SandingWe wanted the top to be nice and smooth for a beautiful stained finish. We started with a 120, moved up to 150, then 220 for a swirl free surface. Hint – if you want to see how the surface will look before staining spray some water on the newly sanded up and most of the imperfections will show, whether you need to sand a little more, or some swirl marks are still there, this trick works really well. To prepare the surface for a smooth stain application we laid down a slip coat of mineral spirits using a shop towel, easy and simple. Then, we stained the top using Walnut gel stain, wiping away any excess with a clean shop towel.
PaintingNext it was time to paint! We used a deep rich navy called Coastal Blue by General Finishes. It is a called milk paint but it lays down more like an acrylic, so smooth and is not chippy like traditional milk paint. We applied three coats, making sure to sand lightly with 600 grit between coats and removing all removing dust with an oil free tack cloth. We then used High Performance Top Coat in Satin to seal the entire piece. To freshen up those pulls, we cleaned the with bar keepers friend and hot water, then sprayed them with Rustoleum Spray Paint in Pure Gold and sealed with Rustoleum 2x Ultra Cover in Matte.
Stained TopThat walnut stained top came out so pretty!
The AfterHere is the final piece. It dressed up beautifully!