In my church, we have an amazing group of women called the Relief Society. We meet together on Sundays for spiritual instruction, and throughout the week we help members of our congregation and community through service projects, bringing meals to new moms and those who are recovering from illness, and the like. We also get to do fun monthly activities to help us get to know each other and learn new things.
Every year we have a Christmas dinner and program. This is the first year I’ve been in charge of the program, though I had a great committee of women to help me carry it out
.
We decided our theme would be “The Best Gifts”. So, all our decor centered around presents.
We used Christmas-themed patterned paper for the place settings, and a gift tower was the centerpiece for each table.
At the front of the room we had a few Christmas trees, along with some gaily wrapped presents (wrapping paper here).
I put together this fun oversized print, which is now displayed in my home. It’s simple to make:
I downloaded this printable from Tips from a Typical Mom and had it printed at 16×20.
Then I used glitter wrapping paper from Walmart, cut to size, and taped it to a foam display board.
Finally, I attached the photo print with thumbtacks in the corner. It was a great display for the dinner, and now it looks awesome in front of my fireplace!
For dinner, we had soup bowls with soups provided by some of the women in the ward, delicious tossed salad, and Chocolate Pudding Parfaits for dessert (layers of crushed oreo, cubed pound cake, peppermint marshmallows and white or milk chocolate pudding, topped with whipped cream!)
Here’s how we decorated the food table (obviously before the food was added!)
For our program, we showed three short videos reminding us that Jesus Christ is the best gift we have been given. Since we have been given such an amazing gift, we need to give the best gifts we can in return, and we do that through serving others, and by giving our hearts over to God. You can check out the videos here, here, and here. They may bring a tear to your eye!
We finished with a musical number- four women sang “In the Bleak Midwinter” and it was just beautiful!
We sent the sisters home with a tile with vinyl reminding them that Christ is “The Best Gift of All”.
This is a really frugal gift if you’re on a tight budget- the tiles only cost about 15 cents each and I cut all the vinyl on my Silhouette. We had leftover black vinyl from our Craft Night, so this was super cheap!
I came away from the night with a desire to be more Christ-centered this Christmas, and to try not to let the hustle and bustle of the holidays weigh me down. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to put this night together, and I hope everyone had a great time!
**Affiliate Links May be Used in the Post. Thank you for supporting Occasionally Crafty by visiting the blog today!**
A few weeks ago, I showed you my Kids’ Bathroom Makeover. By far, my favorite part of the makeover is the transformation of my golden oak cabinets using Java Gel Stain by General Finishes. I finally got around to writing up a tutorial for you, as well as some things I learned if you want to give it a try yourself.
First, let me just say that this post is not sponsored. I read several posts I found on Pinterest extolling the virtues of the gel stain, so I knew I had to try it. The only thing is, it can be hard to find. Here in Phoenix, I had to go to a tiny little vintage thrift store to find it. Luckily, you can order it on (affiliate link)Amazon here Just make sure to plan in time for shipping, and while you’re there, order the sealer as well.
There are other colors besides Java. This color is a rich dark brown, which is important to know because the pictures almost appear black. Make sure you pick the color you really want.
To get started, you’ll need the following
Painter’s Tape
General Finishes Gel Stain in Java
Sealer (I didn’t get the GF one, so I just picked up some Minwax Polyurethane at Lowe’s)
Painting Pyramids or something similar
Plastic sheeting or other to protect surfaces
Sponge brushes
Application:
1. Prepare your surfaces. If you are using previously stained cabinets, like my golden oak ones, you don’t need to sand or strip them at all! Just wipe them down with soapy water and dry. Make sure any gunk or debris is cleaned away. Remove all hardware (keep track of which door or drawer they belong to!) Tape your floors and walls, and around anything on the cabinet itself you don’t want stained. Lay down plastic sheeting to protect surfaces if desired.
2. Place your doors on painting pyramids so you can paint the edges easily. Make sure you aren’t in direct sunlight, or your stain will dry too quickly. I set up in my garage (sorry for taking your space, husband!) Using a sponge brush, paint on your first coat of stain. It is very thick so a little goes a long, long way- but don’t be too stingy or you’ll need more coats of stain. I chose to use the brush because I had lots of little nooks and corners on my doors. I’ve seen others use a long sock with a plastic glove on underneath. Use what you’re most comfortable with.
