Stripping and Staining, Uncovering a Find

JANUARY'S LESSON

I don't normally make "New Year's Resolutions."  I agree with the thinking of a friend that if I wanted to make a change, it shouldn't take a holiday to make me think I can do it all of a sudden.  This is not said to discourage anyone, because if a fresh year gives you the encouragement you need to begin anew, then that's wonderful, truly!  Everyone is different when it comes to attaining the confidence they need when laying down old habits and starting new ones.  I did however somewhat decide on a "resolution" for the year.  Rather, it's something I've been wanting to do and a whole new calendar year will help me stay on track a little more....I want to learn something new every month.  I'm not talking about learning a new fact because that's too easy.  Rather, I want to figure out how to do something new.  So for January, I gave myself a head start and am using a project that I started in December and finally finished this month- stripping a mirror and breathing new life into it.

So we begin...

I often take a daily look at the free items on Craigslist in my local area.  One day I came across this huge mirror listed as "free, by curb."  What's even better was that it was listed in my town so I didn't have far to travel.  Well, I picked this thing up and it was hheeaaaavvvvyyyy (later found out it was 70 lbs).  Anywho, it had this old 70's shellaq (or what I think was shellaq) on it.  The old yellowish color clearly dated it, so if I wanted to use the mirror, I had to change it.  Thus, my challenge began.

I learned how to strip (the DIY way).  I went to Home Depot and asked for help.  I thought they were the "If you can do it, we can help" store but I was wrong, but they were still helpful though.  They're the "more saving, more doing" which was true in my case.  Since I had no idea what finish or coating was actually on the mirror, the worker recommended the spray-on stripper since it would take off anything. I bought my protective gloves and a scraper to get the old varnish off.  Note- I really don't know if it was shellaq, a clear coat or varnish...tried to look it up but still confused....Anyways, I asked if medical gloves would work to save a few dollars, but he just smiled, chuckled, and politely said, "You don't want to do that."  I did, but then I didn't at his advice :)

Okay, so at home I found a well ventilated area to shield me from the cold - my garage.  I laid newpaper down on the concrete followed by the mirror on top.  I dawned my gloves and a hoodie to stretch over my mouth/nose from the fumes and began spraying.  There was no need to worry about the stripper damaging the mirror so I didn't have to be nearly as careful.

I let the stripper set for 15 minutes, tested an area, but found it needed to be on a little longer.  Then I set to work with my scraper.  The old varnish scraped right off.  I took care not to gouge the wood though in the process.  It was therapeutic in a way, especially with my music blaring....no sick customers coughing on me, no insurance companies to deal with, no doctors to bug about refills.....it was nice.  So I scraped all the gunk off and gave it a good wipe down with the towel.  I had to repeat the process again just to make sure I removed all the varnish that was set on tight.  Next, I lightly washed the wood with water and a clean towel.

Now, was the fun part...re-staining!!!!  Re-transforming!!!  I have to say, I loved the look of the natural wood color that I almost wanted just a clear finish to retain it, but, it wouldn't match my dining table, so we had to scratch that.  With my chosen stain, I brushed it on in the direction of the grain and let it set 10-15 minutes.  The stain itself was a lot darker than how the wood looked after I rubbed it off with a towel.  I put two more coats of stain on and left it longer each time until I was satisfied with the color.  Note - figure out what wood you're working with before you pick an appropriate stain to enhance it.  I didn't do this but wish I had a little more so I could dress the wood in a color keeping with its original characteristics.

Once the staining was dry (I gave it a day), I washed it down with a wet washcloth and let it dry some more.  I noticed after the fact that some stain had dried on the mirror.   No worries though because I sprayed a little stripper on a paper towel, wiped it right off, and then cleaned it again with water.

At last it was ready for the final step - mounting it on the wall.  I used OOK wall anchors and fastened wire to the back of the mirror that could hold its weight.  Finally, the task was done...my dining room looked a little more dressed up.  

I definitely made mistakes along the way and the final piece had some imperfections, but I was proud of it.  I was proud because I found an item that someone thought was trash and gave it a new look...plus I learned something new in the process.