Dresser redo with gel stain

I have always had a knack for

the mechanical stuff.  Once you do

something your whole life, some

of it is gonna stick.  

But one thing I didn't grow up 

around was a carpenter sort of handiness.

Don't get me wrong, dad can fix 

just about anything he wants, but

he has the tendency to "rig" things

that are along the realm of carpentry.

With my recent addition of a new bed,

my dresser was in the need of a 

redo or replacement.  I really didn't

want to spend money to replace it and 

with the homemade bed, not just 

anything was going to match.

So, I was looking into my options and 

found the miraculous "gel stain".

For someone who doesn't know about the

sanding and refinishing techniques, 

this stain makes it easy.

This was my old dresser...it 

was cherry.  I had taken

out one drawer before I decided to do 

a before picture.

Basically, I just took all of the drawers 

out and removed the hardware.  Most

handles will just have screws on

the inside.  The center emblems actually

had nails and were a bit of a pain, but I got

them off. 

I took a sanding pad and lightly everything.

Then I took a soft towel and dusted 

off the residue.  The gel stain goes a long 

way.  I ordered a quart and only used maybe

a third if even that much to do this

whole dresser.  A pint would go far.  

I ordered this on eBay because I couldn't find

it anywhere. 

Java is the color I used.  It is

a really rich brown, almost black.

To apply it, you will need a rubber glove

and then either a jersey glove over

that or even just a sock will do. 

Basically you just rub the stain on and make

sure everything gets a good coat.  

If you decide to apply a second coat, you 

will need to let the first one

dry for 24 hours.  I was happy with

one coat and I was so excited I couldn't 

wait to get it all together, so I did one coat.

For the handles, I just used an

can of paint that I sell here at the store.  

The color is aluminum, but it comes out

a nice burnished silver to me, so it

was exactly what I wanted.  I just arranged

 all of the handles on some cardboard 

and gave them a good coat of paint.

The dark brown goes great with 

our new homemade bed.  I couldn't

be happier with the way they both turned out!