Stained Bookshelf

Hey, Everyone! I have a friend who needed a bookshelf refinished for her office.This was such a nice project to do, because she had already started sanding it before I got to it! She chose Minwax's Dark Walnut Wood Stain to make it match with her other office furniture. Choosing a darker colour to stain over a light stain makes the process a lot easier, as opposed to having to sand down a dark stained piece of furniture in order to stain it light. Because we were going darker, I didn't have to sand the bookshelf right back down to bare wood. Below, is the bookshelf before I started working with it. 

After sanding it down, I used a damp cloth to wipe off bits of dust left over. We decided to lay it down on it's back side so that I could seamlessly stain all parts of the shelf. 

Staining the wood was quite simple, I first brushed the stain onto the wood, then I went over it with a rag to wipe off the excess. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the bookshelf completed standing up-right. This was a very easy and fun project to do, and shows what a simple coat of stain can do to give furniture a new look.  

Family Signs

Hey, Everyone! It's been awhile since my last post, with the holidays there was so much going on that I didn't get to post as much as I was hoping to. I thought I'd show you another sign that I made, one I gave to a relative for Christmas. It is so nice having something personal to hang up in your home! To make the base for the sign, I used a construction grade wood glue and glued three pieces of wood together. I used tie downs, strapped together to act as a clamp to hold the wood together. Next, I sanded the wood and wiped it down with a damp cloth to get any of the dust off. 

I've recently discovered another wood stain colour that I absolutely love - Minwax's Special Walnut. I decided to use it to bring out the variations in the wood, the more rustic it looks, the better! 

Next came the challenging part - stencilling. I've done a fair bit of stencilling before, so I knew how to space out the lettering. I figured white lettering would stand out more against the stain than using black. I used Martha Stewart's stencil letter set, you can find it easily at most craft stores. After arranging the letters, it's best to tape them down with painter's tape. 

After the lettering dried, I applied a few coats of outdoor polyurethane to protect the wood. Since I wasn't sure if the recipients would want hang it up outside, I made sure they would have the option. 

I was really happy with how this project turned out! It was an easy, fun gift that has so much meaning. :)