Wicker makeover

 I have been looking for a square wooden trunk that would serve as an end table/storage in my living room. Everything I have seen has been the wrong size or the wrong color or covered in leather so it can't be painted. Last week I found a cute wicker trunk at Tar-jay.  It was the perfect size, but it was wicker, not originally what I was looking for, and the color was all wrong.  I walked away, and went back to it, walked away, and went back to it again.  It was on sale for 39$......then I thought, Hmmm....Nothing a little wood stain won't fix, right?  I had never tried to stain wicker before, but I've seen it done so I thought-what the heck! I bought it!  This is no ground breaking transformation, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Before-too light!

                                  

After-just right!..after 4 coats.

I probably could have bought a dark stain and only used one coat...would have dried faster and not stunk up the house for so long, but I just used what I already had...because I'm cheap like that! 

You cannot tell so much in the pictures, but I think it made a big difference.  Now it matches the  wicker baskets I already have in my living room.

 

In it's new home!

Warning:  I'm sure you all know this, but only use wood stain in a well ventilated area...like outside!

Since there was white stuff covering most of the earth outside...and it was cold...and because patience is not one of my virtues,  I chose to do it in my family room with the sliding doors open and the fan on.  The kids were downstairs and we were going to be out of the house the rest of the day anyway.  Bad idea.  The house stank for days and it gave everyone headaches. Guess I'll have to wait for nicer weather to try this on the rattan seats on my kitchen barstools.