Introducing Minwax 2023 Color of the Year, Aged Barrel!

This blog post is sponsored by Minwax. All opinions are my own. 

Hey guys, I’m back with another project with Minwax and this time I am pleased to share the 2023 Color of the Year!

So let’s get into this DIY project I created to showcase this beautiful stain color. While perusing one of my favorite retailers' websites I came across this3D dimensional art piece and thought it would be fun to my own version.

The great news was that I have scrap pieces of wood left over from other projects to help get going (I mean what kind of self-proclaimed DIY’er would I be if I didn’t have random pieces of left-over wood in my basement, amirite? LOL).

To get started I simply grabbed a few pieces of scrap wood and using my miter saw, cut them into random sizes. There honestly was no rhyme or reason to the shapes and sizes I created. This project was all about not following any instructions and allowing myself full freedom to create.

Next up, I cut down a piece of plywood using my circular saw to create the “canvas”. Then, I gave the plywood and the wood pieces a good sanding.

The next step was for me to play around with the layout of the wood pieces on the plywood canvas. It was really fun to get into a creative zone and move the wood around until I felt I had the right layout. Once I landed on the final layout, I glued the wood pieces to the plywood.

Now it’s time to stain! As always, I grabbedMinwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner to prep the surface to ensure even coverage when I apply the stain. After letting the pre-stain sit on the artwork and dry, which takes about 15 minutes, it was now time to apply the stain.

I was super excited to try the 2023 Color of the YearMinwax Wood Finish Semi-Transparent Penetrating Stain in Aged Barrel! I’m not usually someone who uses a dark stain color so I was pumped to try this out on the artwork.

Okay, but back to this project. I applied the stain using using a clean cloth and then waited 10 minutes before removing the excess stain with another clean cloth wiping in the direction of the grain.

Allowing it to dry for 24 hours, I sealed the project usingMinwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane for lasting protection.

Now that’s not too bad for a super easy and affordable 3D Dimensional art dupe!