Eight years ago I spotted this hutch at an antique fair and just knew I had to have it.

The piece isn’t very sturdy (it’s made of only plywood and pine) and it needed A LOT of TLC.  But, it had so much character and I loved the hand carved detailing and antique glass.  Plus, the seller knocked 40% off the price (I’m a sucker for a deal).  When I bought it I was a newlywed with no kids, no dogs and I just knew I would have plenty of time to give it a makeover, however, I somehow managed to find other things to do.  Fast forward 8 years, 2 kids, 2 dogs and 4 moves later and there it still sat, with no love and now I really didn’t have any time on my hands. One day last summer, for some inexplicable reason, I woke up and thought, “NOW is the time!”  So what if I had to refinish the piece in my garage…in Texas…in July?  GREAT idea!  So, off I went to purchase supplies…

Since I don’t want to bore you to tears, I won’t go into each detailed step of the refinishing process (feel free to ask me questions about it, though).  But, I am going to tell you Citristrip is the most amazing stuff ever.  It makes removing old varnish a breeze….And I had LOTS of old varnish to remove.  Let’s take a look at all of the before shots, shall we?

It  had clearly seen better days.  After stripping off the varnish, the hutch looked like this (sorry, no pics of the top half.  I think it melted)…

Now, keep in mind I am in the midst of a Texas summer, with ZERO wind.  At this point, I really wanted to forget the whole thing.  I was in hell, dripping sweat, and my hutch was mocking me.  She was the devil and I just assumed use her as firewood the next winter.   Seriously.  Then, I added the first coat of gel stain.  Hmmm, did I just feel the hint of a breeze?

So, I carried on and am so glad I did.  After a week in the heat, this was my end result…

No more reddish, uneven, chipped, neglected finish.  My hutch is now a rich, even chocolaty brown.  Here is a side by side before and after comparison…

Isn’t she beautiful?!  So, was refinishing this piece in a garage when it was eleventy billion degrees worth it?  You bet!  Not only did I sweat off 5 pounds (bonus!), but I have a piece that I will be proud of for years to come.