What do Minwax® stains and a pajama party for 350 energetic women have in common?
Before last week’s national SNAP! conference for DIY bloggers held outside Salt Lake City, I wouldn’t have had a clue, but now I know. If you would like to see what the organizers had in store for us when we arrived, you can read more here.
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I learned a lot raising two sons, both of whom are now in college, but I especially learned how hard kids can be on furniture. I was an antiques collector and refinisher long before I became a father, but I was smart enough not to furnish my sons’ rooms with expensive antiques.
Instead, I turned to unfinished furniture, and if you would like to see how easily you can turn an unfinished bench into a bright, colorful addition to any child’s room, you can read more here.
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My friend John asked me to come over and help him with some crown molding he was getting ready to put up in his new family room. He had some beautiful poplar boards milled to match the trim in the rest of his house, and while I would have opted for a stain to highlight the wavy grain, John and Becky (mostly Becky) wanted it painted. “Happy wife, happy life.” So, paint it was.
When I arrived, John had the boards laid out on sawhorses in his garage, with newspapers spread out to protect the floor. But then he handed me a two-inch wide foam brush. “John,” I said, “Haven’t you heard? The better the brush, the better the finish.”
Which launched us into a discussion of how to choose the right brush for each project. Some of John and Becky’s trim was going to be stained and sealed with a clear finish, which gave me a chance (while we were working) to explain to John how to pick the best brush when you are staining and finishing. Take a look and see what John learned.
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I should have known better. We live with antiques and I know that all old finishes, and, for that matter, a lot of new ones, can be marred by water. So why I left a wet towel laying on the oak bench at the foot of our bed is beyond reason — and any excuse. When I came home from work and saw where I had left the towel that morning, I knew what I was going to find under it: a large white mark.
While I hope this never happens to you, if you want to see how I was able to restore the old finish — and make it even stronger – you can read more here.