3. Apply first coat. Try to go in the same direction with your brush on each section of door. Freak out because the first coat looks scary. It is splotchy and you can see all your brush strokes. I promise it will get better. I painted the front sides in the morning and let them dry for a few hours, then came back in the afternoon to flip them over and stain the back sides. In between, I went inside the house and painted the cabinet itself in the bathroom. Let first coat dry overnight.
*Side note- this works on wood veneer or fake wood too! Parts of my cabinets are not real oak, and those parts took the stain just as well as the real wood did! So just stain it all.
4. Apply second coat directly over the first- no sanding needed. Again, do the fronts in the morning, backs in the afternoon, and dry overnight. You should see much better coverage and your brush strokes should blend in easily as it dries.
5. Apply a third and final coat in the same manner. Let dry overnight. I’ve put together a collage so you can see the difference each coat makes.
In the 2nd and 3rd coats, you can’t see my brush strokes at all! You may need to touch up a few spots after the 3rd coat, but if not, continue on to seal your cabinets.
6. After you are happy with the coverage and it is completely dry, apply two coats of sealer. Sealer dries much more quickly than the stain, so I did one coat in the morning, then returned and did a second coat in the afternoon. Sand lightly in between coats for even coverage.
*Please for the love of gorgeous cabinets, choose a high quality polyurethane sealer. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste!
7. Let cabinets dry a full 24 hours after applying the last coat of sealer before moving them. I actually moved them inside after 24 hours, and then waited another few days before hanging them. That’s partly because I had to spraypaint my hardware and buy the knobs I wanted, but you might want to think about doing that too. It would stink to spend all that time and effort only to get a bunch of chips while hanging the doors.
8. Reattach hardware. Drill holes if attaching knobs or handles. Rehang doors. Apply bumper pads on the insides of the doors to protect them from being chipped when being closed. Enjoy your gorgeous cabinets!
Huge difference, right? I love it so much! If you have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer them- just leave me a note in the comments or email me. Have a wonderful weekend and have fun staining!
I may be linking this post up to some of these parties- check them out with me!
In my church, we have an amazing group of women called the Relief Society. We meet together on Sundays for spiritual instruction, and throughout the week we help members of our congregation and community through service projects, bringing meals to new moms and those who are recovering from illness, and the like. We also get to do fun monthly activities to help us get to know each other and learn new things.
Every year we have a Christmas dinner and program. This is the first year I’ve been in charge of the program, though I had a great committee of women to help me carry it out
.
We decided our theme would be “The Best Gifts”. So, all our decor centered around presents.
We used Christmas-themed patterned paper for the place settings, and a gift tower was the centerpiece for each table.
At the front of the room we had a few Christmas trees, along with some gaily wrapped presents (wrapping paper here).
I put together this fun oversized print, which is now displayed in my home. It’s simple to make:
I downloaded this printable from Tips from a Typical Mom and had it printed at 16×20.
Then I used glitter wrapping paper from Walmart, cut to size, and taped it to a foam display board.
Finally, I attached the photo print with thumbtacks in the corner. It was a great display for the dinner, and now it looks awesome in front of my fireplace!
For dinner, we had soup bowls with soups provided by some of the women in the ward, delicious tossed salad, and Chocolate Pudding Parfaits for dessert (layers of crushed oreo, cubed pound cake, peppermint marshmallows and white or milk chocolate pudding, topped with whipped cream!)
Here’s how we decorated the food table (obviously before the food was added!)
For our program, we showed three short videos reminding us that Jesus Christ is the best gift we have been given. Since we have been given such an amazing gift, we need to give the best gifts we can in return, and we do that through serving others, and by giving our hearts over to God. You can check out the videos here, here, and here. They may bring a tear to your eye!
We finished with a musical number- four women sang “In the Bleak Midwinter” and it was just beautiful!
We sent the sisters home with a tile with vinyl reminding them that Christ is “The Best Gift of All”.
This is a really frugal gift if you’re on a tight budget- the tiles only cost about 15 cents each and I cut all the vinyl on my Silhouette. We had leftover black vinyl from our Craft Night, so this was super cheap!
