Nine Drawer Dresser

 I came across this dresser on a local online sale site.  This is the picture from the online ad:

Even though the picture was quite dark and grainy, I was immediately drawn to the details of the drawer fronts and the decorative molding along the front edges.  I was fortunate that my husband and a friend were able to help me pick up the dresser.  With 9 drawers, it’s big and HEAVY!  Plus, it was in a basement suite at the bottom of a LOT of stairs.  Yikes!

The dresser was in decent shape, but definitely had some wear showing.  Because I was going for a lightly distressed finished look, I didn’t bother attempting to fill in any of the nicks or dents.   I decided to just sand it down and coat it with primer.

After that came a few coats of a warm white latex paint and then I lightly distressed all the edges.  

To finish it, I rubbed on a finishing wax to protect it and give it a nice shine.

I liked the shape of the hardware – it just needed some updating which I gave it with a couple coats of Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint. 

 Yes, I would have to say it's another successful transformation!  

Cristina

Short & Sweet

No long elaborate story for this little piece.  No roadside rescue or  major damage requiring repairs.  I picked it up last summer at a garage sale.  It was in fairly decent shape, just a bit dated with it's yellowy paint and gold accents.

After a light sanding, some primer, a couple coats of crisp white paint, a little light distressing along the edges and a glossy clear top coat, this sweet little side table is perfect for a nursery or a little girls room!

I decided to keep the original hardware, but freshened it up with a couple coats of a warm buttery cream color paint.

The single drawer is just the right size to tuck away little treasures and the bottom is the perfect place to store favorite bedtime stories.  Or, add a cute little basket for additional storage.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cristina

Small Half-round Side Table

 Before & After

I purchased this small wooden side table over a year ago and not quite sure how I wanted to finish it, left it sitting in our garage with my other projects until I could get to it.  The finish on it wasn’t in the best shape, was peeling and quite damaged along the legs and there were some fairly bad scratches on the bottom shelf.

The other day I decided to try a DIY chalk paint on it. (not the same as chalk board paint)  The amazing thing about chalk paint is that the furniture requires NO prep.  Nothing!  No sanding & no priming – even if the current finish isn’t great.  I thought this little table would be the best candidate to see how true that was.  The “real” stuff isn’t cheap, so that wasn’t an option for me right now.  I started hearing of a DIY chalk paint with basic ingredients,  so I thought I would give it a try!  There are a few different options I’ve heard of, but the one I chose only used two ingredients – both of which I currently had on hand!  They are flat latex paint and powdered Plaster of Paris.  Yup, that’s it!  

  

The recipe I found used 1 cup of flat paint to 1/3 cup of Plaster of Paris.  I had a Behr paint sample on hand that I’d purchased awhile ago and thought it would be perfect.  Paint samples are cheap (I think it was $5), come in any color you want,  are usually flat paint and the Behr ones are 236 ml which is just shy of the 250ml required.  I decided to take a chance and just use that. I mixed it with the Plaster of Paris and came up with a thick, lumpy, gritty mess.  I was sure it was going to be a disaster!  With a regular paint brush, I started brushing it on – and was thrilled when the paint started to smooth out and the gritty bits disappeared.  The first coat dried fairly quickly.  Unlike regular paint, the table had a very rough texture to it.  I lightly went over it with some 220 grit sandpaper and noticed very quickly how easy it was to sand.  I added two more coats of white, lightly sanding before and after each one.  Because it was so easy to sand, I used a little more pressure along the edges to remove the paint and allow some of the wood to show through.   

What really surprised me is how much paint I still have left!  Even after 3 coats, I’ve still got over ¾ of my mixture left!  Plenty for a couple more small projects!

I decided I wanted to try a “wash” over it, so I mixed up a small batch of light grey chalk paint and added some water to thin it out.  I brushed a single coat on and once dry, sanded most of it off.  After that, I added a layer of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax in natural.  

I’ve never used wax before but will definitely use it again.  It was easy to apply and left a beautiful sheen when buffed.  With the white and grey paint and the sheen of the wax, the finish reminds me of a pearl!  I think it’s very pretty.

I’m thrilled with the way this little table turned out and will definitely try more pieces with chalk paint.  This little table has been added to my shop and is available for purchase.

Thanks for stopping by!

