Friday Stain Fail

I should have known that doing a real time DIY project is just asking for trouble... but I was just so excited about it! Let's back track... Thanks to my Dad I have these awesome new table tops, and thanks to this great DIY stain post I got an update on my tetanus booster.

Here are all of the details!

I dumped one tablespoon of coffee grounds (I used ones that had never been brewed) into a mason jar filled with distilled white vinegar and 2 steel wool pads. I let the concoction sit a little more than 24 hours.

I used a plastic bag to protect my hands from the stain and applied a liberal coat to both of the tabletops.  I let the stain sit and went back to check on it after the hour was up. This is what I found! Beautiful distressed looking wood (excuse the coffee grinds)

So if one coat and an hour is good, then a second coat should be great right? I applied a second coat with bare hands (duh!!!) and as I was waiting for it soak in I looked down at my hands and notices several paper cut sized scratches. Cue major freak out followed by dragging the kids all over town to get a Tetanus booster shot. Needless to say walking in to find that my beautiful distressed tables were now looking like redwood tables was the icing on the cake! They are not photographing nearly as red as they are in real life, but take a look.

In an effort to get rid of some of the redness, I did a vinegar wash and it did help some.

Next up, a vinegar and steel wool only stain. And yes, I will be wearing gloves! So if you are thinking of trying this, my advice would be to use much less coffee and maybe even already brewed coffee. Oh and again, protect your hands!

Linking up at Serenity Now!