June 2009 Weddings
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Staining furniture? DIY Questions/Advice

I mentioned in my other post about inheriting my great grandmother's sewing machine and desk. After doing a little online searching, I came across this post: http://www.thebellalifeblog.com/2010/03/29/diy-sewing-desk/

The desk is exactly the same as my great grandma's. I still have the sewing machine attached so I wouldn't want to make a new desk top, but I adore the espresso finish she did. My g-gma's desk is definitely well used and the top needs a little TLC. My dad (it was his gma's) and I had discussed sanding the top a bit anyways but I'm going to check with him and my grandmother before making any real changes to this piece since it's so sentimental to all of us.

Thoughts? Advice? I have never stained anything so I'm a little nervous about trying it on this piece but on the other hand, how hard could it be? Also, I can almost guarantee I'll have some help so it wouldn't be a completely solo project.

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Re: Staining furniture? DIY Questions/Advice

  • Its actually really easy - especially since it looks like your desk has pretty clean lines and not too much detail work.  If you have a belt sander, that will make the job go a lot faster.  Staining is pretty foolproof, you just have to apply it in thin coats so you dont get drips. 

    There is some detail in this post -- obviously before I decided my blog should be a food blog - from when we refinished my dresser. 

  • Also when sanding make sure that you get every last spec of current finish off of it or it will not soak up stain and end up looking splotchy. I think its great to change family pieces to update them so you can truly appreciate them in your home! Good luck!
  • I think the above posters are right, it should be that hard. Just get a small sander (I use the mouse a lot) because you won't want to do it by hand! Make sure to remove all the old stain, put the stain on in thin layers and then cover it with a a few coats of poly and you should be good to go!
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