Updated Stair Case: With Gel Stain

So here's the thing. Gel stain. Yep, I said it.  Now if your like me you've got a lot of feeling about this gel stain craze.  I'll get to mine in a minute...

When we first bought our house it was the first time in years we hadn't lived on a military installation. I had all these things I wanted to do and redo!  I was so appalled by the honey oak color I wanted to stain everything dark brown.  Seriously, isn't that what gel stain does? Makes things so dark people can't tell if it's paint or stain?


I'm not saying I hate gel stain.  That thick ass goop goes to town and every where else for that matter. Don't get me wrong it did what it claimed it darkened the crap outta that stair rail, and in all honesty made it look better... for the most part.

Now this dang staircase was a lot of work.  Like a pain in my ass lot of work! Day 3 I was thinking that honey oak aint so bad... However I kept on keeping on and got it to the point it looked... okay. Maybe because I'm a novice stainer or a lazy stainer or I don't know what the hell I'm doing stainer. Either way the stuff was thick and goopy... gelish, I suppose.  However here's a peek at a little bit of the progress.  At this point I wasn't quite sure I was going to paint or stain the bottom molding, so I had left it alone.

 As it sits now it's unfinished truly.  I was never quite sure I wanted to keep it so incredibly dark so I never sealed it, ever, and after a year its starting to chip in places. So much of me wants to sand it down and try again, maybe not go so dark. However most of me never ever wants to touch it again, ever.

I do however love the bottom molding is painted white and in all actuality the post them selves may be painted white as well at some point.

Here's the before.

And after... sort of...

I have continued to update the entry. We did a little treatment to that stair wall, that I plan on sharing with you all next week!  Wanna a little sneak peak?

You already know that faux ship-lap is making appearance on the next post!

So make sure you follow me so you don't miss that awesome post!

Until then! 

xoxo, Michelle