Me and my (hutch)shadow....

At least that's how it feels this week....this hutch and I have been attached at the doors.  It will be done and housing many piles of Legos SOON!

Once I got all the finish off, I switched to 100 grit, and then finally to 220 grit. As the numbers get bigger, the paper gets less coarse (or more fine, whichever way you want to look at it!). 220 grit it the finish grit for projects like this. I could really tell a difference too as I sanded...it was sooooo smooth at this point!

The hardest part was the sanding, no doubt.  I started with the coarsest paper I could find: 60 grit.  It tore through the finish really well along with my DeWalt hand sander.  I used many pieces of paper, changing them often.  I found if I started to have to work a little harder, it was time to change.  For the price of the 1/4 sheet paper, it was really worth it. 

Once the old finish was completely removed, I knew the hardest part was over!  And I was left with beautiful, different grains of wood. 

The next two steps were more sanding, but so important in the look of the final finish.  After the coarsest sandpaper (60 grit), I sanded again all over with 150 grit, and then again with a finish grit of 220, very fine.  This was when the wood became soooo smooth, and really was showing it's true beauty.



Now it's time for FUN!.

I asked at Lowes and Sherwin Williams for stain recs: both times I was directed towards MinWax products, which is what I chose. 

Step one: Condition. Raw wood takes the stain in a much more even finish if you condition before you apply the first coat. This is a quick, simple step, and only takes a few minutes before you can start staining. Conditioner helps the stain take to the wood in an even manner.


This is a quick step: brush on, wait five minutes, and you are ready to stain!

conditioned: Pretty even at this stage!

Here's the thing with stain: there is no hard rule to know how long to leave it on. The longer you leave it on, the darker it will get. You can always put on more coats, so I lean towards taking it off within five minutes. If it's too light, you can do another coat; too dark, and you're stuck.

I did one coat, and wiped off  with paper towels in five minutes.  Yep, it was too light.  But that just meant another coat, which doesn't take very long.  I realized then that I really wanted it darker, so I left this coat on for a lot longer.....almost too long.  It was tacky when I wiped it down, so keep a close eye out when you're doing this! 

After staining, you have to leave it sit for a minimum of 8 hours, or longer if the humidity is high. I left mine overnight both coats since we had rain.  I am so impatient, so this is hard for me!  But it's worth it in the long run, so be patient!

This morning I'm happy with most of it.  The top of the hutch needs to be a little darker, so I'll stain that one more time.  Hopefully this weekend I can put some coats of polyurethane on, and hopefully we'll be moving this big boy into the dining room next week!

I made another executive decision, and primed the inside of the hutch, and plan on painting it white.  I did this for two reasons: first, it was really hard to get the sander in those corners, and I thought it would be too dark if it was al stained.  I'm thinking the white is going to be a nice touch.

I took the backing off, and some of that was rotted, so I'm replacing it.  With what, you ask? 

I'm not sure.  I think hutchie is going to have to live in the dining room for a while before I will be sure if it should be stained or white. 

I'm getting attached to this piece as we've spent so much time together.  We've bonded. 

I can't wait to have him move in for good!