I came away from the night with a desire to be more Christ-centered this Christmas, and to try not to let the hustle and bustle of the holidays weigh me down. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to put this night together, and I hope everyone had a great time!
In my church, we have an amazing group of women called the Relief Society. We meet together on Sundays for spiritual instruction, and throughout the week we help members of our congregation and community through service projects, bringing meals to new moms and those who are recovering from illness, and the like. We also get to do fun monthly activities to help us get to know each other and learn new things.
Every year we have a Christmas dinner and program. This is the first year I’ve been in charge of the program, though I had a great committee of women to help me carry it out
.
We decided our theme would be “The Best Gifts”. So, all our decor centered around presents.
We used Christmas-themed patterned paper for the place settings, and a gift tower was the centerpiece for each table.
At the front of the room we had a few Christmas trees, along with some gaily wrapped presents (wrapping paper here).
I put together this fun oversized print, which is now displayed in my home. It’s simple to make:
I downloaded this printable from Tips from a Typical Mom and had it printed at 16×20.
Then I used glitter wrapping paper from Walmart, cut to size, and taped it to a foam display board.
Finally, I attached the photo print with thumbtacks in the corner. It was a great display for the dinner, and now it looks awesome in front of my fireplace!
For dinner, we had soup bowls with soups provided by some of the women in the ward, delicious tossed salad, and Chocolate Pudding Parfaits for dessert (layers of crushed oreo, cubed pound cake, peppermint marshmallows and white or milk chocolate pudding, topped with whipped cream!)
Here’s how we decorated the food table (obviously before the food was added!)
For our program, we showed three short videos reminding us that Jesus Christ is the best gift we have been given. Since we have been given such an amazing gift, we need to give the best gifts we can in return, and we do that through serving others, and by giving our hearts over to God. You can check out the videos here, here, and here. They may bring a tear to your eye!
We finished with a musical number- four women sang “In the Bleak Midwinter” and it was just beautiful!
We sent the sisters home with a tile with vinyl reminding them that Christ is “The Best Gift of All”.
This is a really frugal gift if you’re on a tight budget- the tiles only cost about 15 cents each and I cut all the vinyl on my Silhouette. We had leftover black vinyl from our Craft Night, so this was super cheap!
I came away from the night with a desire to be more Christ-centered this Christmas, and to try not to let the hustle and bustle of the holidays weigh me down. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to put this night together, and I hope everyone had a great time!
**Affiliate Links May be Used in the Post. Thank you for supporting Occasionally Crafty by visiting the blog today!**
A few weeks ago, I showed you my Kids’ Bathroom Makeover. By far, my favorite part of the makeover is the transformation of my golden oak cabinets using Java Gel Stain by General Finishes. I finally got around to writing up a tutorial for you, as well as some things I learned if you want to give it a try yourself.
First, let me just say that this post is not sponsored. I read several posts I found on Pinterest extolling the virtues of the gel stain, so I knew I had to try it. The only thing is, it can be hard to find. Here in Phoenix, I had to go to a tiny little vintage thrift store to find it. Luckily, you can order it on (affiliate link)Amazon here Just make sure to plan in time for shipping, and while you’re there, order the sealer as well.
There are other colors besides Java. This color is a rich dark brown, which is important to know because the pictures almost appear black. Make sure you pick the color you really want.
To get started, you’ll need the following
Painter’s Tape
General Finishes Gel Stain in Java
Sealer (I didn’t get the GF one, so I just picked up some Minwax Polyurethane at Lowe’s)
Painting Pyramids or something similar
Plastic sheeting or other to protect surfaces
Sponge brushes
Application:
1. Prepare your surfaces. If you are using previously stained cabinets, like my golden oak ones, you don’t need to sand or strip them at all! Just wipe them down with soapy water and dry. Make sure any gunk or debris is cleaned away. Remove all hardware (keep track of which door or drawer they belong to!) Tape your floors and walls, and around anything on the cabinet itself you don’t want stained. Lay down plastic sheeting to protect surfaces if desired.
2. Place your doors on painting pyramids so you can paint the edges easily. Make sure you aren’t in direct sunlight, or your stain will dry too quickly. I set up in my garage (sorry for taking your space, husband!) Using a sponge brush, paint on your first coat of stain. It is very thick so a little goes a long, long way- but don’t be too stingy or you’ll need more coats of stain. I chose to use the brush because I had lots of little nooks and corners on my doors. I’ve seen others use a long sock with a plastic glove on underneath. Use what you’re most comfortable with.
