Darken wood furniture with Gel Stain

My Barrister Bookcase was featured!!!

Have you ever found a piece of furniture that would look great in your home if only it were a darker wood?  It's in good conition, no need to strip and refinish, it just needs to be darker? 

When we decided to switch to a flatscreen t.v. I knew I wanted an old buffet as my t.v. stand. I found this beauty on Craigslist for $20! I didn't like the yellowish green finish. YUK! 

And here she is after using American Finishes gel stain:

What a dramatic difference!  

Here is an oak barrister bookcase that I found on Craigslist for $10.  It was in my parent's hometown so I called my Dad and asked him to run over and pay for it so the seller would hold it until I got there.  

It was missing the bottom piece of glass but that was easily replaced with a quick trip to Lowe's. We just glued it in place~easy peasy!

And after:

We even used it on our ugly, 1980's bathroom cabinets! Here is a picture comparing the finishes. The door on the left is the after; the one on the right is the before. Sorry about the glare! I didn't know I would be blogging at the time I took the pics or I would have done a better job! 

The American Finishes Gel Stain comes in several different colors.  I used the Java.

First I cleaned each piece really well.  Next, I simply applied the gel stain with an old rag.  I wiped off the excess and let it dry.  After a second coat, I brushed on the General Finishes Gel Topcoat with a sponge brush and I was finished!

I hope this post is helpful and saves you some time and your money!