Art Room Project - Begin the Finish

This is the eleventh post in my Art Room Project series. Find the Table of Contents at the first post, Getting Started.

The Finish

From my original plans, I knew I wanted a 2-tone look to my cabinets and desk. I stained all the doors, drawer fronts and desk top and painted the rest. The trick was finding the right 2 color stain/paint combo. I wanted it to be a classic style, but not too dark.

The big lesson learned with this step was patience. For a good finish, there are many steps, and each step is important.

Painting

Painting the shell

We chose a taupe color for the cabinets. The painting was fairly easy: 2 coats of primer, sanding between coats. 2 coats of paint. With the coats of primer and proper sanding, the final product was a smooth and durable finish.

Another extra step was to put a coat of Polyurethane inside the drawers and cabinets. Most skip this step, but since all sort of paint, glue and other things will be thrown around in this room, a little extra protection helps.













Staining

This was the most difficult part of the entire project. The trial and error process of finding the right stain for my oak panels was tedious and time consuming. Every step had to be documented with sanding steps, what grit I used, how long did I let the stain soak, how much did I wipe off, what type of sealer I used, etc.

I finally hit on look I wanted--a nice red/brown wood with deep black grain.

For each door, drawer front and the desk, this was my process:

1. Sand raw oak to a 220 grit finish and vacuum dust.
2. Stain with Red Mahogany, let soak for 5 minutes.
3. Wipe off stain and let dry overnight.
4. Re-sand again to 220 grit. (This was the key to getting the deep, high contrast grain. The wood lightened, but the grain stayed dark.)
5. Stain and soak for 5 minutes. Wipe off and dry.
6. Stain again and soak for 5 minutes. Wipe off and dry.
7. First coat of Polyurethane. Dry for a few hours.
8. Light sanding and wipe off dust.
9. Second coat of Poly and let dry.
10. Light sanding and wipe off dust.
11. Apply 3 coats of furniture wax.

I'm happy with the results. It has a deep color and matches the flooring very well. The Polyurethane makes it durable. The wax makes it feel silky like good furniture.



Slatwall

Slatwall is popular in retail shops. It allows for easy setup and removing of all kinds of hanging displays, shelves, hooks, whatever. It serves the same function as pegboard but is a little easier on the eyes. I'm using Slatwall on the walls around the desk. Later I'll make custom shelves and pegs for my art stuff, and the Slatwall will make it easy to hang and move around.

Ready to paint

You can order Slatwall in 4' by 8' sheets, but I decided to make my own. I used 1/2" MDF, cut the strips to size and routed the backs. I then glued each strip to a hardboard panel. This allowed me to customize the look with a simple border and trim, making it feel a little less utilitarian.

The Slatwall is installed and ready for primer and paint.

In the picture, also note I've installed under-cabinet LED lights for a little extra brightness.

What's Next?

After the finishing details are done, we need to pick out a new overhead light, some knobs and pulls and a new task chair.

Almost done! Let's see the details.