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Sunday, January 8, 2017

Java Love!

So the hottest new trend in the DIY bubble these days is General Finishes's brand of Java Gel Stain. I can't lie - I've been dying to try it out. Mind you, this is hilarious because: (1) I've never stained a thing in my life and (2) I'm a big ol' smack-talker when it comes to DIY-ing in my fantasies and making time for the realities.  However, when our the bathroom reno quote came back at over $10,000 smackers (which seemed crazy high, even for the Keys!), I convinced my husband to parcel out the big stuff and DIY what we can. My rationale? If I really screw it up, it's something we wanted to replace anyway, right?

The vanity.

It's hideous. Classic solid oak wood straight from grandma's ranch and, at 30 inches, sits a good two inches below the average vanity height but even shorter than most current models.  With a 6' 2" husband, it's annoying at best. For my 7-year old son, it's perfect. When we bought our house this past summer, we agreed that the bathroom was livable for the time being. In fact, despite it's butt-ugliness, I actually appreciate the solidity of the wood, and the drawers are really quite ... well ... perfect!

Here she is, the original beauty queen:



With my mind set, I devoured Pinterest, read dozens of tips, and ordered my supplies. Note: We are limited in our shopping experiences down here in the Keys, and Amazon Prime has become my saving grace.  I honestly couldn't tell you who carries the General Finishes line, but I found all of these items easily on Amazon with a quick search and click.

Supplies
  • General Finishes Java Gel Stain, 1 Quart ($31.89)
  • General Finishes PTHS High Performance Water Based Topcoat, Satin, 1 Pint ($21.50)
  • TSP Liquid Cleaner, 1 Qt ($10.99)
  • Sandpaper, 150 grit ($5.99)
  • Sandpaper, 320 grit ($2.99)
  • Medical Grade Disposable Hand Gloves (trust me, these are the bomb!), 1 Box/100 ($9.95)
  • Foam Brushes, 20 Pc Set ($4.19)
I also gathered old white cotton socks (still debating whether to apply with socks or brushes), masking tape, and old rags.



Ready ... and now sweating!! ... I'm in!

Procedure:

1.  Remove old hardware - knobs, handles, ect.  If you plan to reuse them, this would be the time to clean them up and make then gleam again. I'm opting out on these biddies. No thanks. Some might also advise that you remove the doors and hinges at this point. I'm also opting out of this step. Frankly, I'm too lazy.    

2.  Lightly sand the surfaces needing pampering. Use 150 grit sand paper, give or take. Your goal here is not to sand down to the original wood, just to rough up the surface enough to accept the stain. I cheated and had my helper perform this task for me. ;)  When finished, wipe down your wood surfaces with a damp rag. In fact, go ahead and wipe down the surrounding surfaces while you're at it. No sense in getting dust in your stain!


3. Clean all of your wood surfaces using an old rag and TSP cleaner (any specialized cleaner will do - this one just happens to be one frequently recommended).  It's imperative that those years of built-up residue are removed in order for the stain to absorb evenly. Think: icky invisible hairspray mist! The product directions say to mix 8 oz of cleaner with one gallon of water. Somehow I managed to not read said directions and applied the cleaner directly (hence, proving how green I really am!). Fortunately, the wood didn't disintegrate; neither did my fingers. All is well. However, you really should follow the directions (I feel like I'm obligated to say that).  Allow to dry completely before moving forward.

4. While waiting for the surfaces to dry, go ahead and start taping off any areas you want to protect. In my case, I taped off the inside doors (this isn't a forever piece for me - no need to get carried away here), the wall space that butts up against the vanity, and the underside of the counter top. An old towel did the trick for floor protection, but the gel is quite think. Throughout the entire process, I dripped only a few small spots. Unless you're a complete clutz head, it's truly not that messy.


5. Now it's time to glove up and start staining! I've read and re-read a lot comparing two techniques in applying stain.  The first is the good ol' sock method: wipe on, wipe off.  The second is the foam brush method: stroke on, wipe off with a rag. I tend to be a very sensory, tactile type of personality, so I opted for the sock method to start.



Here are my first, second, and third coats side-by-side:


Do you notice anything in particular?? Nope, me neither!! The third coat doesn't look much different than the first!  I'm convinced I was overly cautious with my "blending" and just wiped each layer off as I progressed even though I allowed for sufficient dry time.  Annoying.  So, time to shift tactics!

The brush:

Now I'm in love!! 


This a cheap, standard, disposable foam brush and my new best friend.  The fourth coat (ugh - it shouldn't have taken four coats at all!) looked like this:


The foam brush wins! You can clearly see the difference between the two coats in the image directly above.  At this point, however, I was over it and half temped call it a day.  No joke.  But it would have eaten my alive had I not proceeded to the color I really wanted all along. So, on to coat five (and thoroughly annoyed at the wastefulness of coats two and three, especially with a 24-hour dry time between coats. Ugh!). 

And here ..... drum roll, please! ... is my final coat:



I am thrilled!! I'm also now - finally - completely sold on this product.  Love, love, love!! 
On now to the final phase, the sealer.

6.  As recommended, I used General Finishes High Performance Water Based Top Coat in Satin.  I don't know enough about top coats yet (remember, I'm a newbie!) to know why this is better than other options, but I'm satisfied so far. Definitely put a drop cloth or old towel down on the floor - the top coat is super drippy compared to the gel stain! - and don't worry about the whiteness of the product. Just apply smoothly (duh), and the white will disappear without a trace. Let dry at least a half day. 

7.  Before applying your second coat, sand your entire piece with a finer grit sandpaper. I used 320 grit - General Finishes recommends #320-400.  Wipe down with a damp towel; let dry before application. If adding a third coat - recommended for high traffic pieces - repeat the sanding process. 

Note: I found that sanding wore away some of the stain a little more than I expected. Since I followed all the recommended wait times between coats, I'm guessing it was more my novice-ness in technique than anything else. A few java touch ups solved the problem!

Once your final top coat dries, you are DONE! Reattach your hardware and enjoy!!


Here's my before and after.  I am ecstatic!!


A few of important lessons learned:
  • If using the sock method, double up on the rubber gloves! You'll thank me! Consider wearing a glove on your other hand, as well.  I didn't do this the first round and wished I did.  Even when I switched to the brush, I still kept a glove on my other hand. Clean up was a breeze.
  • A little bit of gel stain goes a LONG way! Don't glob it on thinking it's going to cut your time in half. Just don't. Light swipes will give you far better results.
  • Rub the stain in evenly and WATCH THE CORNERS. Once I switched to the brush, I kept brushing back and forth to ensure the strokes were blended.  Stain will collect in any crevices and ultimately look darker. Unless you're going for that look, of course.
  • Allow at least 24 hours between coats. General Finishes recommends at least 12 hours; most feedback "experts" recommend 24 hours. I'm with them.
  • Warn your family members that your project may look ghastly while in progress. Mine was kind of okay with each layer, but my vanity was butt ugly from the get-go. Anything would have been an improvement!
  • Keep your stain handy until the entire project is complete. It's amazing how many little spots you realized you missed when you get back to it each round ... changing light, door angles, drawers being pulled out vs. pushed in, etc. Even after adding the top coat, it was still nice to grab a Q-tip and touch up a few spots in the end.

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