Finishing a Kitchen Hutch (manda)

I have wanted a nice Kitchen Hutch for - I don't know- probably years. For Christmas/my Birthday my husband gave me one and said I could pick whatever I wanted. I looked and looked and by far the best way to go to get what I wanted was as the Unfinished Furniture Store. They were very helpful I told them what I was looking for and the helped me sort through catalogs of different styles that I could order. I decided on this on it is solid pine, not that awful particle board stuff.

To finish a piece of furniture like this. The first step we did was to sand it well creating a nice smooth surface. Then you rub on the stain of choice. I used Minwax Early American Pine. It had the nice aged pine look I was going for. You can apply more than one coat of stain to darken the color but I didn't. When that has had time to dry completely, it doesn't take long, you apply the polyurethane. I brushed on the polyurethane but I know that some people like to rub it on. Rubbing it on gives a more aged look. This step is really important because it seals the wood and gives a nice finish. I went for a matte finish because I didn't want it very shiny. I added new hardware.

You could just as easily paint a piece of unfinished wood. Or search Goodwill, Yard Sales, and Craiglslist for old furniture. Just make sure that they are solid wood, otherwise sanding and refinishing will not work!

This is the finished product all decorated. I love it. I finally can display things. It also helps fill up a very large empty wall in my kitchen. I love the homey country look it gives in the space.