3. Apply first coat. Try to go in the same direction with your brush on each section of door. Freak out because the first coat looks scary. It is splotchy and you can see all your brush strokes. I promise it will get better. I painted the front sides in the morning and let them dry for a few hours, then came back in the afternoon to flip them over and stain the back sides. In between, I went inside the house and painted the cabinet itself in the bathroom. Let first coat dry overnight.
*Side note- this works on wood veneer or fake wood too! Parts of my cabinets are not real oak, and those parts took the stain just as well as the real wood did! So just stain it all.
4. Apply second coat directly over the first- no sanding needed. Again, do the fronts in the morning, backs in the afternoon, and dry overnight. You should see much better coverage and your brush strokes should blend in easily as it dries.
5. Apply a third and final coat in the same manner. Let dry overnight. I’ve put together a collage so you can see the difference each coat makes.
In the 2nd and 3rd coats, you can’t see my brush strokes at all! You may need to touch up a few spots after the 3rd coat, but if not, continue on to seal your cabinets.
6. After you are happy with the coverage and it is completely dry, apply two coats of sealer. Sealer dries much more quickly than the stain, so I did one coat in the morning, then returned and did a second coat in the afternoon. Sand lightly in between coats for even coverage.
*Please for the love of gorgeous cabinets, choose a high quality polyurethane sealer. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste!
7. Let cabinets dry a full 24 hours after applying the last coat of sealer before moving them. I actually moved them inside after 24 hours, and then waited another few days before hanging them. That’s partly because I had to spraypaint my hardware and buy the knobs I wanted, but you might want to think about doing that too. It would stink to spend all that time and effort only to get a bunch of chips while hanging the doors.
8. Reattach hardware. Drill holes if attaching knobs or handles. Rehang doors. Apply bumper pads on the insides of the doors to protect them from being chipped when being closed. Enjoy your gorgeous cabinets!
Huge difference, right? I love it so much! If you have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer them- just leave me a note in the comments or email me. Have a wonderful weekend and have fun staining!
I may be linking this post up to some of these parties- check them out with me!
**Affiliate Links May be Used in the Post. Thank you for supporting Occasionally Crafty by visiting the blog today!**
A few weeks ago, I showed you my Kids’ Bathroom Makeover. By far, my favorite part of the makeover is the transformation of my golden oak cabinets using Java Gel Stain by General Finishes. I finally got around to writing up a tutorial for you, as well as some things I learned if you want to give it a try yourself.
First, let me just say that this post is not sponsored. I read several posts I found on Pinterest extolling the virtues of the gel stain, so I knew I had to try it. The only thing is, it can be hard to find. Here in Phoenix, I had to go to a tiny little vintage thrift store to find it. Luckily, you can order it on (affiliate link)Amazon here Just make sure to plan in time for shipping, and while you’re there, order the sealer as well.
There are other colors besides Java. This color is a rich dark brown, which is important to know because the pictures almost appear black. Make sure you pick the color you really want.
To get started, you’ll need the following
Painter’s Tape
General Finishes Gel Stain in Java
Sealer (I didn’t get the GF one, so I just picked up some Minwax Polyurethane at Lowe’s)
Painting Pyramids or something similar
Plastic sheeting or other to protect surfaces
Sponge brushes
Application:
1. Prepare your surfaces. If you are using previously stained cabinets, like my golden oak ones, you don’t need to sand or strip them at all! Just wipe them down with soapy water and dry. Make sure any gunk or debris is cleaned away. Remove all hardware (keep track of which door or drawer they belong to!) Tape your floors and walls, and around anything on the cabinet itself you don’t want stained. Lay down plastic sheeting to protect surfaces if desired.
2. Place your doors on painting pyramids so you can paint the edges easily. Make sure you aren’t in direct sunlight, or your stain will dry too quickly. I set up in my garage (sorry for taking your space, husband!) Using a sponge brush, paint on your first coat of stain. It is very thick so a little goes a long, long way- but don’t be too stingy or you’ll need more coats of stain. I chose to use the brush because I had lots of little nooks and corners on my doors. I’ve seen others use a long sock with a plastic glove on underneath. Use what you’re most comfortable with.
