Almost there.

I decided to started my big dresser makeover project last night and after much staining and a little spray painting...I'm almost done!! It's late and I'm tired but here's a quick recap and preview of what's to come...

Here's the original stain before sanding...

 I rarely sand surfaces before painting just because it's such a pain. And I never sand down to the raw wood but this one required it since I was staining it (also a first!)  Looking back I probably should have used a chemical stripper because it took a few (or SIX!!) coats of stain to get the desired shade. I also switched stain midway - the first 3 were Dark Walnut and the last 3 were Ebony. I should have done Ebony from the beginning....lesson learned.

 This was after I applied the first coat of stain but before it was wiped off - I really like applying that first coat...it was strangely therapeutic! But unfortunately, it got progressively less therapeutic with each coat! I was just about done after the sixth one and by then was resolved to just accept whatever it looked like after it was wiped down - but thankfully, I loved it!

 Here we are after coat #4 had set in and been wiped off. It's getting there and it's all you'll see until the finished piece!!

I'm letting the final coat dry in the garage overnight before I apply the sealer. I then have to let that dry before I can finish painting the rest of the dresser!!

Until then...good night!