I was recently invited to attend the Seattle Renegade Craft Fair and partnered with Minwax for this post…
I have never attended this fair before or used Minwax so this was a fun new experience. Of course, the hubby came along and was behind the scenes taking some of these pictures as I enjoyed all the information =).
The booth was set up nicely to accommodate many guests and left room for people to watch the very talented Bruce Johnson as he shared demos and tutorials.
Example pieces were laid out for people to admire, to touch and to see first hand how this company takes pride in their product. And for good reason.
As soon as I arrived, I was warmly greeted by the people behind this brand name. They were quick to welcome me and show me around. I loved hearing about their campaign, “Made With Love. Finished with Minwax.” You can watch this inspiring video that shares the heart behind this whole idea…
Then came the wealth of knowledge from expert, Bruce Johnson. He showed me the ropes when it comes to staining. I confessed to him that I have shied away from staining projects or furniture as it has intimidated me in the past.
As he explained the different products and showed me how they each worked, I quickly realized that there were many ways to stain/finish a piece and there really wasn’t reason to avoid trying. There are also a variety of colors to choose from in the Water Based Wood Stains selection.
Again, a misconception on my part had been that most stains were only available in a few certain shades. But instead they had many categories, including Cottage and Sea/Sky colors (both which happened to be my favorites).
One of the first examples he showed me was this Express Color. It was kinda like a little miracle in a tube! I watched him squirt some onto a wood plank and then rubbed it in with a soft cloth. And that was it, that was the only step. It had everything you could need in that single container.
Like with any finished pieces, there are things to consider such as conditioning the wood (for superior coverage) and protecting if it is a heavily used piece in your home.
The other product that left me surprised were the Wood Finishing Cloths. Just like a baby wipe (except using gloves =) you pull out a wipe and wipe the wood until it is covered with stain. Once again, simple and easy. I thought it was especially useful for someone who is new to stain.
At the end, I got to leave a happy DIYer with a project that I am looking forward to sharing with you in the future. I filled my bags up with staining goodies and I can’t wait to share how I used them.
You can also head over to LIKE Minwax on Facebook for more woodworking/wood staining inspiration!
All opinions are 100% my own and I was flattered at the opportunity to work with Minwax on this project.
‘Till then sweet friends!
Annie, I have been wanting to try a stain, also! You are a much braver DIYer than I am, but this sounds pretty simple- I can’t wait to see what you do! Thank you for sharing and I look forward to hearing how your experience goes with your project!
Kelley thanks so much and I can’t wait to share =), I appreciate you stopping by!
Love all this insight Annie! Our dining table needs some touch up and I think I’ll be heading to Lowes very soon to buy some Minwax products! Looks like you had a great time there!
xo
Thanks so much Shauna! It really was fun to learn something new and I’m excited to try it out! xo
I love Minwax! I used to have a decorative painting business and we used it all the time! Thanks for sharing such a great post detail this company! Sounds like there are some new products for me to try out!
Aren’t they great and so are their products! Thanks so much Jennifer – I appreciate it and glad you think so too!
I have used stains in the past so I’m ‘somewhat’ used to it – but this seems to be so so simple and definitely worth trying out! These products look amazing – thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Tamara! It has been fun and helpful to learn what I am doing when it comes to staining =).
Annie! This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing with us about Minwax and I’ll definitely be trying this out on my next project. Sounds simple and I can’t wait to see what you do with your goodies;))
Bree thank you so much! I appreciate you visiting!
How fun – there’s nothing better than trying out something hands-on! I’m obsessed with the idea of those stain wipes – didn’t know such a thing existed! Thanks for sharing!
Kris I know, right!? They have some fun user friendly stuff to try out! Thanks for stopping by!
Annie what a great post! Staining has always seemed scary to me, but your information has given me hope that this is something I could take on myself! I can’t wait to see what project you have up your sleeves! xo
Randi thank you sweet friend! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to visit here – xo!