3. Apply first coat. Try to go in the same direction with your brush on each section of door. Freak out because the first coat looks scary. It is splotchy and you can see all your brush strokes. I promise it will get better. I painted the front sides in the morning and let them dry for a few hours, then came back in the afternoon to flip them over and stain the back sides. In between, I went inside the house and painted the cabinet itself in the bathroom. Let first coat dry overnight.
*Side note- this works on wood veneer or fake wood too! Parts of my cabinets are not real oak, and those parts took the stain just as well as the real wood did! So just stain it all.
4. Apply second coat directly over the first- no sanding needed. Again, do the fronts in the morning, backs in the afternoon, and dry overnight. You should see much better coverage and your brush strokes should blend in easily as it dries.
5. Apply a third and final coat in the same manner. Let dry overnight. I’ve put together a collage so you can see the difference each coat makes.
In the 2nd and 3rd coats, you can’t see my brush strokes at all! You may need to touch up a few spots after the 3rd coat, but if not, continue on to seal your cabinets.
6. After you are happy with the coverage and it is completely dry, apply two coats of sealer. Sealer dries much more quickly than the stain, so I did one coat in the morning, then returned and did a second coat in the afternoon. Sand lightly in between coats for even coverage.
*Please for the love of gorgeous cabinets, choose a high quality polyurethane sealer. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste!
7. Let cabinets dry a full 24 hours after applying the last coat of sealer before moving them. I actually moved them inside after 24 hours, and then waited another few days before hanging them. That’s partly because I had to spraypaint my hardware and buy the knobs I wanted, but you might want to think about doing that too. It would stink to spend all that time and effort only to get a bunch of chips while hanging the doors.
8. Reattach hardware. Drill holes if attaching knobs or handles. Rehang doors. Apply bumper pads on the insides of the doors to protect them from being chipped when being closed. Enjoy your gorgeous cabinets!
Huge difference, right? I love it so much! If you have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer them- just leave me a note in the comments or email me. Have a wonderful weekend and have fun staining!
I may be linking this post up to some of these parties- check them out with me!
In my church, we have an amazing group of women called the Relief Society. We meet together on Sundays for spiritual instruction, and throughout the week we help members of our congregation and community through service projects, bringing meals to new moms and those who are recovering from illness, and the like. We also get to do fun monthly activities to help us get to know each other and learn new things.
Every year we have a Christmas dinner and program. This is the first year I’ve been in charge of the program, though I had a great committee of women to help me carry it out
.
We decided our theme would be “The Best Gifts”. So, all our decor centered around presents.
We used Christmas-themed patterned paper for the place settings, and a gift tower was the centerpiece for each table.
At the front of the room we had a few Christmas trees, along with some gaily wrapped presents (wrapping paper here).
I put together this fun oversized print, which is now displayed in my home. It’s simple to make:
I downloaded this printable from Tips from a Typical Mom and had it printed at 16×20.
Then I used glitter wrapping paper from Walmart, cut to size, and taped it to a foam display board.
Finally, I attached the photo print with thumbtacks in the corner. It was a great display for the dinner, and now it looks awesome in front of my fireplace!
For dinner, we had soup bowls with soups provided by some of the women in the ward, delicious tossed salad, and Chocolate Pudding Parfaits for dessert (layers of crushed oreo, cubed pound cake, peppermint marshmallows and white or milk chocolate pudding, topped with whipped cream!)
Here’s how we decorated the food table (obviously before the food was added!)
For our program, we showed three short videos reminding us that Jesus Christ is the best gift we have been given. Since we have been given such an amazing gift, we need to give the best gifts we can in return, and we do that through serving others, and by giving our hearts over to God. You can check out the videos here, here, and here. They may bring a tear to your eye!
We finished with a musical number- four women sang “In the Bleak Midwinter” and it was just beautiful!
We sent the sisters home with a tile with vinyl reminding them that Christ is “The Best Gift of All”.
This is a really frugal gift if you’re on a tight budget- the tiles only cost about 15 cents each and I cut all the vinyl on my Silhouette. We had leftover black vinyl from our Craft Night, so this was super cheap!
