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| 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.
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| 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!
