Dining Room Shelves

This was my first attempt at woodworking. I have refinished furniture but I had never actually tried to make my own. I had been reading Ana's website for a while now and finally got the courage to go buy a kreg jig and get to work. I chose this project because of the small amount of lumber needed and the simplicity of the plan. I figured if this one turned out OK then I could move on to bigger, badder projects.

Supplies:

• (1) 1x2x8 pine board
• (2) 1x4x8 pine board
• Mini Wax Gunstock stain
• Rustoleum Dark Walnut stain
• Sandpaper
• Scrap rags
• Paintbrush
• Mini Wax Semi-gloss polyurethane

I followed Ana's plans here and watched her video to make sure I did it right. This was the first time I had used the kreg jig and I wanted to make sure I did it right. One thing I found was that you need to make sure you check the washer on your drill bit frequently with the kreg jig. Mine came loose and I didn't realize it. I almost tried drilling a hole through my kreg jig base!

When I went to go buy stain I found the color I wanted on the sample board but the store did not have it in stock. I called my mom (because that is what I do when I get stumped) to ask her for advice on what to do. I did not want to paint my shelves white because I felt it would blend in too much. White shelves on a white wall with white decorations seemed a little much. Her suggestion was to mix one of the stains I already had at home with a lighter one from the store. I thought that was crazy but it actually ended up working. The stain looks great. Not too red but not too grey either. A perfect mix of both stains.

The way I did the stain took a couple of steps.

1. First, sand your shelf to make it smooth. Wipe off all the dust.
2. Next, wipe on the dark walnut stain and let it sit for a few minutes. Remove access stain.
3. Then, wipe on the gustock stain over the walnut stain. Let sit for a few minutes and then remove access.
4. Once the shelf has dried for a few hours you can apply the polyurethane. I did two coats. Make sure to lightly sand in between coats so that you get a nice even layer.

After hanging my shelves I decorated with those superhero plates and placed my DIY artwork on either side. I am so excited with how these shelves turned out. I already have a list of projects I want to tackle next!