Spoiler alert: This is not a post about the erotica novel or film. 

Picking out stain was about as frustrating as picking out a hand railing. My knowledge of stain is about as profound as my knowledge of quantum physics. I know that they exist, and that they are a fundamental part of their respective categories, but as for how it all works, I have no idea. 

I have never used any other colour of stain aside from white. It was on two different staircases, one inside and one outside. I used the same stain for both and applied it with a paintbrush. It was messy and didn’t last longer than a year on either. I saw my hard work go down the drain, and decided from that point on that I hated stain. Paint was the way to go. 

That was before The Little Barn. Since then, stain has become our best friend. From the varying brands, to the varying types, to the varying tints, to the varying coverages, to the varying woods, to the varying materials used to apply it, we have had a crash course in stain. Stubborn to the end, I can’t say that I’ve liked it. However, I don’t hate it as much as I once did.

My mum uses stain for everything. I never understood it before, until now. With having to choose a colour for our tongue and groove ceiling, trim, doors, and furniture galore, we decided to stick to none other than gray. No, it’s not for our love of gray days, nor for the novel by E.L. James, but merely because it looks freaking cool. Literally. Its cool tones work well with our dark floor and white walls. I’m a big fan of the shade.

We chose Classic Gray Minwax for the majority of our home. For our furniture, we went with Sun Bleached Varathane.

What has been your experience with stain?

<3

Emory