My Disaster With Regular Ebony
Last month, I tried sprucing up my old coffee table. Wanted that fancy, deep black finish like I saw in magazines. Figured regular ebony wood was the answer since everyone talks about it being “luxury.” Grabbed some, spent a whole Saturday sanding it smooth and careful. Felt good. Then came the stain.
What a mess! The stain didn’t soak in evenly at all. Some parts looked dark like spilled coffee, others looked kinda grey and patchy. Looked cheap, honestly. Felt so annoyed – wasted time, ruined my wood. Back to the drawing board.
Stumbling Into New Ebony
Talked to this grumpy guy at the lumber yard while returning the ruined piece. He muttered “Shoulda tried New Ebony” under his breath. Never heard of it. Asked him what he meant. He just shrugged and said “Less pores, drinks stain better. Less hassle.” Okay, guess it was worth a shot. Bought a smaller board this time, didn’t wanna waste more cash.
The Do-Over Moment
Sanded the New Ebony board same way. But felt different right away. Tighter feeling grain, smoother under the sander. Didn’t have those annoying tiny holes everywhere like the old ebony. Took a deep breath and applied the exact same black stain.
Couldn’t believe my eyes. The color soaked in like a dream! Even, deep black across the whole board in one coat. No blotches, no weird grey bits. Finished it off with some wipe-on poly. The shine? Like glass. The depth? Like looking into a dark lake. Massive difference from that first disaster.
Why It Actually Works (What I Learned)
So yeah, learned my lesson the hard way. Here’s why New Ebony was the hero:
- No Pores = No Drama: Those tiny holes in regular ebony? They swallow stain randomly. New Ebony doesn’t have ’em. The wood is denser, smoother. Stain goes on smooth, looks solid.
- Dark From the Start: New Ebony itself is already darker naturally than regular ebony. So you’re not fighting a light base color with mountains of stain. Gets you to that rich black faster.
- Forgiving For Us Mere Mortals: You don’t need expert-level staining skills. No fancy techniques needed. Put the stain on, wipe it off like usual. Good result.
- Finish Just Looks Fancier: Because the base color is uniform and deeper, the final clear coat looks insanely rich. More luxury, less DIY-project.
So Yeah, I’m Converted
Saw my patched-up coffee table? Looks like a million bucks now. That one piece of New Ebony made all the difference. Felt dumb using the old stuff first, honestly. Won’t be making that mistake again. If you want that real-deal, easy black finish for your project? Grab New Ebony. Saves you the headache and the tears. Trust me.
