Add a Stencil

Sometimes my vision for a piece doesn’t work out and I have to go in a different direction. This bench was going to get a lovely coat of dark stain with Old White legs but as you can see that didn’t happen. Here’s why:

I sanded the dark brown paint off the top of this bench and treated it with a wood conditioner. Then applied a dark stain to it. You can see the results. I’m not sure what kind of wood this is, possibly poplar, but parts of it weren’t taking the stain. So on to a new plan. General Finishes Gel Stain! I had just a small amount of the Grey left from a previous project but it didn’t take much to cover this. Once the gel stain was on I sealed it with one coat of polyurethane and started painting the legs Annie Sloan Old White. I wanted to add something to this piece to give it a little more character. So I pulled out my stencils.

I used a sponge brush and added 5 of the same design to the top.

I sealed the top with about 4 more coats of semi gloss polyurethane then distressed the legs and also sealed the chalk paint with polyurethane.

Although this didn’t turn out as I visioned I am really happy with it. Stensiling is an easy way to add a little something to a piece you are painting.

I would love to hear what you think of this fun bench.

Thanks for taking a look at my blog!

Cindy

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