The "not so real" Wood Cabinet

 Before & After

When I came across this cabinet on a local online sale site, I wasn't too sure what to think of it.  It was in rough shape and I was quite sure it was a laminate piece, but listed at only $10, I thought I could afford to take a chance on it.  I emailed the owner and was told numerous times it was in fact solid wood. 

These are the pictures that I "borrowed" from the online ad.

Hum...looking at the picture and the detail of the "wood grain", I still suspected it WAS laminate, but, hoping I was wrong, I went to see it.  A closer look confirmed my suspicions.  It was definitely laminate.  I'd never painted laminate before, but I'd read up on it and it seemed to work, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The current paint job on it was bad.  I could tell that no primer had been used on it.  Not good.  Laminate tends to be a very shiny finish and so without a primer, the paint was literally peeling off.   

I thought it would be easy to sand off the old paint, add a layer of primer, and I'd be set to paint.  Perfect - a project I'd have finished in no time!  I started sanding...and sanding...and kept sanding.  After an hour of getting nowhere, I decided to attempt another route.  I grabbed a razor blade and thought I'd try peeling the paint off.  It worked, but it was slow and far from enjoyable.  My hands and arms were cramping up from holding the blade.  After hours of scrapping, I finally decided to sand off the small pieces of paint remaining and told myself it was good enough!

Originally I believe the shelves in the right swing out door were for dvds and cds.  The top shelf was too high for dvds and would have been wasted space as I planned to only store my kids dvds in it.  I took the door apart, removed the top shelf and then moved the 2nd shelf up.  It was a bit of work, but worth it knowing I'd be able to use all the shelves now. 

I rolled on two coat of my favorite primer and then sprayed on a few coats of white satin paint.  I finished it off with a couple coats of Minwax Polyacrylic to protect it.

One thing I knew I wanted to try on this cabinet was the use of chicken wire.  I've seen it added to a lot of furniture lately and love the look.  At first I thought it would be easy to remove the existing glass.  Unfortunately, I guess the door was built around the glass instead of the glass added afterwards.  Unless I physically took the door apart (knowing that it could very well end up being completely destroyed in the process), I had to come up with another way to "remove" the glass.  I laid it down on a few sheets of newspaper and put a few more sheets on top of it.  I grabbed my hammer and...it wouldn't break!  WHAT???  I was hitting glass with a metal hammer and it wasn't breaking???  So, what did I do next?  I took a large framing nail, put on a pair of thick leather work gloves, and attempted to hammer the nail into the glass.  Well, it worked that time! It completely shattered into a million pieces.  I'd forgotten that's what safety glass does.  Because I had it lying on the newspaper, it was quick and easy to clean up.

I used my nail/staple gun and my air compressor to staple the chicken wire to the back of the door.  Using pliers, I curled under all the cut edges hoping that will be enough to keep fingers safe.  It's certainly nothing pretty to look at and I may add some sort of wood trim around it in the future to pretty it up a bit, but for now it works.

I decided to use the existing hardware that had come with the cabinet.  It's modern and I liked how it matched the chicken wire.  I may add an additional shelf at some point, but for now it's in our living room being used as our new media cabinet.  Love it. :)

Just a note:  While I am extremely happy with the way this piece turned out, laminate wouldn't be my first choice when it comes to painting.  Even with a good primer, painted laminate does have a tendency to scratch easily. Of course, if I had any other laminate pieces that I was tired of or felt could be freshened up with paint, I wouldn't hesitate to paint them!

Pretty as a Peacock

When I came across this little side table sitting outside my parents garage and was told it was headed to the burn pile, I snatched it up and brought it home with me.  

It was definitely looking a bit rough, but I thought there was no harm in trying to bring back its original beauty.  I knew I had my work cut out for me though.

To start, the front of the drawer was dented, scratched and the original hardware (which was now missing)  must have been rubbing on it because it had worn a large divot in one of the panels!  Poor little table. 

Unfortunately the outdoor weather hadn’t been kind to the table top causing some water damage to the surface.

The first thing that caught my eye though was the chunky legs.   I absolutely loved the square detail on them!  Even though I wasn’t quite sure what the outcome would be, I knew I had to try some paint magic with this piece.

I started by filling in the original holes for the hardware,  large dents and other damage with some wood filler.  After a good sanding, I applied a coat of my favorite primer.  After that I sprayed on a few coats of white paint.   

