Monday, June 6, 2011

Darken wood furniture with Gel Stain

My Barrister Bookcase was featured!!!



Have you ever found a piece of furniture that would look great in your home if only it were a darker wood?  It's in good conition, no need to strip and refinish, it just needs to be darker?

When we decided to switch to a flatscreen t.v. I knew I wanted an old buffet as my t.v. stand. I found this beauty on Craigslist for $20! I didn't like the yellowish green finish. YUK!



And here she is after using American Finishes gel stain:



What a dramatic difference! 

Here is an oak barrister bookcase that I found on Craigslist for $10.  It was in my parent's hometown so I called my Dad and asked him to run over and pay for it so the seller would hold it until I got there. 

It was missing the bottom piece of glass but that was easily replaced with a quick trip to Lowe's. We just glued it in place~easy peasy!



And after:



We even used it on our ugly, 1980's bathroom cabinets! Here is a picture comparing the finishes. The door on the left is the after; the one on the right is the before. Sorry about the glare! I didn't know I would be blogging at the time I took the pics or I would have done a better job!



The American Finishes Gel Stain comes in several different colors.  I used the Java.



First I cleaned each piece really well.  Next, I simply applied the gel stain with an old rag.  I wiped off the excess and let it dry.  After a second coat, I brushed on the General Finishes Gel Topcoat with a sponge brush and I was finished!



I hope this post is helpful and saves you some time and money!

**Linking to DebbieDo's Newbie Party**
**Linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch**
**Linking to Take-a-Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts**

53 comments:

  1. Beautiful makeover! I love how simple gel stain is to work with. It looks amazing! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Ooh, maybe that is what I could do to my dining table! :)

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  3. How wonderful looking. Thanks for sharing with my newbie party.

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  4. I have used a gel stain before and I was in Lowe's yesterday looking for the product I had used in the past. They didn't have it. Thanks for showing this brand. I will look for it now. Gel stain is awesome. I used it on my front door because the sun would fade it.

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  5. All of these look so much better after you fixed them up! Sounds like you got a good deal on them too :)

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  6. I love the results. I've never used gel stain. I'm going to try it on an old bookcase. Thanks for the tip.

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  7. Oh my gosh the tv dresser looks amazing. Do you think this could be used on a stairway banister? I'd love to darken mine but stripping it seemed like such a daunting task. Thanks for visiting my blog. I so glad you did. I'm your newest follower!

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  8. Wow! You've done an amazing job on all of the pieces. Beautiful!

    It's great to find your blog. I look forward to following you too!

    Have a great day.
    Pam

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  9. That buffet is phenomenal. I wouldn't have looked twice at it with the before stain, but the after stain is gorgeous. Good eye!!

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  10. You have done well on craigslist. The refinishing is a great treatment. Thanks for the boost to ego on textured walls. My home was built in the fifties and the walls showed their age, this treatment added an old world feel. Just apply already mix joint compound with a trowel in all directions. Sand when dry with 220 grit sand paper. I like it pitted for an old world feel. I too am a follower.
    Lisa

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  11. love the bookcase the stain looks fabulous. i did a bookcase like this in grey and i love it..

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  12. Did you have to sand it first?

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  13. Thank you for all of your wonderful comments!

    I'm sorry that I forgot to mention the prep step! I didn't sand or strip the wood. I cleaned it with Simple Green (TSP would work, also) and then rubbed on the gel stain. That is what is so great about it! It's like the Chalk Paint of Wood Stains!

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    Replies
    1. Gigi,
      We just bought a used piano & it looked darker at the sellers home than it does in our living room. We want to darken it but it's in such good condition that we hate to sand it. I found your blog while doing some research wondering if we can stain it without sanding. How is it that you didn't have to do any sanding? Thanks, Brooke, AZ

      Delete
  14. So glad I found this post! We've been thinking about darkening a buffet we have to match the shelves above it. Can't wait to try it!

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  15. Really enjoyed reading this article as furniture is my passion. You really can't go wrong with hardwood furniture especially solid oak furniture, where every piece has its own unique character. More detail

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  16. I'm totally with you on this. Some things are not meant to be painted. And some really need paint to sing.

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  17. So, I was wondering If this would work on an oak table with a laminate top like formica ...I'm not sure of the actual material on the top but, it's definitely not a wood veneer. Please let me know if you or anyone has had any luck with it working in that scenario. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it will work. I used the General Finishes Gel stain in Java on my bathroom vanity. The sides of the vanity are laminate and it worked fine. I scrubbed it with Dawn dishwashing liquid, dried it, then used a 220 grit sanding block to scuff it a bit. I wiped it one more time with mineral spirits, then applied the stain with a rag, then lightly wiped it off leaving a "grain-like" texture. The General Finishes stain is soooo easy to work with and is very forgiving. If you wipe off too much, just re-apply. I let it dry overnight before adding the next coat. I added three coats, then finished with GF satin gel poly. I would not substitute the GF brand.

      Delete
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  20. Beautiful makeover, All of these look so much better after you fixed them up.furniture company UK

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  22. Whoa, those look practically brand new! Will give to give this a go with my teak benches!

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  29. Did you use only one coat of the gel topcoat on the bathroom cabinets? If so, is it holding up? I had read on another blog to use three coats, but if one will work that would be great. Thanks for your help.

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