How to Mix Stains for the Perfect Look

This dresser was donated to us by Josh's sister and brother-in-law, and it was a great foundation for this design. Mixing stains gives you the opportunity to create the perfect color and design for your space. We love the way this turned out! Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of pictures for this piece, so you may have to use your imagination to picture some of the steps we'll describe below.

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Before we get to the steps needed to mix the stains, you'll need to gather the following materials: 

• Purdy 3-Pack Polyester-Nylon Blend Angle Sash Paint Brush Variety Pack
• Fusion Mineral Paint - Color (Ash)
  • We purchase our Fusion Mineral Paint from a store in North Carolina called The Weathered Soul Shoppe.  You can buy Fusion Mineral Paint from a number of vendors in various locations, but we have found that The Weathered Soul Shoppe ships the paint quickly and has fantastic customer service.  The paint is a little bit pricey, but it provides a really great finish and has self-leveling features that reduces brush strokes.
• Minwax Cherry Oil-Based Interior Stain
• Minwax Gray Oil-Based Interior Stain
• One small and one large tupperware containers
  • We just use some old ones that we have in the cabinet (check out the pictures at the bottom of our list).  
•  Minwax Polycrylic Satin Base 32 fl oz Polyurethane
  •  Unlike oil-based poly that goes on clear, this will go on milky, but we have honestly been very satisfied with the result thus far.
• Stain and Polyurethane Brush
  • There are many options for applying stain to the wood.  However, we have found that using a stain brush allows for more control over the application process.  Please make sure that you have an old rag around so you can wipe up any excess stain that may have dripped on to areas of the dresser that you do not wish to have stained and any stain that may have dripped on to the floor.  
• Bosch 2.5-Amp Orbital Sander
  • Just remember, this is a staple item that will continually be used, so you can utilize this on a ton of DIY projects after you make the purchase.  We decided on the Bosch sander because of the quality of the Bosch brand; however, you can probably get away with a cheaper option if you don't want to invest in a nicer sander, and if you only plan on doing a few DIY projects with it.  
• Gator 50-Pack 80-Grit 5-in W x 5-in L 8-Hole Hook and Loop Sanding Disc Sandpaper
  • Depending on the type of stain that the original manufacturer of the dresser used, you may be able to get away with just sanding down the dresser without using any type of stain remover (This is huge, because stain removers are a pain).  Just keep in mind that if the dresser is not solid wood, then you may want to go with a more gentle approach; i.e., a combination of stain remover and hand sanding.  
• Frog Tape Trim Painter's Tape
  • Frog tape is a life saver if you are going for a more professional look.  Generally speaking, it is a time consuming task to tape up the dresser, but you will be happy that you did when you see the finished product.  
• CitriStrip 32 fl oz Paste Multi-Surface Paint Remover
  • CitriStrip is extremely effective, but we must give a warning; due to the fact that CitriStrip is thick and sticky it requires a little extra work to ensure that all of it has been removed from the wood, and it can be a headache later on if it is not properly removed (for us,  a combination of mineral spirits and steel wool seems to do the trick).  
• ​Staging item: We are Blessed Sign

The paint that was on the dresser was extremely thick, so we were not able to just take a sander to it. So we turned to our favorite paint stripper, CitriStrip, to remove the paint before we started sanding.  We use a cheap paintbrush to apply the CitriStrip, and then we let it sit for a while.  You will be able to tell when it starts to work because the paint we start bubbling up.  After letting it sit for a while (on this project we let it sit for a couple of hours), we will use a scraper to scrape off the paint.  After scraping, it is very important to ensure that all of the CitriStrip is removed by using some steel wool and paint thinner. 

After we finished scraping the paint off the dresser we sanded the body down.  We start with our orbital sander using an 80 grit sandpaper.  Then we hand sand with a 120 grit sandpaper.  This process seems to be extremely effective in putting the dresser in its bare bones state.  Make sure you wash it off with a damp cloth so that there is not any dust or residue left on it. Once it is dry, it is time to tape around the edges! You can take a look at the picture above and below for an example from another piece we've done.

After the body was painted, it was time for us to work on staining the drawers.

Sydney found an old Tupperware container in the kitchen, and she used that to hold the stain she mixed since she used a small quantity. For this custom stain, Sydney combined the stain with equal ratios. She poured about 1/3 cup of cherry and 1/3 cup of grey stain into her container. Then, she mixed the colors together with a plastic spoon. This amount provided her with more than enough stain to finish the drawers, so you can use a smaller amount if you are trying to be really conservative.

Tip: As you apply the mixed stain to the drawers, it is important to stain them all at one time so that they turn out the same. Be aware that the color, type, density, etc. of your wood can change the outcome of your dresser. You can see how we did the same thing on our Twin 2 Dresser, but the color is very different from this dresser. 

​Once the stain on the drawers were dry, we then added polycrylic (a water-based polyurethane) to them.  Poly does two things: (1) it creates a layer of protection for the drawers from everyday abuse; and (2) it creates a smooth finish.  We typically apply two coats of poly, but some projects may require more. After the poly has dried we use a wet sanding technique with extremely fine sand paper to ensure that the stained areas are smooth to touch.  The wet sanding process is really simple, just spray on some lemon oil and lightly sand over the stained areas with an 800 grit sandpaper (you can also do this over the painted areas, but you need to be careful not to sand too aggressively over the painted areas or you will end up with a distressed look).