Farmhouse Table Makeover

I’ve been wanting to makeover my farmhouse table for awhile now. We originally had an oak pub-height table for a few years – which we never used because it was too hard for us to climb up on the chairs. So, I found a nice farmhouse style table online from Walmart for around $200. And white chairs from Target around $75 each. I also got the bench from Walmart.

The table, chairs and bench are sturdy and nice, but I hated the blonde finger joint wood top on the table and bench. When I bought them, I intended on staining it dark to hopefully cover over the ugly.

I’ve had good success using General Finishes gel stain on my kitchen built-in hutch, bathroom vanities and bedroom furniture. I had half a quart of Antique Walnut on hand, so one day, I just did it. No sanding and stripping – just a good cleaning. I did the table top, bench top and my hutch top while I was at it.

Here it is after one coat.

After 2 coats.

Now, here’s where the problem came in – and I learned a good lesson about General Finishes gel stain. I had always used the General Finishes wipe-on top coat recommended for use over their gel stain. But for some reason, this time, I decided to try one of their other topcoats – with a higher gloss. Big mistake. I was left with a cloudy, streaky mess. Even after a couple coats.

The great thing about General Finishes is their wonderful customer service. I called and explained my problem. They of course stated that they really recommend the wipe-on topcoat designed for the gel stain. They even sent me a can free of charge.

I didn’t worry about stripping all the product off my table. I just sanded well and this time, I used Java gel stain – which is darker than the Antique Walnut. After a couple coats of Java gel stain, and a couple coats of the correct topcoat – my table, bench and hutch look great!