Oak Mantel Stained Darker

Mantel Before

This beautiful oak mantel was quite challenging because of the intricate design with fluted sides and so much detail in the top. There was also a hearth, which I took no photos. (Unfortunately, I didn't get a vertical photo of the mantel before I began stripping it.) My customer wanted a darker finish, so the first step was to completely strip the wood surface of its coating, which proved to be time-consuming and labor intensive work.

Mantel After

The process was to first completely remove the old polyurethane with a strong gel stripper, first using a large brass brush, then going into the grooves with a smaller brass brush, then finally gently scrubbing the surface with a #0 steel wool before the final coat of sanding with a 200 grit piece of sandpaper.

It was a couple of days before I was ready to apply the stain, which was "General Stain Java Gel," the customer's choice. I had not worked with a gel stain before and found that not only was the stain spectacular to use, it had a "cherry" fragrance,  not the typical "chemical" odor you expect from a chemical stain. It was thick and easy to work with and left a deep, rich finish after two applications. The end result was an elegant, rich darker mantel which the customer loved!