Friday, July 6, 2012

Gel Stain on Two Arm Chairs and a Bloggy Break

Hello Everyone! 

When we built the farmhouse table for the kitchen, I decided to paint four of the cane back chairs white.  You can read about that here

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I was however, undecided on whether or not to paint the matching two arm chairs white or possibly stain them a darker stain.

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I have never really cared for the stain that was on the chairs to begin with and my intent was when I purchased them to either paint or re-stain them.  They had too much of an orange tone for my liking.

When Kathy at Creative Home Expression posted about using a Gel Stain product on two different furniture make-overs, I opted to give it a try on the two arm chairs.   You can read all about Kathy’s beautiful make-overs here and here.    

I  ordered the General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain from Amazon and when it arrived I went to work. 

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Check out the “Before and After”.

                 Before

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After

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What a difference, wouldn’t you say!   I did very little prep work before I applied the gel stain.  I lightly sanded the chairs before I applied the gel stain because I wanted to make sure that it would adhere to the chairs.   And of course I lightly sanded after because I wanted more of a distressed look to the chairs. 

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General Finishes does have a website that offers helpful tips on how to use the gel stain.  In my opinion, it was easy to work with and I would definitely use it again.

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Now if only it would COOL down just a tad bit so that I could work on making a cabinet using these doors.

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I’ll be taking a little bloggy break but should be back sometime next week.   Enjoy your week and stay COOL! 

Gail

31 comments:

  1. Gail your kitchen table still amazes me! It is a true work of art!
    Thanks for the tip about gel stain! Great job on the chairs! I love the color.
    I am hoping it will cool down too, and now I have another reason. I want you to get going on that cabinet! Those doors look so fascinating!

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  2. The chairs look wonderful! They have such a richer tone to them now. Enjoy your break!

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  3. The chairs turned out great, Gail! I love how the gel stain darkened it just enough to give you the look you wanted but it's not too dark. It looks very natural, too. Thanks for the shout out! : ) Those doors look great ~ I can't wait to see the cabinet you make with them. The weather has been crazy! Definitely save any outdoor projects until this heat wave breaks. We have a heat index of 110 today!

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  4. I love the new stain! No orange at all, and just dark enough! Putting this on my "to buy list"! Stay cool, we have been in the 100 degree range for almost a week now in Ohio...ugh.

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  5. Oh how fabulous. Love the stain, it turned out fabulous. Great chairs. Hugs, Marty

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  6. Lovely contrast, too, with the white chairs. I'm going to remember this gel stain for my chairs and give it a whirl. Thanks for sharing; as always, your house is beautiful!

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  7. Oh whoa! The chairs turned out so beautiful Gail! Love the contrast with the painted table. I have been looking at a little side table in my house that I have been trying to decide whether to paint or refresh the stain....this gel stain has me thinking.......Enjoy your break! Jane

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  8. This worked beautifully, Gail! Mixing the dark and white is a good choice! Have fun on your break!

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  9. You chairs look great. Thanks for the tip on the gel stain.
    Have a nice blog break.

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  10. Hi Gail,
    I wonder if this is like Minwax Gel Stain? I do like that product. I'd like to stain some golden (aka orange) oak a darker color...or paint white. I don't want to sand a lot or strip, though. Maybe I'll do a test chair! Your chairs look great!
    -Revi

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  11. Nice change in the stain color! It gives your chairs a much more updated look that goes well with the painted side chairs. Anxious to see the cabinet you're building!

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  12. They look fabulous, Gail. I've used gel stain, and it's really easy to work with. Enjoy your break, and stay cool.

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  13. That stain did wonders on those chairs. Enjoy your break! We will miss you.

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  14. Hi Gail,
    The stain gave them a real nice antique finish. Love them.
    Enjoy your blog break and see you soon.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  15. Gail the arm chairs look fabulous stained! Enjoy your break!

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  16. The chairs came out gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing with us. I've also wanted to do some staining, but so dislike the old way. This seems so easy and I will check out the site!

    What ever you're doing the next week, hope it's fun and relaxing! And, I look forward to seeing what you do with those doors - they are FABULOUS!!!

    Blessings,
    Donna

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  17. Wow, these turned out great. What a difference! They really suit the darker colour.

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  18. Oh I do like the after better, looks so much warmer. Have a good little break!

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  19. Good call on the gel stain, the chairs look nice with the white table. Wonder what you have planned for that cabinet....

    Bliss

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  20. Gail,
    What a great transformation.Love the deep color with your white.Yes much better than the orange.Enjoy your break.I hope it is a bit cooler where you are.
    (((Hugs)))
    Anne

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  21. Wow, what a difference Gail, I love them darker and they look great with the other's around the table!

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  22. Gail those chairs are gorgeous now! I love that gel stain, I really must get my hands on some.
    You have found some amazing new treasures! I love them ALL, I looked through several posts and I am impressed, once again, with your industry and creativity!
    Thanks so much for praying for my daughter, she is on her feet again, I am happy to say.
    Hugs, Cindy

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  23. Gail those chairs are gorgeous now! I love that gel stain, I really must get my hands on some.
    You have found some amazing new treasures! I love them ALL, I looked through several posts and I am impressed, once again, with your industry and creativity!
    Thanks so much for praying for my daughter, she is on her feet again, I am happy to say.
    Hugs, Cindy

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  24. What a great fix to those lovely chairs. They are pretty Gail. Enjoy your break!

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  25. Gail,
    Your chairs turned out great! I can't wait to see what you come up with for those lovely doors. I have awarded you the Versatile Blogger Award. Stop by and check it out after your break.
    Kathleen
    http://melange-kathleen.blogspot.com/2012/07/versatile-thats-me-baby.html

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  26. Hi Gail,

    Your chairs look beautiful! Have a nice bloggy break. I can't wait to see the cabinet you make with those fabulous looking doors.

    Dee

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  27. Gail, your chairs turned out beautifully. I really like that stain color better than the original. The contrast with the other white chairs looks really good.
    Thanks for stopping by, Mary Alice

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  28. That turned out beautifully, Gail...the finish is gorgeous! The whole set is just great together! Thanks for stopping by my finds post!

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  29. Gail they turned out beautiful! I lve the color you chose. I will have to try some of that out!

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  30. The look of chair has been completely changed.Even i will try a gel for my chair to give it a new look.

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