Farmhouse Bench Makeover with Two-Tone Finish

This post is sponsored by Zar, but all opinions are my own. 

Our breakfast room needed a little something. We sit here and play games, do homework and of course, have family dinner each night (when we don’t have sports!). But it’s been feeling a bit formal and I’ve been on the hunt for a small change here. 

When Zar contacted me and put me up to the challenge to makeover a piece of furniture to give it a two-toned look, I had just the spot for it – right here in my breakfast room! I needed to add a little rustic charm but still match that more sophisticated look.

Zar is a stain company known for their gorgeous, uniform color and superior coverage on furniture, cabinets, flooring and so much more. Their wide selection is incredible and I had a hard time choosing which two colors to use because I wanted to try them all! I love that their finishes make whatever you are finishing, unique and custom to your design aesthetic with so many options to choose from. Their quality is superior to give you a truly beautiful and high-end looking result.

So here is my breakfast room before.

And here it is after with our new gorgeous farmhouse bench. You can see the two-toned look gives it just the pop it needed to the space!

I found this unfinished bench and had purchased other unfinished furniture pieces before from Amazon, so I knew it would be a great quality piece to do my magic on. I love that it is unfinished so it removes a big step from the prep stage of the project. It is a heavy piece too so I know it will withstand all the use it will be getting from those high-action game nights at the breakfast table! 

So here are all the materials and directions for you to refinish a piece for your own home. 

Farmhouse Bench Makeover with Two-Tone Finish:

Materials:

• Furniture you are painting
• 100 Grit Sandpaper 
• Paint Brushes (Qty: 3)
• Stir Stick
• Drop Cloth or old blanket
• Old Rags
• Zar Stains – I used Silk Gray and Black Caviar
• Zar Protective Finish – I used Poly Crystal Clear Hard Protective Finish in Matte

Directions:

Step 1: Lightly sand your furniture piece. Then wipe all the dust off with a dry cloth. You want to make sure you get all the debris off so the stain can go on smoothly and you don’t see anything under your finish. 

Step 2: Stir finish thoroughly with a stir stick. Using a paintbrush or foam brush, apply Zar stain evenly in the direction of the grain. I used the darker color called Black Caviar first for the top of my bench. It is a rich espresso color and is a very dark and warm feeling. 

You can see as you brush on the stain how the gorgeous color comes to life. 

Step 3: Wipe off the excess stain with a clean lint-free cloth in the direction of the grain. If you want a darker color, reapply another coat of the stain and repeat with wiping off the excess stain. I only used 1 coat of the darker color since it is so rich. 

Step 4: Using the second stain color, apply it to the legs of the bench. I used the silk gray finish for a lighter effect from the top. Wipe excess off and repeat for a darker color. I used three coats on the legs to get a more grey look. 

Step 5: Let the finish dry for a minimum of 3-4 hours. I left mine overnight to make sure it was really dry. Then apply the Zar Poly Crystal Clear Protective Finish. Using a paint brush, apply a thin coat in the direction of the grain. The thicker the coat you apply, the milkier the finish will look. Then let the bench dry. I let mine dry overnight. 

And you are done!

The finish selection on the bench made all the difference as you can see.

I absolutely love the depth of the wood grain you can see with the Zar finish. 

The rich gray color of the legs is the perfect subtle pop of color I was looking for and fits perfectly into my design style in this space. 

So tell me what project do you have in mind to use Zar finishes for?? 

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. A BLISSFUL NEST HAS RECEIVED PAYMENT, TRADE, AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM ZAR IN EXCHANGE FOR PROMOTING. HOWEVER, ALL OPINIONS STATED ARE OUR OWN.