Sunday, February 3, 2013

I finally stain the top of something!

Now that I have gotten practice with using the palm sander on the Empire dresser redo, I planned to sand this little table top to remove the scratches before I painted it.
To my surprise and delight, the finish came completely off while I was sanding that I was finally able to stain the top of something!  I used a palm sander and started with 150 grit to take the scratches and old finish off and then used 220 to smooth it completely.  It took about 15-20 minutes to sand it to the raw wood.

After I finished sanding, I chose to paint the base of the table before staining the top because I like to paint my pieces upside down (when I can) so I can make sure I cover everything.  I painted using Behr Outback homemade chalk paint.  Once it was dry I distressed the paint with a medium grit sanding sponge.

But I had to run out to HD to get the supplies to stain since I hadn't stained anything yet.  I got Minwax stain in the Dark Walnut color, a half pound bag of wiping cloths and Minwax Wipe-on Poly in the satin finish.

I was nervous about having to buy all these supplies for such a tiny little table top, but I was optimistic that I would be able to start sanding and staining more in the future.

To apply the stain I followed the directions on the side can of stain.  I used one of the wiping cloths to remove any sanding dust from the table top.  Then I applied the stain with a foam brush that I already owned and let it sit for about 20 minutes before I wiped it off with the wiping cloth.  And it came out like this...
Yay! I love the combo of the Dark Walnut stain with the Behr Outback green color.  The table was already dark, so the distressed areas reveal more dark wood to complement the dark stained top.
Once the stain was dry I used another wiping cloth to apply 2 coats of the wipe-on poly and Minwax Finishing Paste on the base.  I did notice the stain takes at least a day or two to dry.

I was able to do the same thing to another small table a few weeks later.  I did the exact same process, except for this table I didn't distress the paint.  (I do try to sand down the tops of most pieces I get, but the old finish doesn't always come off.  I wind up painting those tops)
This time I used cheesecloth to apply the stain.  I feel like I have more control applying it and it is easier. 
It came out just as nice as the other table, but has a whole different feel.  

These tables were both pretty small, so they were priced very well and sold nice and quick. Can't get any better than that! 

Linking to:
Debbiedoo's
Navey Wife Peters Aboard The USS Crafty
Classy Clutter  
Too Much Time On My Hands
Craft-O-Maniac
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
DIY Showoff
Homemaker On A Dime
Kammy's Korner
Coastal Charm
Kathe With An E
Skip To My Lou
Not Just A Housewife
Elizabeth & Co.
Sugar Bee Crafts
Today's Creative Blog
The DIY Dreamer
{Primp}
Southern Lovely  
Fluster Buster
Vintage Gwen
Beyond The Picket Fence
I Gotta Create  
The Shabby Creek Cottage
House of Hepworths  
Embracing Change
Miss Mustard Seed 
The Shabby Nest
Lovely Crafty Home
Redoux
Funky Junk Interiors

I was featured!
Lovely Crafty Home

14 comments:

  1. Stopping in from the Power of Pinterest Party to pin that cute little table.

    Bliss

    ReplyDelete
  2. They both came out beautiful! I was wondering why you chose to poly the top versus waxing the entire piece.. just curious..- Susan

    ReplyDelete
  3. What charming little tables. I love the stained tops.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good job on the tables! It's no wonder they sold so quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  5. First of all I just love your table makeovers - gorgeous colors and love that you left the tops wood ( I so seldom do it but I just LOVE seeing it done )
    Secondly I love the name of your blog - too cute!
    Your newest follower !!!
    Hugs ( from Montreal )
    Suzan

    ReplyDelete
  6. Totally love pieces with a dark stained top and a painted color on the body. Yours turned out great!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love your pieces! I love the stained tops, painted bottoms, but have yet to do one. I did stain a plain wood lazy susan that I got at Ikea and it turned out well. So! Thanks for the inspiration! We all have to do the "fist time" on something, don't we?! Dona

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the shape of both tables and your finishing is so professional - oooo-eeeee-pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love both tables. They look great. I'm a new follower from sister-number-5.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cute tables!!! I love dark walnut stain!

    Navy Wifey Peters @ Submarine Sunday Link Party
    http://www.usscrafty.blogspot.com/2013/02/submarine-sunday-17_2.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. You did a great job. The stain color is really nice and matches nicely with the paint choices.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Excellent job on both tables. Both are adorable. Thanks for sharing the products you used. You have inspired me to do several projects of my own.
    Reuzeit Emporium Blog
    Reuzeit Emporium

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate and read all your comments. I now reply to all comments on the blog post, so please check back if you asked questions for my response.
Thank you!