I must say that it is all about learning!! Today was another warm day here in Ohio. It was 71 degrees and I was able to add 2 coats to the back of my cabinets which is pretty much all I had to do. They are definitely looking great however they were not drying in the garage so after a few hours outside, I moved them into our spare room on a craft table of mine. They have been in there with the ceiling fan on for awhile now and they are quickly drying. I am probably going to wait til tomorrow to add the gel stain just so I can be certain that they are totally dry. I am definitely pleased with them so far, but reverse side of the cabinets was a pain to paint since the hardware doesn't come off. Isn't that odd? Anywho...... here are a few pictures of them as they continue to dry. I am still debating on whether or not to distress and add the stain or just add the stain. I guess it will just be a surprise to you all.
Well, here is where the disaster took place today. This cupboard is something that my FIL made for me one year for Christmas. It is the same color as the cabinets that I painted (White Chocolate). I love the cabinet, but I thought that I would distress it a bit and add some stain to it to give it that primitive look. Unfortunately, my FIL isn't into distressing and to be honest with you.....he doesn't even understand why people want to paint wood. He likes everything to be all natural or stained. Hmmm, not me. Anyway, I sanded the cupboard this afternoon to distress it. From there it was looking pretty good, but the paint was AWFUL to sand off, It had to have been put on with gorilla glue, super glue and any other kind of strong glue you could think of. So, it is distressed, but not by much. So, that was the first problem. Then I applied the gel stain on the side of the cupboard that will not be seen by anyone unless you are in the shower. I thought that if I messed it up then it wouldn't be so noticeable. Oh boy - Did I ever mess it up. I think my first mistake was putting the gel stain on a flat paint (not good). It wouldn't rub off and it simply stayed in place. It was awful. So awful that I did not take a picture. I then allowed that area to dry and tried to sand it off, but then it looked even worse. The good thing is that I had the same color of paint, BUT the paint that I had was a semi-gloss vs. what is on the cupboard. Ok ladies, you better learn from me NOT to apply gel stain to flat paint. Now I am wondering if it will work on my semi-gloss paint that I have on my cupboards. Talk about making a girl nervous!! I am ready to freak out. I want this to turn out perfectly, but now I am ready to put a hold on it. So, do you all have any pointers now? Will the gel stain only work on semi-gloss or glossy paint? Why or how did I mess that cupboard up so bad? I didn't do anything different then before? I guess you live and learn, but now I am thinking about NOT doing my kitchen cupboards until I am alot more knowledgeable then I am now. Hmm, will that ever happen? Nothing like knocking me down a couple pegs (lol). So, I am off to straighten up my home, finish a bit of laundry and get ready for tomorrow. Oh - another thing for you all to ponder. I left a message last night for that little girls Mom. Told her about the increase if she is late and basically explained to her that she inconveinced us in a big way.....would you think that we have heard back from her? Ah, nope. I wonder if she will even acknowledge it. I guess she will when I bring it to her attention tomorrow morning. I will have to keep you all posted on that situation.
9 comments:
Hmmm, dont know why the gel stain done that, I use it with flat paint all the time. Cant wait to see your bathroom put together!
I messed up on a quilt block this weekend so I feel your pain. As far as that mother, remember that you are the boss!
Those cabinets are looking good. I'm not sure about the gel stain on the flat paint and I will be interested in the replies that you get.
Tammy
I am taking notes here! :) I didn't get to work on my cabinet doors as DH talked me into a trip to price some area rugs to cover up the mess of a bedroom floor. I havent decided quite yet if I want to stain the doors yet or not.
Can't wait to see the finished pictures! Take care and good luck with that mother.
Debbie
I don't understand what could have happened...
That's all I use, is-Flat Latex paint. On everything!
Although , I DO NOT use the gel stain, I just don't like how it 'takes' and its doesn't wipe off good, compared to regular old stain. I think if you are using what I'm thining you're using, that gel stain actually is not made to be "wiped" off. It has a poly sealer in it and it's made to be applied with a brush and left to dry. With the sealer in it, it's hard to wipe off like regular stain. Can you tell me what gel stain your are using? Minwax Gel Stain? Did you read on it to see it's a wipe off stain?
The gel stain takes longer to dry/cure too because of the sealer in it, so I think when you went back over it to try and re-sand, it was still sticky?
I don't know, it all depends on the stain ya have, let me know.
You can email me if you want. you have my em addy!
hugs-Kath
me again, it wipes off a bit better, like on your prim smalls, because it's a small space your working, I think if you can get in on and right back off you're ok. But
if it starts to get tacky ...that's when ya get into trouble, maybe it started to get tacky on ya, since the doors/cabinets are a bigger area...and you could get it wiped quick enough? Did you use it on your cutting board? and it worked fine? what kinda paint did you apply to the cutting board? flat/satin?
It will definitely work with semi-gloss and satin. I use gel stain all of the time with no issues. Maybe the problem was you got too much??? You have to kind of use it sparingly and I kind of dab it around so that I don't just have a really dark spot where I started and the rest is lighter. I try to get it to all blend. You might just need to work on your technique first.
Good luck with the rest of the cabinets...
Leslie
You're using the correct stuff, no poly/sealer in it.
it should have wiped off for ya.
Leslie, may be right, too much maybe?? it still should have wiped off tho, just taken ya longer to get it off is all!
I am just befuddled...
unless it was damp out and that had something to do with it??
I know all your other small pieces turned out awesome....
I just don't think it's "flat" paint. Hubs and I use flat for everything and have had no issues. I used satin when I didn't have flat pint and it worked up just the same.
Bless your heart! I really don't think you messed up as bad as you think you did. I use stain on flat paint all the time, but you have to be quick to wipe it back off. I have also used stain with poly in it, and it still wipes off pretty easy. One thing you need to have close at hand is a very damp cloth while staining over the paint. It will help to remove the stain a little better.
Or you can try the dry brush method, which doesn't require you to wipe it back off. Just barely touch a dry brush to the stain and wipe off with paper towels until pretty dry, and then brush on using long, soft strokes from top to bottom. You can go over it again if once isn't enough. But I would still keep a wet towel close just in case.
It is a learning process. And all wood, or painted surfaces are the same. So try on the back or the bottom first, if necessary.
I hope everything turns out well for you. Your bathroom cabinet looks good so far.
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