One More Project with my Dad (Part 2)

The nightstands are well on their way and I love them already.  Now to the details so you can do this too, if you are so inclined.

Cross your fingers, this is going surprisingly well.

First thing was first, I had to gear up.  During this process I wore safety goggles, chemical resistant gloves and a face mask.  Please make sure you do this in a well ventilated area.

Now that I knew I would be safe, I had to clean the nightstands.  This involved taking them apart and removing all the paint and the original finish.  After closer inspection, I found that this also meant I had to remove the top of each nightstand to repair the damage sustained over the years.

I started by running a putty knife lightly over the piece, going with the grain, knocking off the larger pieces of paint.  After the big stuff was off, I used a fine sanding block to get the rest of it; this process took a lot longer than I thought.  I could have used a liquid sander, but they can be very harsh on wood and this piece has been through a lot; I wanted to be gentle.

Once all the paint was gone, I used one of "Jerry's Jewel Items" to clean them off.  He suggested  I use denatured alcohol, instead of mineral spirits, to wipe down the pieces.  Jerry told me denatured alcohol grabs and holds oil, dust and dirt better.  It also dries really fast. 

After the stain, before the poly

Now I was ready to stain.  To apply the stain I used a clean foam brush.  It's important to remember to follow the grain, preferably in smooth strokes.  Once all the stain was applied I waited between 10-15 minutes (the longer you wait the darker it'll be).  I wiped off the extra which hadn't soaked into the wood, again going with the grain.  Then I found a way to occupy myself for 3-4 hours while the stain dried (cleaning to Pandora Madonna station).  

I wanted to apply another layer of stain so I repeated the previous steps.  Repeating the steps allowed me to deepen the color.  If you want to do more than one round of stain, just repeats the last paragraph, but you don't have to.

After poly had 24 to dry and ready to use...if only it were done.

After the final coat of stain, I waited 8+ hours to allow the piece to fully dry.  Now it was time for me to give it the finishing layer with my polyurethane seal.  In order to prep the piece, I used a fine sanding block and went over the nightstands again.  This took off the extra "stuff" that landed on the wood over the past 8 hours and took off an uneven stain I missed.  I wiped the piece down with the denatured alcohol again and when it dried I applied a thin layer of the polyurethane with another clean foam brush.  I only used one layer of poly.  If you want to do another coat, lightly sand again, wipe it down and put on another layer.  The directions suggestion waiting 24 hours before using it as a functional piece of furniture.

I felt like my dad would be happy with the way these nightstands were turning out so far.  I saw a lot of him in them, which was very comforting, but I needed a little more of me.  I took a little extra time while the poly was drying and painted the back a bright vibrant blue.  It might not be what my dad would have picked, but I think he would have laughed when he saw it.

The top of the nightstand turned out to be a bigger challenge than I thought... Stay tuned.