I came away from the night with a desire to be more Christ-centered this Christmas, and to try not to let the hustle and bustle of the holidays weigh me down. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to put this night together, and I hope everyone had a great time!
**Affiliate Links May be Used in the Post. Thank you for supporting Occasionally Crafty by visiting the blog today!**
A few weeks ago, I showed you my Kids’ Bathroom Makeover. By far, my favorite part of the makeover is the transformation of my golden oak cabinets using Java Gel Stain by General Finishes. I finally got around to writing up a tutorial for you, as well as some things I learned if you want to give it a try yourself.
First, let me just say that this post is not sponsored. I read several posts I found on Pinterest extolling the virtues of the gel stain, so I knew I had to try it. The only thing is, it can be hard to find. Here in Phoenix, I had to go to a tiny little vintage thrift store to find it. Luckily, you can order it on (affiliate link)Amazon here Just make sure to plan in time for shipping, and while you’re there, order the sealer as well.
There are other colors besides Java. This color is a rich dark brown, which is important to know because the pictures almost appear black. Make sure you pick the color you really want.
To get started, you’ll need the following
Painter’s Tape
General Finishes Gel Stain in Java
Sealer (I didn’t get the GF one, so I just picked up some Minwax Polyurethane at Lowe’s)
Painting Pyramids or something similar
Plastic sheeting or other to protect surfaces
Sponge brushes
Application:
1. Prepare your surfaces. If you are using previously stained cabinets, like my golden oak ones, you don’t need to sand or strip them at all! Just wipe them down with soapy water and dry. Make sure any gunk or debris is cleaned away. Remove all hardware (keep track of which door or drawer they belong to!) Tape your floors and walls, and around anything on the cabinet itself you don’t want stained. Lay down plastic sheeting to protect surfaces if desired.
2. Place your doors on painting pyramids so you can paint the edges easily. Make sure you aren’t in direct sunlight, or your stain will dry too quickly. I set up in my garage (sorry for taking your space, husband!) Using a sponge brush, paint on your first coat of stain. It is very thick so a little goes a long, long way- but don’t be too stingy or you’ll need more coats of stain. I chose to use the brush because I had lots of little nooks and corners on my doors. I’ve seen others use a long sock with a plastic glove on underneath. Use what you’re most comfortable with.
3. Apply first coat. Try to go in the same direction with your brush on each section of door. Freak out because the first coat looks scary. It is splotchy and you can see all your brush strokes. I promise it will get better. I painted the front sides in the morning and let them dry for a few hours, then came back in the afternoon to flip them over and stain the back sides. In between, I went inside the house and painted the cabinet itself in the bathroom. Let first coat dry overnight.
*Side note- this works on wood veneer or fake wood too! Parts of my cabinets are not real oak, and those parts took the stain just as well as the real wood did! So just stain it all.
4. Apply second coat directly over the first- no sanding needed. Again, do the fronts in the morning, backs in the afternoon, and dry overnight. You should see much better coverage and your brush strokes should blend in easily as it dries.
5. Apply a third and final coat in the same manner. Let dry overnight. I’ve put together a collage so you can see the difference each coat makes.
In the 2nd and 3rd coats, you can’t see my brush strokes at all! You may need to touch up a few spots after the 3rd coat, but if not, continue on to seal your cabinets.
6. After you are happy with the coverage and it is completely dry, apply two coats of sealer. Sealer dries much more quickly than the stain, so I did one coat in the morning, then returned and did a second coat in the afternoon. Sand lightly in between coats for even coverage.
*Please for the love of gorgeous cabinets, choose a high quality polyurethane sealer. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste!
7. Let cabinets dry a full 24 hours after applying the last coat of sealer before moving them. I actually moved them inside after 24 hours, and then waited another few days before hanging them. That’s partly because I had to spraypaint my hardware and buy the knobs I wanted, but you might want to think about doing that too. It would stink to spend all that time and effort only to get a bunch of chips while hanging the doors.
8. Reattach hardware. Drill holes if attaching knobs or handles. Rehang doors. Apply bumper pads on the insides of the doors to protect them from being chipped when being closed. Enjoy your gorgeous cabinets!
Huge difference, right? I love it so much! If you have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer them- just leave me a note in the comments or email me. Have a wonderful weekend and have fun staining!
