From Old to New

For years we have used James’ old furniture in our guest bedroom.  Functionally, it was perfect – twin beds for guests, two dressers for storage and a desk.  The desk was in rough condition so it was stored in a closet.  Apparently James left a window open one night and the desk was soaked in a rainstorm.  It was terribly warped.  Although the function of the furniture was great, the style wasn’t really our taste.  It was a light honey color with outdated pulls.  We threw around the idea for years of refinishing it, but never wanted to tackle it. 
When we moved into the new house, we no longer had a second guest bedroom and had to store the furniture in the garage under the house.  It was quickly getting worn from being outside and we knew we had to make a decision.  We hated to get rid of it.  Not only was it James’ as a little boy, but it was Ernie’s too!  Structurally, it is such nice furniture.  Made by Ethan Allen, it is solid hardwood furniture. 
We have been getting frustrated with Lily’s furniture not holding up very well, and you guessed it decided to tackle the refinishing job!  With the internet by my side, I decided the best plan of attack.  Simply rough up the surface to remove the lacquer, sand and stain.  So easy, right?  OF COURSE NOT. 
I brushed on a layer of stain, let it sit for the right amount of time, then wiped it right off.  All of it, right off.  Not one bit of stain soaked in.  Back to the internet I go to learn that maple is one of the most difficult woods to stain.  It is very dense and does not soak up stain easily.  Well there you go.
On to plan B – minwax gel stain.  Didn’t work.
On to plan C – General Finishes gel stain.  It worked well enough but still did not go on evenly.  Being the type A individual that I am, I decided to completely strip and sand the furniture all the way down.  That’s right five pieces of furniture completely sanded.
After sanding, three to four coats of stain and two coats of poly, this little project was all done. 

Ready for pictures!

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

And remember that warped desk?

After

Pictures from my workshop