Mahogany With a TWiST!

6 Materials
$20
8 Hours
Easy

I inherited my Great Great Grandmother Henry's dining room table from the 1940's. My Momma got it when she was 40, my brother got when he was 30 and I got it when I turned 30 after my brother "changed his style". I couldn't have been happier! I got the whole set! Buffet, China Cabinet and the Table and Chairs! Unfortunately, Great Great Grandmother's Table had served 100's of Great Great Gatherings and the table top sure showed it. (The tales it could tell )

Five years of her sitting in our living room, I finally drummed up the guts to give her a facelift.

I gave her the simplest and gentlest stripping I could using my trusty ol Dishwashing Detergent Technique. This got every pinch of old sealer off of her and gave me a bare wood slate to play with. (You can see my post "Safe Alternative to Chemical Strippers" right here in Hometalk by clicking on my other posts.)

I knew I wanted color but didn't want to paint. So I did the best thing to satisfy both elements, Unicorn SPiT! I did a Side to Side Aura Blast on her top using Blue Thunder, Molly Red Pepper, and Dragonsbelly. I kinda tiger striped it in. Looked really wierd at first but I knew if I didn't like it, I could just wash it off with water and washcloth. Unicorn SPiT Gel Stain is a waterbased, non toxic, no VOC staining glaze that smells like Jasmine! So it's safe to use inside. It also won't stain your tile ;0)

After about an hour the Unicorn SPiT dried. I took a Scotch Brite Pad and buffed it smooth going with the grain. Once it was really slick, I dusted her off.

Once she was dusted I sat back and was like, "Boy! That's bright!". I was pretty concerned so I did a little swipe with my oil based polyurethane to see what would happen. After I made my first pass I saw how the Unicorn SPiT absorbed down deep into that mahogany! It mixed with the natural tones of the wood and just GLOWED! So I went for it!

As the 2nd coat of Poly dried, I put my 6, 8 & 10 year old boys to work oiling the base with Hemp Oil. The boys had fun with it! They loved how it was "like magic" turning it all dry to all shiney and rich!

The 3rd coat had dried and you can see the colors play with the grain so well!

It's next to impossible to get a good close up of the effect it has. It's like a gem of some type. It sparkles and shines and glows like nothing I've ever seen before!

Here she is tonight. I finally got her all set up in her dining room. I'm so proud of her. Even the kids feel proud of it! It's like our crowning jewel of our home!

The mahogany with Unicorn SPiT Gel Stain is just so rich and classy and just a real twist to the everyday!

Well, Grandma Henry, if your out there looking down on us, I hope think its as pretty as we do. You have great taste in furniture. I hope we made you proud! Oh! And by the way, I had her ready by the skin of my teeth for yet another Thanksgiving Feast!

Thank you all for reading my post. I hope it helps you find your need for color no longer has to be thru paint. There's no need to mask beautiful wood grain!! Our earth grows us these beautiful trees. Let's show them off!! Your Grandchildren will thank you ;0) For more unique ideas and guidance please join our Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/groups/unicornspitgelstains/ . We look forward to you joining our COLORFUL FAMiLY! www.MichelleNicoles.com

Suggested materials:
  • Unicorn SPiT   (www.MichelleNicoles.com)
  • Arm-N-Seal High Gloss   (https://www.michellenicoles.com/products/arm-n-seal-quart-size-gloss-1)
  • Hemp Salve   (https://www.michellenicoles.com/products/hemp-salve)
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 18 questions
  • Barbara A Davis Barbara A Davis on Jul 24, 2018

    HOW DO YOU TAKE THE FINISH OFF WITH DETERGENT AND ,LENGTH OF TIME AND CLEANING OFF,ETC.

  • K K on Jul 31, 2018

    Now it's time to update the chairs to match!!

    I was definitely skeptical, but I like the final shot from further away.

    I enjoy seeing the furniture projects on here, so thank you for sharing.

    How did the rest of the family react at Thanksgiving??

  • Virginia Llorca Virginia Llorca on Jul 31, 2018

    I have rerefinished and "antiqued" lots of furniture over the years. Lately, I have so much trouble getting the final coat smooth. Do you think I am putting it on too thick? Are a few thin coats better? What do you think about wax as a final finish? The legs on your table kind of look like cherry, but I am no expert. But i have ancient table with cherry legs.

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  • Kat Rogers Kat Rogers on May 17, 2019

    GOOOR~GEOUS! I Adore REAL Wood~ It Is SO Beautiful, AND Your Technique Only Added To THAT Beauty.

  • Mary Bowermaster O'Neil Mary Bowermaster O'Neil on May 18, 2019

    Really beautiful. I have a similar table I plan to refinish and couldn't figure out how to deal with the leaves. Your technique is a perfect solution. Do you have photos of what the table looked like with the fresh unicorn spit on it before you spread it?


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