How to Replicate the Coffee Glaze Look on Maple

Brew a strong pot of coffee. Use 5 heaping tablespoons for one 12-cup coffee pot. Place the pot into the refrigerator to cool completely. Coffee works best for staining if it is very cold. Move on to step 2 while the coffee is in the refrigerator.

Apply a medium-grit sandpaper disc to your hand sander. Medium-grit sandpaper ranges between 80 and 120 grits and is used to smooth the surface of the wood and remove imperfections that you may not know are there. Sand away the first layer of wood on the furniture. This will create a rough surface for the glaze to stick to. Brush away all of the dust very well with the old paintbrush. Wet a sponge and wipe down the maple thoroughly to ensure that all sanding dust is removed from the wood before beginning to stain.

Pour the cold coffee into a wide-mouthed container to give room for your whole hand and sponge to access the coffee. Dip the sponge into the cold coffee. Only squeeze enough coffee out of the sponge to keep it from dripping as you transfer the sponge from the container to the wood. Rub the coffee in the direction of the grain. Make sure the wood is thoroughly wet and has a thin layer of coffee sitting on top of the wood. The wood will absorb most of the coffee.

Allow the coffee to sit on top of the wood for 10 to 20 minutes. The longer the coffee sits on the wood, the more coffee the wood will absorb. Wipe the excess coffee off the wood with an absorbent cloth. Wipe in the direction of the wood grain. Allow the wood to dry completely before applying the clear glaze. This can take up to 48 hours.

Apply the first coat of clear glaze with a paintbrush. Allow for one to two hours of drying time after the first coat of glaze before applying the second. The first coat will seal in moisture and the stain, while the second coat helps to protect from knicks and scratches. Allow the glaze at least 24 hours to completely cure before attaching hardware or using the maple wood.