 I thought it looked fine, but it ended up sitting in our garage for a few months after that point.  For some reason it just didn’t feel “finished” to me.

About a month ago, I had this crazy idea to try something bold...I wanted to try painting with color!  Now, if you know me, you’ll know I pretty much always stick to white. White works...it’s a “safe” color.   Ok, so I’ve tried a few different cream colored paints, but that’s about as extreme as I go.  This time I wanted something completely different!  Before I could change my mind, I went and bought a can of “Peacock Tail” blue paint.

The first few coats I sprayed on were a bit shocking!  At first I wasn’t sure if I loved it...or if I had completely lost my mind!  Eek!  After at least 4 coats of paint and drilling new holes for the hardware, I was happy with it and so  I set it aside to “cure” for about a week.  

What I quickly discovered was the dark paint was really bringing out all the imperfections.  Remember the water damage on the top?  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to sand it down to a completely flat surface.  The white paint seemed to camouflage that, but the dark blue, well, not so much.  Rather than try to fight it though, I decided to go with it.  I took my mouse sander and “distressed” all the corners and edges.  I loved how the white paint was showing though!  

After a few coats of wipe-on polyurethane, I added some vintage hardware and it was finished!  

I just love dovetail drawers!

 Sure, it’s not perfect, it’s got its lumps and bumps here and there, but it’s all part of the Cinderella story this little table has to tell.  I’m thrilled I was able to “rescue” it and hope it can once again be enjoyed in someone’s home.

Here's another before & after.  Such a transformation, don't you think?

I'll be adding this side table to my shop shortly!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cristina

Basic Black

Just a short post regarding another project I finished yesterday afternoon.  I picked up this small pine table a few weeks ago for a decent price.  Nothing spectacular, but it was sturdy and in decent shape.  It had previously been painted white and someone had even taken the time to paint a checkerboard in the middle of it!  Perfect for a games room!

Here's the pic from the online ad.  Oh, and in case you're wondering, no, the toys and wires on the floor were not included in the deal. ;) 

My husband had asked me to keep my eyes open for a small table for him to have in his "man cave" and I thought this one would be perfect...after a paint job.

I have it a light sand and gave the entire piece a coat of primer.

At first I was hesitant to paint over the checker board, but hubby had no need for it, so it had to go.

After a couple coats of black paint and a clear coat, it's finished!

The table is a very simple design and with its basic straight leg, painting it was easy.  It will now fit in with the other pieces of furniture in the basement.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cristina

A Pretty Pair

I recently finished this pair of bedside tables for a friend who contacted me asking if I had a set of side tables in my current furniture stash.  I was happy to say I did! 

These tables originally had a set of heavy doors on them.  

One of the doors was missing its hardware, but I found the doors dated the piece so I decided they had to go.  They were also covered in cobwebs, ink marks and water rings - highly unattractive! BUT, I wasn't about to complain.  Why you may ask?  Would you believe I actually found them sitting in someones front yard with a "Free" sign on them?  Of course I had to take a chance on them.

It was QUITE the ordeal for me to get them home though.  I still laugh and shake my head when I think about it.  I had all three of my kids AND my double stroller in the van...so what did I do?  I squished one in the back beside the stroller...and the other sat on my passenger front seat!  I received QUITE a few strange looks on the drive home. ;)

I had previously painted one of the tables and had it in our guest room but it was just a little too large for the room and so I never got around to actually finishing it.  All it needed was a light sand and a fresh coat of paint.  The second table was still sitting in my garage patiently waiting for its turn to be refinished.  

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures as I was redoing them!  I filled in the holes with some wood putty, sanded everything down and brushed on a coat of my favorite primer.  Once dry, I sprayed on a few coats of white paint.  I’ve painted a lot of furniture, but I am still always amazed with every single piece at what a difference a coat of paint can make.  I did have to dig out my paint brush and roller to paint the interior of the cabinet just because my paint sprayer was too bulky and I couldn't reach the back.

Once the paint was finished, I applied a few coats of Minwax Polyacrylic in a semi-gloss finish.  I love this clear coat because it’s water based (soap & water clean up!) and it won’t yellow overtime which is a definite plus when painting white or light colored pieces!

This refinish took a bit more work and a lot longer than I anticipated but I'm happy with how they turned out and I hope they will work well in their new home. :)

Here’s one last before and after.  Such a change! 

 Thanks for stopping by!