07/30/2026
This 1930s buffet was in dire need of a makeover; not only was the finish failing everywhere, but the drawers were all dried out and were difficult to open. After scraping and sanding down the top I put a beautiful American Walnut stain on it only to find that a stain, the size of a small cantaloupe, magically appeared in one spot. I sanded it back down, reapplied the prestain conditioner and the spot came back, so I did it again with the same result. After sanding 3x I couldn't risk going through the veneer, so I moved into gel stain. I bought a beautiful Briarsmoke color that was supposed to be a warm brown with a little bit of smokiness and it turned it blue gray! Major panic! Then I used a Dark Walnut and it turned out beautifully. But can I just say: I hate gel stain. I struggled so much with it... But in the end I am happy with the results. After a total of 15 hours invested, I am pleased to say this will be delivered to her new home soon!