A Handy Stepstool

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Leigh Ann insists I’m never around when she needs to get something that I’ve put away in the top of the tallest cabinet or shelf in our house, so I thought this sturdy stepstool might keep me out of trouble.

The flat surfaces of the bench made it a good candidate for Minwax® PolyShades®, a combination of stain and polyurethane in one can. The key to applying PolyShades® is to use a quality, natural bristle brush — no foam brushes!!!!!

See the difference between the upper half and the lower half of the top of my bench? On the upper half I have used long, continuous strokes with just the tips of my bristle brush to smooth out the PolyShades®. The lower half stills shows the uneven brush marks that need to be straightened out using this technique called “tipping off.”

And since PolyShades® contains both stain and finish, one step was all I needed to complete my project — and hopefully keep me out of trouble.

Until next time,

Thanks for stopping by!

Bruce