I may be linking this post up to some of these parties- check them out with me!
**Affiliate Links May be Used in the Post. Thank you for supporting Occasionally Crafty by visiting the blog today!**
A few weeks ago, I showed you my Kids’ Bathroom Makeover. By far, my favorite part of the makeover is the transformation of my golden oak cabinets using Java Gel Stain by General Finishes. I finally got around to writing up a tutorial for you, as well as some things I learned if you want to give it a try yourself.
First, let me just say that this post is not sponsored. I read several posts I found on Pinterest extolling the virtues of the gel stain, so I knew I had to try it. The only thing is, it can be hard to find. Here in Phoenix, I had to go to a tiny little vintage thrift store to find it. Luckily, you can order it on (affiliate link)Amazon here Just make sure to plan in time for shipping, and while you’re there, order the sealer as well.
There are other colors besides Java. This color is a rich dark brown, which is important to know because the pictures almost appear black. Make sure you pick the color you really want.
To get started, you’ll need the following
Painter’s Tape
General Finishes Gel Stain in Java
Sealer (I didn’t get the GF one, so I just picked up some Minwax Polyurethane at Lowe’s)
Painting Pyramids or something similar
Plastic sheeting or other to protect surfaces
Sponge brushes
Application:
1. Prepare your surfaces. If you are using previously stained cabinets, like my golden oak ones, you don’t need to sand or strip them at all! Just wipe them down with soapy water and dry. Make sure any gunk or debris is cleaned away. Remove all hardware (keep track of which door or drawer they belong to!) Tape your floors and walls, and around anything on the cabinet itself you don’t want stained. Lay down plastic sheeting to protect surfaces if desired.
2. Place your doors on painting pyramids so you can paint the edges easily. Make sure you aren’t in direct sunlight, or your stain will dry too quickly. I set up in my garage (sorry for taking your space, husband!) Using a sponge brush, paint on your first coat of stain. It is very thick so a little goes a long, long way- but don’t be too stingy or you’ll need more coats of stain. I chose to use the brush because I had lots of little nooks and corners on my doors. I’ve seen others use a long sock with a plastic glove on underneath. Use what you’re most comfortable with.
3. Apply first coat. Try to go in the same direction with your brush on each section of door. Freak out because the first coat looks scary. It is splotchy and you can see all your brush strokes. I promise it will get better. I painted the front sides in the morning and let them dry for a few hours, then came back in the afternoon to flip them over and stain the back sides. In between, I went inside the house and painted the cabinet itself in the bathroom. Let first coat dry overnight.
*Side note- this works on wood veneer or fake wood too! Parts of my cabinets are not real oak, and those parts took the stain just as well as the real wood did! So just stain it all.
4. Apply second coat directly over the first- no sanding needed. Again, do the fronts in the morning, backs in the afternoon, and dry overnight. You should see much better coverage and your brush strokes should blend in easily as it dries.
5. Apply a third and final coat in the same manner. Let dry overnight. I’ve put together a collage so you can see the difference each coat makes.
In the 2nd and 3rd coats, you can’t see my brush strokes at all! You may need to touch up a few spots after the 3rd coat, but if not, continue on to seal your cabinets.
6. After you are happy with the coverage and it is completely dry, apply two coats of sealer. Sealer dries much more quickly than the stain, so I did one coat in the morning, then returned and did a second coat in the afternoon. Sand lightly in between coats for even coverage.
*Please for the love of gorgeous cabinets, choose a high quality polyurethane sealer. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste!
7. Let cabinets dry a full 24 hours after applying the last coat of sealer before moving them. I actually moved them inside after 24 hours, and then waited another few days before hanging them. That’s partly because I had to spraypaint my hardware and buy the knobs I wanted, but you might want to think about doing that too. It would stink to spend all that time and effort only to get a bunch of chips while hanging the doors.
8. Reattach hardware. Drill holes if attaching knobs or handles. Rehang doors. Apply bumper pads on the insides of the doors to protect them from being chipped when being closed. Enjoy your gorgeous cabinets!
Huge difference, right? I love it so much! If you have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer them- just leave me a note in the comments or email me. Have a wonderful weekend and have fun staining!
I may be linking this post up to some of these parties- check them out with me!
