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The timeline involved with home improvement projects is as follows:
Watch 13 minutes of Fixer Upper.
Decide it's time to upgrade the *insert room here*
Search DIY Makeover on Pinterest.
Pick the color of the century. Everyone's gonna be jealous.
Search YouTube for technique methods to mentally perfect any potential problems. Psh. Easy.
Google only the three main items to calculate cost of project.
Decide what will be done with the money saved DIY-ing.
Head to Home Depot with confidence.
Walk into Home Depot. Realize project confidence is still in the car.
Buy all items for all methods suggested on all the DIY blogs. Just in case.
Realize project cost is already double what Google had promised.
Prep the room. Wait, what time is it?!
Decide color does not match edited Pinterest pic.
Open all additional items as a Hail Mary attempt to salvage project.
Call significant other to let them know that YouTube/Pinterest/Fixer Upper set you up for failure.
Temporarily (or permanently) abandon project.
Open Wine.
Order a Pizza.
There's no doubt that wine and DIY self pity are a perfect pair, buuuuuut - so are patience and practice.
Patience and practice? I said what I said.
As much as we like to dream that DIY projects are going to be 10 steps or less, instead, they become one step short of a forfeit.
But, the truth is, the more time you invest in researching your products and practicing technique (and patience), the more money you will save.
A few things that took me some time to come to terms with:
DIY-ing takes longer than any episode on HGTV.
Sometimes other people's methods don't work for your project, but that doesn't mean you can't create your own!
There is a cheap version of everything. That doesn't make them better - even if saving money is your only goal.
Your first few DIYs will take so long that they'll likely end up like this.
Same Color-Same Parent Company-Different Results
If you're new to refinishing furniture, I'd like to introduce you to two names that will change your life : Rust-oleum and Varathane.
No matter if you're looking for a paint or a stain, these two brands give great coverage and durability with little to no prep work.
Now, originally, I had purchased this Rust-oleum stain on the left and 4 other color varieties off of Facebook Marketplace for $35. Steal.
Since I had already purchased the Varathane Wood Stain in Worn Navy to redo my guest bathroom, it was a no brainer to take advantage of having an extra can on hand for touch-ups.
Or so I thought.
Rust-oleum is the parent company of multiple brands, including Varathane.
While both products advertise the same color, the intended results of each are very different.
As soon as I opened the cans, I immediately could tell there was a difference in texture and tone.
I originally thought that I would be judging the two cans based on which was better than the other, but in reality, both are high quality. Rust-Oleum is a true stain designed to penetrate wood, while still showing wood grain. Varathane is a full coverage stain. So much so, it's essentially a paint.
Think about the finished product.
Do you want to see any wood grain?
Do you want there to be a gloss finish or matte?
Think about what exactly it is you're trying to improve in your cabinet makeover.
Are there permanent marks or scuffs on the wood?
What color is the existing stain or paint?
How will that color affect the new color?
How much sanding is required?
The benefit of using Varathane Wood Stain over paint for your wooden furniture or cabinets is that it provides an effortlessly smooth finish, since it does most of the leveling on its own.
This is perfect to do over just about anything, regardless of the existing color. But keep in mind, it does include a very glossy finish.
If you're looking for a more rustic look, Rust-Oleum Wood Stain, Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint or Heirlooms Traditional Paint sanded with a matte polyurethane finish are the better options for your project.
Side By Side Comparison
Once I realized I had purchased two different stain brands with the same name and guarantee, curiosity got the best of me.
I took a door off of an old cabinet we had planned on repainting for our shed. I wiped the back down with Dawn soap and water, and then lightly sanded it.
The door is identical to the cabinets I planned on redoing in our bathroom, so this gives me a pretty good idea of what it will look like, along with the dry times for each coat.
If you don't have a spare cabinet or don't feel committed enough to test on the back of your existing cabinets, feel free to test on plywood.
Cleaning and light sanding are important prep for all methods, but in order to get your cabinets to match the absorbency of unfinished plywood, you will need to use an industrial sander since your existing cabinets likely have a durable semi gloss coat on them
Sponge brushes will be your best friend for any project.
& you can quote me on that.
No matter if I'm using chalk paint, latex paint, or stain, I always test my sponge brush method first. It very rarely lets me down. I buy them in bulk on Amazon.
Coat 1 of both stains gave pretty identical results in terms of transparency. Dry time was a little bit longer on the Rust-Oleum since I didn't wipe the excess.
Since the Rust-Oleum absorbs into the wood to achieve the desired result, choosing this product will require more sanding during prep.
Coat 2 is where you start to see the difference in the levels of coverage each brand gives.
You can tell from the build up in the corners that I was sloppy in my brush strokes and clean up method with the Rust-Oleum.
If I was "painting with a purpose" I would have come behind with a dry paper towel and smoothed the excess stain across the wood for an even application.
I also would have personally chosen to wait 24 hours before applying a second coat of stain. This way I would be able to sand uneven areas.
Sanding or applying a second coat while paint or stain is still damp could compromise the integrity of your existing application, so the more patient you are, the less recovery techniques you'll have to learn.
Trust me.
Again, you can tell in the final coat that I didn't give much thought to perfecting my brush strokes since this was just a test run.
Buuuuut - you can most definitely see the difference!
If you're familiar with sanding and staining wood, you know that it can be quite a time consuming process. With that being said, keeping a level of transparency makes for some really beautiful refurbished pieces.
If you're doing kitchen or bathroom cabinets, opposed to furniture, I would strongly suggest using the Varathane over a more transparent stain.
Despite my careless approach to detail, the way the stain levels itself makes for a much easier application in comparison to other methods.
Plus, this already has a gloss finish built right in, so the cabinets are kitchen ready from the moment they're dry.
So, overall - Varathane Home Depot Brand > errrrythannggg.
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