrylic. My preference is water-based semi-gloss Varathane.
After a 3rd coat cures for about 3 days I wet sand. A water/dish detergent blend and wet/dry sandpaper works for me. 1st, I use 800 grit to get the trash out of the finish, then 1000 grit for shine. And, it makes even sem-gloss glow.
I got the details from professional restorer Alan Noel's article on Highland Woodworking. It's in their library section. A decent fallback position is clear gloss urethane. I don't use it because it's a pain to work but the result is a high shine.
Mikaol
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