This is not one of those projects.
It was indeed not fun. It took several days to knock this one out. This is what I was starting with.
It was well loved. I bought this bed for the little one when she outgrew her crib. I always intended to refinish it, but with those spindles, I knew it was going to be time consuming. I thought about just painting it, but her dresser is painted and I didn’t like the idea of them both being painted. So refinishing it was.
I scoured the internet for best practices and decided on this product.
I got the 1/2 gallon and really glopped it on there. I’m not sure if this was key or not. I did read that some people had trouble with the spray can version. But this gel version worked well for me. So let’s say glopping is key! Very technical.
I wasn’t sure how long it would need to work. So the first time I let it sit for too long and it dried up a bit. The next day I only let it sit for about 30-60 minutes and it worked perfectly. But it is messy! I ended up moving all this from the drive way to some saw horses in the yard, so I could use the hose to help get the gel off… and to save my back. This was tedious work. I used a wire brush to scrape the finish off.
The process was to strip the finish, let it dry out overnight (because I used water to help me…some die hard refinishers might cringe at that…but it worked for me), then a lot of sanding. And many many hours later I had this.
It’s beautiful! I love how some of the old finish is left in the nooks creating gorgeous depth.
Then I sealed it with wax paste.
And now let’s see how all that work looks in her room.
Some might say it was all worth it. Me? I’m so glad it’s finished.
Check out the detail in the spindles. So pretty.
All in all, I’m really glad I checked this one off the list. I love how it turned out. The natural color is perfect and updated. It brings in warmth and plays well with the softer color scheme.
Next week is the big reveal! I have a lot of work still to get to the finish line. But it’s going to be so nice to have another room done. And of course, the little one loves every project that brings her new room to life. True to character, she keeps telling me how much she loves it. She’s the sweetest.
If you missed any of the previous weeks, here are the links to catch up.
WEEK ONE | WEEK TWO | WEEK THREE | WEEK FOUR | WEEK FIVE | WEEK SIX
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I can’t imagine – I have a hard enough time psyching myself up to paint furniture, I don’t think I could ever muster the patience to strip it, not to mention wax it! It does look really pretty, though Amie! – looking forward to the big reveal!
Thank you! I knew it would be a lot of work, but it was just so tedious that it started to challenge my attention. I seriously had to keep telling myself to keep going…LOL!
Hi Amie: I don’t envy you this task of getting all of the finish off, but… pat yourself on the back because… YOU did it! Congratulations on getting this out of the way..and it really does look so pretty with a little of the old finish in those cracks.
I am looking forward to seeing your full reveal!
Leslie
Thank you! It was definitely a task that required me to just keep plowing through. But I knew once it was done, it would be worth it. Not sure I will jump right back into another refinish though! HA!