**Affiliate Links May be Used in the Post. Thank you for supporting Occasionally Crafty by visiting the blog today!**
A few weeks ago, I showed you my Kids’ Bathroom Makeover. By far, my favorite part of the makeover is the transformation of my golden oak cabinets using Java Gel Stain by General Finishes. I finally got around to writing up a tutorial for you, as well as some things I learned if you want to give it a try yourself.
First, let me just say that this post is not sponsored. I read several posts I found on Pinterest extolling the virtues of the gel stain, so I knew I had to try it. The only thing is, it can be hard to find. Here in Phoenix, I had to go to a tiny little vintage thrift store to find it. Luckily, you can order it on (affiliate link)Amazon here Just make sure to plan in time for shipping, and while you’re there, order the sealer as well.
There are other colors besides Java. This color is a rich dark brown, which is important to know because the pictures almost appear black. Make sure you pick the color you really want.
To get started, you’ll need the following
Painter’s Tape
General Finishes Gel Stain in Java
Sealer (I didn’t get the GF one, so I just picked up some Minwax Polyurethane at Lowe’s)
Painting Pyramids or something similar
Plastic sheeting or other to protect surfaces
Sponge brushes
Application:
1. Prepare your surfaces. If you are using previously stained cabinets, like my golden oak ones, you don’t need to sand or strip them at all! Just wipe them down with soapy water and dry. Make sure any gunk or debris is cleaned away. Remove all hardware (keep track of which door or drawer they belong to!) Tape your floors and walls, and around anything on the cabinet itself you don’t want stained. Lay down plastic sheeting to protect surfaces if desired.
2. Place your doors on painting pyramids so you can paint the edges easily. Make sure you aren’t in direct sunlight, or your stain will dry too quickly. I set up in my garage (sorry for taking your space, husband!) Using a sponge brush, paint on your first coat of stain. It is very thick so a little goes a long, long way- but don’t be too stingy or you’ll need more coats of stain. I chose to use the brush because I had lots of little nooks and corners on my doors. I’ve seen others use a long sock with a plastic glove on underneath. Use what you’re most comfortable with.
3. Apply first coat. Try to go in the same direction with your brush on each section of door. Freak out because the first coat looks scary. It is splotchy and you can see all your brush strokes. I promise it will get better. I painted the front sides in the morning and let them dry for a few hours, then came back in the afternoon to flip them over and stain the back sides. In between, I went inside the house and painted the cabinet itself in the bathroom. Let first coat dry overnight.
*Side note- this works on wood veneer or fake wood too! Parts of my cabinets are not real oak, and those parts took the stain just as well as the real wood did! So just stain it all.
4. Apply second coat directly over the first- no sanding needed. Again, do the fronts in the morning, backs in the afternoon, and dry overnight. You should see much better coverage and your brush strokes should blend in easily as it dries.
5. Apply a third and final coat in the same manner. Let dry overnight. I’ve put together a collage so you can see the difference each coat makes.
In the 2nd and 3rd coats, you can’t see my brush strokes at all! You may need to touch up a few spots after the 3rd coat, but if not, continue on to seal your cabinets.
6. After you are happy with the coverage and it is completely dry, apply two coats of sealer. Sealer dries much more quickly than the stain, so I did one coat in the morning, then returned and did a second coat in the afternoon. Sand lightly in between coats for even coverage.
*Please for the love of gorgeous cabinets, choose a high quality polyurethane sealer. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste!
7. Let cabinets dry a full 24 hours after applying the last coat of sealer before moving them. I actually moved them inside after 24 hours, and then waited another few days before hanging them. That’s partly because I had to spraypaint my hardware and buy the knobs I wanted, but you might want to think about doing that too. It would stink to spend all that time and effort only to get a bunch of chips while hanging the doors.
8. Reattach hardware. Drill holes if attaching knobs or handles. Rehang doors. Apply bumper pads on the insides of the doors to protect them from being chipped when being closed. Enjoy your gorgeous cabinets!
Huge difference, right? I love it so much! If you have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer them- just leave me a note in the comments or email me. Have a wonderful weekend and have fun staining!
I may be linking this post up to some of these parties- check them out with me!
Huge difference, right? I love it so much! If you have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer them- just leave me a note in the comments or email me. Have a wonderful weekend and have fun staining!
