Back in 2019, I needed a new bed. My requirements – cheap, simple, sturdy, solid wood and untreated: Research led me to the Heavy Duty bed frame from strictly beds. The untreated part was because I didn’t know what bedside tables I wanted at the time so I planned to treat the bed to match the bedside tables.
I’d got a lovely dining table and chairs set off eBay that my Dad informed me was Ducal. It turns out Ducal used to be a well-known furniture producer in the UK, specifically pine but closed just under a couple of decades ago. I like Ducal furniture. Anyway, long story short, one of the Ducal chairs sits in the bedroom and I acquired a matching pair of excellent condition Ducal bedside tables from a charity shop. There were two obstacles now, I would have to somehow acquire Ducal stain and I’d never stained wood before.
Incredibly, there is a shop in Chesterfield, Finney’s Wood Finishes, that my Dad told me about. I took a drawer down and instantly they knew what stain I should use: They produce a stain they call Antique Pine, which is a perfect match for Ducal’s Victoria pine range of furniture. I got the smallest amount (500ml) for £14 and gave the bed a couple of coats (after several YouTube videos on how to stain wood). I also finished it with yacht varnish – a crucial recommendation to use an oil-based varnish as the stain is water-based.
I think it turned out well, a perfect match, for the bedside tables, which I think nicely lessens the contrast between the ornate finely made Ducal cabinets and the utilitarian rough chunky bed frame. (Feel free to disagree)…
