The bed boards weren't very cooperative at all. I was going for a gray color by using a thinned out black stain for more of a "washed" look. Because of the previously varnished wood, even the black wash stain kept coming out dark brown. It ended up very dark, but with some grain showing through the black. It'll still look good, even if not exactly what I was shooting for.
Here's how they looked sanded down. The weathered spots were deep in the grain, and couldn't be sanded out without taking material away.
This is after a second coat of black stain. I loved this color and the look.
However, the first coat of varnish absorbed the black and showed more grain than I wanted.
The second coat of varnish was mixed with some black stain to darken it back up. The last three coats of varnish didn't change it any from this pic.
