Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A new tabletop

It's taken me a week to stain my kitchen tabletop.  
I quickly found out that I had a lot to learn about staining furniture!

I posted here about painting our kitchen table/chairs a cream color.  I've been happy with it, 
but decided I'd like to break up all the cream by staining just the tabletop with a color that 
would go with our kitchen cabinets.  Easy, right?  Just a little sanding and add the stain.

 This is the product that I used, Minwax Stain & Polyurethane in 1 Step.


 I painted the stain on using a foam brush (1st mistake) - DO NOT USE A FOAM BRUSH.

The stain was darker than I wanted and really thick, so I thought I would take some off by wiping/blotting it with a rag (2nd mistake) - DO NOT TRY TO WIPE IT OFF.  
I ended up with this.  Ugh!

 I had to wait a good 6 hours for it to dry thoroughly, before I could sand the table again.  

I began staining again with a 'foam brush' (when will I learn?).  I went back and forth with
good spots and bad spots.  The stain was too thick in some areas, so I'd try to wipe it off 
with mineral spirits.  I could never get a clean look.  FINALLY, after doing a little research
and talking to friends I realized that I needed to be using a regular paint brush, duh?!  

(This is the table in the middle of my crisis!)

I sanded again, but was never able to get every spot of stain off.  
I decided I would accept a distressed stained look?!  
I even sanded the edges to complete my now distressed look.

Here's how it turned out.
 I like the stain color with the bottom of my curatins.

 See the darker areas where I gave up on sanding.  
I think it gives it a bit of an aged look (that's what I'm telling myself)


I actually have another staining project in mind now that 
I know have a better idea of how to do it!

I'm joining the following parties:


11 comments:

  1. I like it! It's hard to work with stains and glazes and I'm still trying to figure it out.
    Sometimes projects just don't go the way we like.
    But, I think your table turned out great.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  2. Dispite the problems, it turned out beautifully!

    Hope you will please drop by and enter my $50 Overstock.com Gift Card Giveaway!! If there are 500 entries, they will increase the Gift Card to $100.

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  3. Looking at the finished product you'd never know you had problems. I think it looks great!

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  4. It looks great! I appreciate your willingness to share what you learned along the way, too. I've never used the all in one stain, but I'd really love to give it a try.

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  5. Happy you joined the giveaway and became a follower. I'm following you too!

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  6. Petie, that looks fantastic!!!! I think you did a great job and it goes perfectly in your kitchen. Lessons learned, but my word, I think it is fabulous!!!

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  7. I am currently having my own issues with a coffee table top that I am staining, so I feel your pain. I don't have the perseverance that you have though and am going to live with it as is.

    Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment on my knock off herb crates.

    Enjoy today.

    Mel

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  8. It turned out so beautiful! I think that is the beauty of doing things ourselves. Often they don't turn out the way that we had in mind, think they should, or thought they would, but better! WTG!!! ;)

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  9. You did a great job, it turned out beautifully!

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  10. oh that is gorgeous!! It turned out great!
    Tana

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