In October 2020, I was exposed to the virus and I had to stay at home for 10 days. I ended up being just fine, and I found myself needing a good project. Luckily I had everything I needed to feel productive!

It was Sam’s birthday, so I baked him one of his favorites- German chocolate cake, with homemade frosting.

But I needed something more… When Sam and I first got together over 10 years ago, he had a couple pieces of furniture that were raw maple.

We had applied a dark cherry stain on two chairs, a table and an entertainment center. One of the chairs, I had been using as an office chair, and I found myself often wanting to fix this ugly thing, but haven’t had the time. Until now!

Here we are, with worn down cherry stain. I didn’t sand, or anything, I just went right for the paint!

I had an “Oyster” color of chalk paint I’d picked up at Michaels a while ago. I quickly put on 2 coats, sanding in between.

After waiting a day, I applied a stencil with some dark gray chalk paint, which I also picked up at Michaels.

Check it out! So much better!

The last step is to apply the wax. The only kind I had laying around was Dixie Belle clear wax. It really is top of the line- I love this wax!

We usually have some home made wax lying around, and since we are out, maybe I’ll make that my next post! DIY furniture wax!

But really, the best part of my quarantine was being able to hang out with this guy 💕

With Love,

Erika Nora