Stained Wood Mantel

I recently whitewashed our brick fireplace and was hoping someday I would have time to stain our mantel black to match the bookshelves in our great room. Our great room is the main room of our house that we all hang out. Any project in our there requires strategic planning. With Adam off work for two weeks, it gave me a little extra time and help with the kiddos to be able to tackle this project.

Here is what it looked like after whitewashing but before staining.

 

First, I covered the hearth and carpet with a canvas drop cloth to reduce the chance of a major accident.

Next, I lightly sanded the wood to remove the old finish. It also removed some bird poop looking paint spots from the spill I had while whitewashing. (Oops!)

Then, using a rag, I wiped off all the dust, dirt, and gunk.

Finally, I applied Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain in ebony with a paint brush to the mantel.

I worked in small sections.

After about 2 minutes, I used an old rag to wipe off any excess stain that did not soak into the wood. I chose to skip a finish on the mantel because it is not an area that gets a lot of use.

We love the cohesive look this gives our great room and I am super excited I didn’t spill any black stain on our beige carpet. Whoohoo!