[Alaska_Guy]

So I know there is a bunch of people who absolutely hate this stuff... But as a weekend woodworker I have to say I had my first experience with polyshades today and I am amazed by the product. I took a oak mirror frame with a honey looking stain and shellac finish and decided to try polyshades to change the color.

Here is the process I used.

Sanded lightly with 240
taped off mirror
used 99% alcohol to wipe down frame.
Mixed 2 parts antique walnut and 1 part mahogany (both in satin)
Used a 2" purdy paint brush to apply the polyshades

It is currently drying... But man it looks awesome! The finish currently looks A LOT like cherry.

I am going to wait 8-10 hours and try another coat tomorrow.

Since I want more of a dark walnut color I am going to try mixing some black polyshades with the walnut and see where it goes from there.

Here is a picture of the frame with one coat of polyshades.

 

[Alaska_Guy]

Here is the before picture for reference.

 

[Toller]

It is basically a thin paint; rather like a semi-transparent deck stain.
But if you don't mind that, it is a good product.

I found some perfectly good chairs in the street a few years ago, and sanding them down was impractical. I simply put Polyshades over them and they looked fine.