How to Stain and Paint Unfinished Furniture

Save some money by painting and staining unfinished furniture yourself. Follow these step-by-step instructions.

For this room, Matt Fox chose to stain the top and paint the bottom of unfinished furniture to coordinate with the chosen color scheme.

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Materials:

unfinished piece (headboard, mirror #5000, armoire #1903, nightstand #1904) (Mastercraft Furniture by S.J. Bailey & Sons)
220-grit sandpaper
tack cloth
wood graining tool
oil-based liquid stain (Teak Natural Zar 120)
gel stain (Chestnut Zar 601)
foam brushes
latex wood primer
latex semi-gloss paint (Whole Wheat SW6121)
paintbrushes
rags
painter's tape
polyurethane

Steps:

1. Remove any doors and drawers from the piece. Lightly sand each section and remove the dust with a tack cloth or damp rag.
2. Mask-off the top to reduce the stain from bleeding (it may be hard to eliminate it completely). Apply the liquid stain with a foam brush; let it soak in, and then remove any excess with a clean cloth. Let dry.

Figure A

3. Apply a chestnut gel stain with a foam brush; allow it to sit for about ten minutes, and then wipe off the excess. Pull the graining tool through the stain, rocking it back and forth as you go to duplicate the look of wood grain (figure A). Let the graining dry overnight and remove the tape.

4. Prime the lower cabinet and drawers/doors and let dry. Lightly sand all the sections and remove the dust with a tack cloth or damp rag.
5. Apply two coats of paint, allowing it to dry between coats.
6. Attach the hardware and seal the top with two coats of polyurethane.