All About the Chair - Part 5: Aging

Aging

Time to age this beauty.

First I took some of the sandpaper I had on hand from earlier in the project and I sanded down parts of the chair to let the wood underneath show through. I focused on the hand rests and edges.

Remember in Part 4 of this blog, when I talked about the paint not drying between coats and how it stayed sticky for weeks? Well, when you sand paint like that, it just kind of rolls off. I had to be careful that I didn't remove too much of the paint.

My only regret at this stage is that I don't have my beautiful back yard as a background for the chair - since I had to do it in the basement (aka laundry room).

Once I was done sanding, it was time to use the stain.

For less than $5, I bought a pint of Minwax Dark Walnut Stain at my local Lowe's.

 And I had a three pack of paint brushes - Before I started the project, I wasn't sure what size I'd use.

I was afraid of spilling the stain, so I poured a small amount into an empty, clean butter container. I had several old terry cloth washcloths and hand towels on hand to wipe the stain off.

I donned by Blue Hawk Nitrile Gloves and went to work.

I dipped the tip of my brush into the stain, brushed the stain on the wood, and then immediately wiped it off. The cream of my chair became dingy and the nooks and crannies held the stain. Section by section, the chair became complete.

        

I was shocked at how pleased I was with the outcome.

 

 

And there. There is the swirl that I love so very much!