Give A Footstool A Facelift

This little footstool has been kicking around our home for a long time. 

It is a made in the USA rough and sturdy little thing that has proven itself very useful and Vic and I have talked about painting it since we bought it.  It had splashes of various paint colors on it as well as sheet-rock mud and other spills from the use it has gotten.
It was finally time to give it a prettier appearance.

Here is how I did the transformation: 
Basically all I did to begin is to wipe the stool of any loose dirt.  Then Vic took it out in the garage and put a coat of stain on it.  I wanted him to do this so that when I sand through the paint there would be a warmer color underneath that would show up better than the raw wood. 

Because the stain was an oil based product, I let it sink in and dry for a few days.
Next I painted the stool with Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in "Vintage".   These paints are so easy to use and they don't require any special prep work. 
I only wanted a limited amount of distressing on this so I sanded through the paint in small areas where there would be natural wear and tear. 

To finish the project I sealed the paint with Americana Decor Creme Wax.  I applied the wax with a large brush, let it dry and then used a soft cloth to buff the finish.
Finally our helpful footstool got the facelift that it was overdue for. :)