| So you got a deal on some old wood chairs at the | | | | you don't like how it looks. Pour about a quarter cup of |
| flea market but they look a little too tired to be rated | | | | stain into a bowl. Take a small piece of the steel wool |
| as shabby chic? Here's an old upholsterers trick that | | | | and dip it into the stain. Squeeze most of it out. A little |
| will magically refinish your treasures in ten minutes for | | | | goes a very long way. |
| $5. | | | | Working in tiny little circles, and with almost no pressure |
| YOU WILL NEED: | | | | at all, rub the stain over the wood surface of your |
| Smallest can of ordinary flat wood stain (no varnish in | | | | chair. Reload with stain as necessary, but no need to |
| it) | | | | drench the wood at any time. We are just covering |
| Finest steel wood you can get | | | | scratches and brightening the wood overall. Work in |
| Rubber gloves | | | | sections and do not let it start to dry. |
| Soft rags | | | | Immediately wipe off the stain from the rubbed |
| Set up a work space where you can be a little messy. | | | | surface with a soft cloth. When the entire chair is |
| I use a protected table top, but even a concrete floor | | | | finished, allow it to dry completely. This may take a |
| needs a plastic sheet over it to prevent staining. | | | | day or two to fully cure. Buff it up a bit with a very |
| Stains come in hundreds of color variations. This stain | | | | soft cloth and voila - your garage sale bargain is now |
| should be about the same color as your furniture (a | | | | a beautiful antique. If you prefer a still newer look, apply |
| little darker and redder makes a nice look). Do a test in | | | | a final spray-on clear varnish or polyurethane for that |
| an inconspicuous area of the chair & rethink it if | | | | extra snap. |