Mahogany Inlaid Buffet

By Sue Pierquet at Bringing Out The Charm in Farmington, MN.

Oh I love the flame burl and the inlaid on this federal style buffet.  I loved it from the moment I saw it.  I picked it up from a woman who was moving out west to go work at our national parks.  She was emptying her townhome.  I told her I would give the buffet new life and a lot of love.

In prep I cleaned her up with dish soap and water to degrease then scrubbed with a 50/50 mixture of denatured alcohol and water.  The top and the drawers needed to have that beautiful wood grain along with the burl and inlaid brought forward.  I gently took the old finish off with laquer thinner and steel wool.  Once that was off I sanded the top gently with 120 grit sandpaper.  I used GF Brown Mahogany water based stain on the top and drawers.  I sealed them with Arm-R-Seal - 3 coats.  The frame I painted with two coats of GF Lamp Black milk paint.  I sealed that with 3 coats of High Performance Satin.

Now for the inside.  The inside wasn't in great condition.  The inside gave me a challenge because #mahogany and #winestain.  Where oh where was my GF stain blocker?  I didn't have any.  I wanted the open cabinet doors to have a cream inside.  Are you thinking what I'm thinking?  Not a smart idea without stain blocker.  I tried the Bin Shellac first.  I painted three coats of Annie Sloan Old Ochre on the inside.  It bled and bled and bled.  I even waxed between coats.  Finally on the 4th coat after applying wax and waiting for a few days it looked good.  The shelf was painted in Annie Sloan Country Grey.  Again with the bleeding!  I did the chalk paint/wax combo and after 4 coats got it to work.  Guess who bought a ton of GF stain blocker?  

It was a challenge but a learning on how to address mahogany.  The final product is now AMAZING!

 

 

Project Category

Upcycling Merit CategoriesRoll Out The Burl-El

Products Used

  • GF Brown Mahogany Water Based Stain
  • GF Lamp Black Milk Paint
  • Arm-R-Seal
  • High Performance Satin
  • Annie Sloan Old Ocre
  • Annie Sloan Country Grey
  • Annie Sloan Clear Wax

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