General Finishes - Storage (cabinets, chests, boxes, dressers)

Living Room Transformation Built in Bookcase Fireplace Surround

Laura Serafin Rake — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 03:47:12 +0000

My sister had just bought a new house and really need help with her living room with lacked personality. One lonely fireplace with tile around it. With no professional background in wood working (I did not even own a table saw for this project), added a fireplace surround complete with stacked stone and a very large built in Media Bookcase. This bookcase was over 100" tall after it was complete. I built in three separate sections which enable me to spray most of it with Snow white milk paint prior to installing. The fireplace an trim was hand painted, but with milk paint you don’t have to prime the wood. This made it much easier that if I had used any other product. I top coated both the fireplace surround and built in with HPTC. There was a lot of trial and error and it was a very long project taking me about 4 months. Keep in mind my sister lived over 40 minutes away, most of the building was at my house and I could only work on it in my spare time. Had I used any other paint for this project it simply would have taken me at least a few more weeks. WHY.? Because latex would need to cure for 14 days before top coating and oil based paint takes forever to dry (and you wont get a pure white). Milk paint can be top coated almost immediately...and again NO primer needed on raw wood! By far the biggest project I have ever taken, but the final product was simply amazing for someone who had never really built anything.

Products Used

Snow White Milk Paint
High Performance Top Coat

Plant Pedestals Prove Worth

Laura Serafin Rake — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 01:54:32 +0000

I have always wanted plant pedestals for my front porch. With a grarage full of extra wood I set out to make them. After building these stands it only need to be painted. I sprayed these with GF Black Milk Paint. I liked the flat black color so no top coat was used. Despite rain and water from the draining pots Milk Paint alone has endured and maintaine a great finish.

Products Used

GF Black Milk Paint

Bedroom Set

Bulldogwoodworks — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 00:21:13 +0000

My entry is a full size dresser and two matching night stands. I used General Finishes Mahogany Brown gel stain and Gel top coat on all of the project. I love the products, there always my go to.

Products Used

Brown Mahogany Gel Stain
Gel Top Coat

Jewellery box

Davenport's Handmade — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 19:56:25 +0000

Handmade jewellery box. The oak was cut and planed to size then router used to create recess for lid and base. The pieces were then all glued together and then sanded up to 300 grit. Then sanding sealer applied then sanded up to 1200 grit then two coats of natural beeswax applied with a light sanding between coats.

Products Used

Mahogany
Spalted beech
Oak

Pie Safe

Jacqueline Blasi Scott — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 03:55:14 +0000

The idea behind this piece was to recreate a primitive pie safe that reminded me of my vacations as a child in the Smokey Mountains. It was created using all scrap clear pine with basic woodworking tools. It's constructed entirely with mortise and tenon and dowel pin joinery. There's a secret stash compartment hidden under the top piece that is accessible when removing the drawer. Gotta hide your valuables!

It was painted with Annie Sloan chalk paints to achieve an aged textured appearance. The inside was stained with GF java gel stain and then washed with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Florence.

This has a hemp oil finish and then a layer of dark wax to age it.

Products Used

GF Java gel stain
Annie Sloan Olive
Annie Sloan Emporers Silk
Annie Sloan Arles
Annie Sloan Florence
Hemp oil
Annie Sloan Dark wax

Mahogany Display Case

warrensnow — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 03:03:32 +0000

The Mahogany Display Case was made for a family who wanted a place to display collected heirlooms. This is a very large built-in case measuring 5' wide by 7 1/2' tall. It is made from African mahogany, stained to match the other mahogany furnishings in the room.

Several details were employed to customize this case to the client's preferences. A decorative mahogany crotch band, with lines of satinwood inlay, extends around the case just above the base, and just below the crown moulding. I installed a special lighting system that allows the lighting intensity, and the color temperature, to be controlled via a wireless remote. Glass shelves, and a mirrored back allow even light intensity throughout for displayed objects. I used a large crown moulding profile to proportionally scale with the 7 1/2' case height.

The finishing recipe included a custom mixture of water-based aniline dyes to match other pieces in the room. This was followed by GF Seal-a-Cell, Gloss Arm-R-Seal (to build a foundation), and a final coat of Semi-Gloss Arm-R-Seal, with the prerequisite sanding and surface prep between coats. Hand-rubbed paste wax completed the finish.

A stress-filled 22 mile move of this glass-laden piece went smoothly, and was followed by a successful installation. Happy customers capped the final chapter of this challenging project.

Products Used

General Finishes Seal-a-Cell
General Finishes Arm-R-Seal, gloss & satin
Aniline Dye
Min wax Paste Wax

White oak map chest

John Avolio — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 22:23:09 +0000

Multi drawer map chest / apothecary chest made from white oak hardwood. Finish was antique walnut gel stain. Designed and built in my workshop for my home office and stores all office supplies and design blueprints. Love the function it provides and hoping to use the style in future designs.

Products Used

White oak
Nameplates

Winning Category

2nd Place

Rekkid Cabby & 45 Cabby

Ryan Zimmerman — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 15:00:50 +0000

The furniture I create features varying irregular, geometric shapes that are the result of combining angular and rectilinear elements. With that in mind, I am interested in creating modular 'furniture systems'. I see these two cabinets a unit. The one is a vinyl record cabinet featuring three irregular drawers. The other is intended to house 45's or 7" records in it's drawer. When brought together they fit together seamlessly, however I much rather prefer the negative space they create. They are both constructed with the same combination of figured cherry and black walnut. Lastly finished with General Finishes Gel Topcoat, brushed on liberally with a foam brush and then wiped smooth with a rag. After experimenting with a slew of other finishes this has become my go to, it is user friendly, very forgiving and the results are great.

Products Used

General Finishes Gel Topcoat

TV Stand

Mike Poorman — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 14:12:06 +0000

This TV stand was designed by my wife and I to accommodate our modern electronics but have a traditional furniture style. The unit has a removable center panel in the top to allow for easy cord management, along with soft close draw glides, and hand turned feet. This unit was finished with walnut and jacobean stains along with two coats of polycrylic.

Products Used

Minwax Polycrylic
Minwax Walnut Stain
Minwax Jacobean Gel Stain

Walnut + Maple Shoe Shine Box

chrisgoodmanjr — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 17:22:17 +0000

Black Walnut and Maple shoe shine box, sanded to 180 grit, then coated with 5 coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal (using 0000 steel wool in between coats). Buffed out with 0000 steel wool and paste wax.

Products Used

GF Arm-R-Seal