I would like to share my experience with you. I sanded the window trim to bare metal. I then cleaned the pieces with a water, white vinegar solution. When dry I primed and painted the pieces with a tan Rustoleum spray paint. Let dry a few days then using a terry cloth towel I applied Minwax GEL mahogany stain (you may choose any tint, I preferred this tint). I found True Value Hardware offered a variety of gel stains. Lowe's and Home Depot offered only one tint of gel stain in my market. When I first applied the stain, I started to wonder if I was doing this correctly because it was not covering very well, but I found you have to be patient and you have to apply several consecutive coats until you get the texture and tint you desire (application tip: wear rubber gloves because this stain is an oil base stain). You can touch up the texture using a brush while the stain is still wet, but I did not. I let the pieces dry for 48 hours before applying two coats of polyurethane. I then used extra fine steel wool being careful to not apply a lot of pressure and lightly sanded the surface. I then applied a third coat of polyurethane. I am pleased with the outcome. BTW, an art teacher friend I work with told me printing ink was used originally for this process. Mike