The Refinishing Touch

Since moving into our first home in March I find that I am completely obsessed with customizing my fabric and furniture choices. I try to do this in a budget friendly manner that keeps Mr. H happy and keeps me from having to sell a kidney. Many of the pieces in our home have been loved by another family before us. I have simply added my own touch to them to make them new to us and as well as make them fit into the room I have been envisioning.

Being that I am not at all - not even a tiny bit - crafty - I decided to start small. My grandmother had given my mom 2 end tables that were in her and granddaddy's first home. They are beautiful, sturdy and solid wood. which can be very hard to come by these days. especially at a decent price. Since they were gathering dust in my parent's garage I offered to take them off their hands. The previous stain was peeling and they were in need of a an updated look. So off to Home Depot we went.  I seriously can't even begin to tell you how many trips we have made to our local Home Depot since we moved in. I think it is safe to say that we have spent more money there than at the grocery store since March. It is THAT bad.

After the grueling choice of choosing a stain that would blend with our bed frame and give us the overall look we wanted we headed home with our onyx stain. And home we went, cheerfully by the way, thinking that we were the smart ones. saving money (mr. h's favorite part). creating the exact look/colors we wanted. so smart. And then we started the project...

Let me tell you -- Refinishing furniture is no small feat and definitely not for the faint of heart. At first it was fun. Hours later is was definitely not what we had once imagined. We should have known it would be hard when our neighbors came out of the woodwork to either laugh at us or asked if they could bring their extra pieces down if we were crazy enough to enjoy this sort of thing. But we powered through (with the help of a Cherry Limeade from Sonic) and the end result was absolutely worth it! It is quite rewarding knowing that we did them ourselves. together :)

Partially Sanded - I forgot to take a "before" shot

Finished Product

So rewarding that we couldn't stop with just one project.  This next piece of furniture has been around for as long as I can remember. All of our favorite Disney vhs tapes were in the right cabinet when I was little. I can remember Margaret and I literally climbing halfway in and dragging all of the videos out. Needless to say this piece has memories and I love it. Very farmhouse chic. I have been asking for it for years. And finally after we moved into our first home my mom caved. We loaded it in the truck. And sped away before she could change her mind :)  It was 110 degrees the next weekend and being in the garage all day stripping and staining sounded like torture. So we waited a couple of months for a cool day. We stripped the base of the dresser and completed the first coat of stain. Now if I can just make myself get back out there and finish the drawers we will have a piece of furniture to match our end tables for the master bedroom...

Before (plus one coat of stripper)

Before

Stripped & Sanded

Comparison

First coat of stain on the base

Stay tuned for the finished product! If we ever finish it...

Feel like sanding away your weekend? Here's what you'll need:

MINWAX Wood Stain
Purdy Brush
Top Coat
Sand Paper
Drop Cloth
Brass Stripping Brush