Hutch details

Yesterday I gave you a brief outline of the process I used to finish this hutch.  I have finished pieces in the past, and besides the initial sanding, found the finished process to be much easier.  Here is the same process, with many more details.

Strip down the old faux finish

According to the stencil on the back, the hutch was originally white.  The finish on it as far back as I can remember was this faux wood striped look.   I started with a 60 grit sandpaper, which is very coarse.  I bought a lot, and even went back for more.  The newer the paper, the easier the job.  It still took of lot of manual strength, and I could only work in short intervals.  I work off/on for many weeks.

sanded once, but before finer sanding

after 220 grit sanding

Once I was down to bare wood, I sanded again.  The higher the numbers on sandpaper, the finer the grit.  I started at 60, then went to 100 or 150, and finally to 220 for a really smooth finish.  Sandpaper is cheap, so use it all and you will see the results.

In the time between the initial stripping, I went back and forth between painting it (giving up basically!) and keeping at it and going for the stain.  I asked a lot of questions along the way, since it had been a few years since my last project.  Both Lowe's and Sherwin Williams suggested Minwax products, so that is what I went with.   I chose walnut as I like a darker finish.  You can also control the darkness with the number of coats. 

One more step though, before sanding: apply a coat of Conditioner (also by Minwax) that preps the wood to take the stain in a nice even tone.  It was a quick coat, and only had to sit for 15-20 minutes. I think it's really worth it for bare wood. 

I used a paintbrush to apply the stain, then wiped off with paper towels.  The first coat I wiped off fairly quickly, after only a few minutes.

too light!

  You can always do more coats to get darker, but you can't do fewer!  The first coat was lighter than I wanted, so I applied the second.  This coat I let sit for a bit longer, and it almost ended up being too long.  It was a bit tacky, and I had to really work to get the excess off. This has nothing to do with the Minwax product, and totally with me getting distracted and losing track of the time! 

On thing you have to do for a perfect finish is to sand (yes, sand again!) between each coat.  I bought a sand "finishing block" from Lowe's that worked really well for this step.  These are found in the paint supply aisle.  You can also use steel wool, but I found the block to be much easier to use.

A few areas still needed to be darker, and I applied one more quick coat.  Then it was perfect.  It was dark, but I could still see the grain lines in the wood and all the character of the piece.

perfect!

The next step was one I had had problems with in the past: the polyurethane coat.  Years ago poly coats would bubble up and just not look good at all in the end. 
BUT....this Minwax poly went on as smooth as silk.  I was very pleased with the application and outcome.  It comes in three levels of finish,  (Gloss, semi-gloss and satin) and I used the middle one: semi-gloss is a bit shiny, but not too shiny.  I applied with a foam brush and again, sanding between every coat.  This is just something you have to do, or your finish will feel rough and not produce the end result that you desire. 

The last thing I did was tape and paint the insides of the cabinet.  Here is where I went wrong!  I taped the shelves, and obviously taped a bit too early, before the stain had cured.  The Minwax can says to allow the poly to cure a full 24 hours, and I failed to do that.  Fortunately it's in a place that isn't too noticeable, so I may just leave it.  But learn from my mistakes!
So my "how to stain" tips in a list:

• Start with a good brush
• Buy mineral spirits to clean your brush; it is oil based!
• Buy plenty of sandpaper, and then a little more;
• Conditioner!
• Buy a foam brush for each coat of poly:it's just easier than cleaning;
• Don't tape over the poly coats!
• Buy a "finish block" of sandpaper; these are in the paint supply aisle. You can also use steel wool;
• Sand, sand, sand.  Then sand between each coat of stain and poly. 

I still have to decide on the back for the hutch, but otherwise we are enjoying it in the dining room.  Now to just get all the Lego's contained and inside the cabinet....well, at least inside for a bit! 

Have you refinished anything recently?  Try it!  And let me know how awesome it is!