Nutmeg Gel Stained Desk

"When my friend Mary approached me about surprising her husband and redoing his dad’s desk, I was so honoured. When I went to look at it in person, I was shocked with how big it was - 6 feet wide by 4 feet deep . It was going to be the biggest project I had ever taken on. While originally intended to be a surprise, Rick was looped into the process. The desk was brought to my house and literally *juuuust* fit through my front door. There was no way that it was going to go downstairs (where I sand in the winter), so my main level became my workspace. I brought my vacuum system upstairs and after cleaning with Krud Kutter, started sanding. For flat surfaces, I used my DEWALT CANADA orbital sander and for the intricate areas, my SurfPrep Sanding electric ray. There were some areas that needed hand sanding and I picked up some contour sanding grips to really get into those hard to get places. I used all General Finishes products on this gorgeous piece. Pre-stain conditioner on the top before staining, Nutmeg Gel Stain and High-Performance Topcoat in Satin. Slow and steady was the name of the game on this piece. It is so well made and I knew that under a dated finish, a beautiful swan could emerge. And that it did! It was a lot of hard work and now this family heirloom will be enjoyed for so many years to come. To have that trust in my abilities, is not something I take for granted"