Saturday, March 23, 2013

Gel Stained Oak Bookshelf

We finally finished Leigh's Bookshelf and we LOVE how it turned out!  Many thanks to Monica Wants It and One Good Thing by Jillee (and Pinterest) for introducing us to General Finishes Gel Stain.

Ta Da!

General Finishes Stain, Gel Stain, Before and After, Bookshelf

I have to say that this stain is amazingly easy to work with and completely transforms your furniture. I applied 3 coats with foam brushes and 1 coat of the poly, also with a foam brush. The directions on both blogs called for multiple coats of poly, but since this won't be in a wet or high use area, we thought  (ok, we hope!) that 1 coat would be enough. Only time will tell.

We ordered both the stain and poly on Amazon -






I'm staining our bedroom furniture with this same stain and hope to have it completed next weekend. I'm trying to take my time and let it dry completely, but I'm really tired of all my clothes being in grocery sacks on the bedroom floor!!!


Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend with lots of fun projects in your future!

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26 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Lena - the best thing about it is that it was so easy to do!
      Come back soon!

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  2. Replies
    1. Thanks Krystie! Leigh loves it. Thanks for visiting!

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  3. The other day I stopped at a Goodwill and was eyeballing a small dresser. It was well made with dovetailed joints and I was really tempted, but ended up walking away. It was $60 and being the cheapskate that I am I feel I can do better. So what does this have to do with anything? Well, it was solid wood but in pretty bad shape. I thought I might stain it rather than paint it, but didn't think any stain would give good enough coverage. I'm not so sure about that after seeing your post, so I will keep this in mind for the future most definitely!

    Thank you for stopping by and I'm glad I put a smile on your face. Chuckie is glad too ;).

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    1. This was a very easy project and I would highly recommend this stain. Girl, you made me laugh with that Chuckie post!!! Too Funny!!

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  4. Wow! That's quite a difference! I have never used wood stain, but if it can bring out the richness in a piece like that, I'm all for it! What a great transformation!

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    Replies
    1. It has great coverage and really turned out nice! Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon!

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  5. Hi Leigh and Jeanette, I just love how beautiful you made the book shelf look. Not that many people would be able to do something like that! I am new to your blog and I am know following you both on Twitter. I am known on Twitter as brklynhousewife and my blog is julieslifestyle.blogspot.com look me up and follow me. I love crafts and knitting, crocheting and cooking different recipes. Julie

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Julie! I'm following you now too! Looks like we have a lot in common and can't wait to see what you create!

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  6. Hi lovely lady.
    That's quite a difference you did a gorgeous job giving this bookshelf a new life love the transformation! I have used wood stain on my door on my house I am working on it for two days now looks great. I'm all for it! Im your newest follower now on your blog. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter.
    XO Diane

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for following us Diane! Hope your door turns out just the way you want it to! Good luck!

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  7. Thanks so much Tanya! Following you now via Bloglovin. Looking forward to seeing your stuff!

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  8. LOVE it!! Great job!! Thanks so much for linkin up to my Sunday FUNday party!!

    Kristine -The Foley Fam {unedited}

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  9. Oh, I love it! It turned out great. Thank you so much for sharing at A Bouquet of Talent this week. Happy Easter!!
    hugs
    Kathy

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  10. This is very cool, girls. Very cool. I'd love to have you share this at What to do Weekends Party. It's a perfect weekend project, don't you think? Thanks for sharing, Linda

    http://www.craftsalamode.com/2013/03/what-to-do-weekends-12.html

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  11. Following on Pinterest Facebook and Bloglovin.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the Invite Linda! We linked up and are following you now too! Happy Easter!

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  12. That turned out awesome. I have several pieces in my daughters old room that need to be exactly that color. I guess I need to put on the big girl panties and see what happens and try the gel stain. So did you lightly sand before applying? or sand between coats of stain?

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    Replies
    1. I just lightly sanded before staining. I have to say that I LOVE this stain. I'll be posting picture of my bedroom furniture this weekend that I stained and it just looks fantastic. Let me know how yours turns out.

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  13. This turned out great. Thank you so much for sharing this post with Wednesday's Adorned From Above's Blog Hop 45. We are featuring your post at this weeks party. We can't wait to see what you have to share with us this week. The link to the party is
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/04/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop.html
    You can find the featured button in the sidebar.
    Have a great week.
    Debi and Charly
    Adorned From Above
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com

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    Replies
    1. We are so honored! And will be sure to post the button in our sidebar. Thanks for all your hard working in hosting such a fabulous party each week!

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  14. My hubby's desk and credenza are made of that same style wood as your bookcase and I would love to try the gel stain. How much stain did it take for you to do your bedroom furniture and the bookcase? Trying to determine if I'll need more than one quart. Thanks for the info!

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  15. My hubby's desk and credenza are made of that same style wood as your bookcase and I would love to try the gel stain. How much stain did it take for you to do your bedroom furniture and the bookcase? Trying to determine if I'll need more than one quart. Thanks for the info!

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    Replies
    1. Carolyn - believe it or not, one quart did all of that furniture with some left over. It goes a very long way. I would just order one quart of the stain and one of the top coat. I can't imagine that your hubby's desk and credenza could take more than it took for our bookshelf, dresser and 2 nightstands. Let us know how it turns out. I would love to see a picture of it! Have a great weekend!

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  16. Thanks so much for your reply! I just ordered the stain and polyacrylic and can't wait to get started! It may take me a while to finish but will let you know how they turn out. Appreciate the info and the inspiration!

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