Staining Furniture = Never Again (probably)

With Kyle being promoted to an Owner….He has a new office to furnish.  So, this weekend I put my furniture staining capabilities (or lack there of) to the test. Staining is serious business I discovered and this desk really worked my nerves. There was a point I considered it better used for firewood.
From the screws being stripped -  which resulted in removing the hardware taking HOURS, to a failed first attempt (see pictures below - its kind of embarrassing), or stripping it and starting completely over,  this desk ended up being a labor of love and something I do not plan to do again for a very long time.

Desk @time of purchase…High hopes here folks!!!

Desk delivered to my workroom a.k.a. - our garage.

Notice the multi-colored top.  

Stripped screws

Drawers after 1st sand & stain.  They turned out great without much trouble.  

Then there’s the desk.  After staining it the first time, you could tell where the rectangle/2 circles that were previously discolored were. It also ended up being very blotchy.  Epic Failure!! SO…I ended up stripping it and starting over again Saturday morning.  

2nd sanding job - done by yours truly…all 5+ hours of it.  

Saturday night I finally got to the “staining portion” of the refinishing process AGAIN.  And I was terrified that it would be a disaster again.  But…the stain actually took and turned out even.

TaDaa!

Then there’s today.  After letting the stain sit overnight (you know the whole 8+ hours line in the directions), I sealed it….TWICE!  This was the first layer. 

Finished product (minus the handles/hardware).  Still working on finishing those…

I’ll be sure to post a picture of the desk when everything is finished.  Sorry for the somewhat hazy photos.  As of Saturday, my Nikon is out of commission, yes again. It’s sensor is being cleaned. So, the pictures snapped after Workday #1 are brought to you via my iPhone since our other camera is in Puerto Rico with Kyle. Yes, he’s enjoying the sunshine & warm weather and I’m stuck here finishing furniture - FOR HIS OFFICE!!  :)  NO...I really could have gone, but I have an exam tomorrow that I was unable to reschedule.  Plus,  it is a very short, work-trip.  So, Kyle and I decided to  put the dinero it would have taken to purchase my plane ticket towards a longer, non-work related, vacation next year.