The table & chair set saga begins . . .

On November 25th, this crazy gal decided to sand down the table.  Yes, without finishing up the china cabinet first.  Yes, knowing I wouldn't have time to do the legs and the chairs before Christmas.  But, I'm glad I did.  :)


I was already staining before I remembered to take a picture!  LOL

I sanded using the Black & Decker little mouse sander and applied the General Finishes Java Gel Stain with a sock, like I did with the china cabinet.

The first coat looked pretty good!

Well.  The 'instructions say' that you can apply the second coat 6 hours later.  NOT.  It didn't work out.  I should have waited the 24 hours instead.  So, doing the stupid-impatient thing, I brushed on the second coat.   Looks yucky!

And, no, it wasn't workable.  Not to give me the same finish as the drawer & door fronts on my china cabinet.  So, I sanded the table down again and went back to the sock method.

To make a long story shorter, 3 coats did the trick BUT then the sanding marks from the cheap sanding pads I used on the mouse sander showed up.  They didn't show at all before staining.

So, a third sanding was required!  This time, I used my King Canada rotary sander being careful to apply even steady pressure.  Then, using the sock method and giving 24 hours between each coat, I applied 3 coats.

It turned out beautiful so I waited a little over 3 days and then applied 3 or 4 coats of clear coat with a sock and then a coat or two with a large sponge brush.  I LOVE the results!!