Beneath our wall-mounted television set, we have had a jumble of receivers and players stacked atop one another next to our fireplace. I knew I had to make something to hold them, so when I saw in one of our local home improvement stores these non-plywood, pre-glued panels (on right), I knew it would be easy to cut, assemble, and lightly sand this simple media stand.
The wood was knotty pine, and while the label claimed it was “stain grade,” trust me: knotty pine does not always accept a stain very evenly. To make it less susceptible to blotchiness, I first gave it a liberal coat of Minwax® Water-Based Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner.
Since the sides of my stand were vertical, I elected to use Minwax® Gel Stain “Cherrywood” to compliment the other woodwork in the room. Gel Stain is thicker than conventional stains, so it clings better to vertical surfaces — and does not run down the sides before you have a chance to work it into the pores. After applying the Gel Stain to each panel, I wiped off the excess stain going in the direction of the grain of the wood.
After the Gel Stain had dried, I protected it with two coats of Minwax® Fast-Drying Polyurethane. The next day I moved my stand into our family room and organized all the equipment and cords, which made the whole room look much better.
Until next time,
Thanks for stopping by!
Bruce
