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!

8 Drawer Dresser

I came across an ad for this dresser online and noticed that it had already received a huge number of “page views”.  Although the picture wasn’t ideal, the price seemed decent, so I assumed the dresser was probably long gone and the owner just hadn’t removed the ad yet.  I always like to send a quick email “just in case” and was thrilled to receive a response informing me that yes, the dresser was actually still for sale.

This is the picture from the online ad:

 

From what I could tell, it just looked like it was in desperate need of a good sanding, a coat of primer and a few coats of paint.  Sounds simple enough, right?

When I arrived to look at the dresser, I noticed one bottom edge seemed to have some water damage.  It didn’t look too bad, so I “thought” some glue, a few clamps and a good sanding would fix that up. 

When I got it home, I removed the drawers and sanded down the main body of the dresser.  

Once finished, I was able to inspect the side a little more closely.  Oh boy...I realized the side was made from a piece of plywood and the water had actually separated many of the layers and was damaged over halfway up the side.  There would be no gluing or clamping...the entire piece would have to be replaced.   SO, what did I do?   

 Ok, maybe not.  I certainly wasn’t smiling as I took a hammer to it and smashed out the side though!

With the cause of my aggression now lying in splinters on the floor, I started sanding the drawers.  I realized almost right away there was a problem.  See the light color peeking through under the light green?

 The light green paint was obviously a latex...the light color underneath must have been an oil.  If you are not familiar with painting, keep note that this is a HUGE no-no!  Latex paint will NOT stick to an oil paint.  (latex is fine over an oil base PRIMER, but NOT an oil base PAINT)   It was no wonder the paint job was in such bad shape...the slightest bump and it was peeling off! 

I think it was at this point I sat down on my garage floor and just stared at it wondering WHAT in the world I’d gotten myself into!  Kicking it to the curb crossed my mind, but a friend had seen the before picture I’d posted on facebook and had already asked if she could buy it when I finished it!  I knew I had to keep pushing onward!!!

I lost track of how much time I actually spent sanding the dresser...it was a long time, I know that.  I was SOOO excited to finally apply that first coat of primer!  

You may have noticed the far side of the dresser is still missing.  I needed my hubby to cut a new piece for me, but was too impatient to wait until that happened, so I kept going forward without it!

After the primer came the paint!  

It was so nice to see a beautiful piece of furniture finally emerge after all the problems!

With a new piece cut, primed and painted, you would never know I had smashed out this side with a hammer!

I had originally planned to reuse the original drawer pulls assuming they were just painted wooden pulls.  They weren’t.   They were a cherry red plastic which had been poorly painted with the same dark green latex paint.  Latex paint over plastic – also a no-no.  I ended up just buying some brand new simple white pulls to replace the original ones.

After a couple of clear protective coats, the dresser was finished!  SUCH a transformation, don’t you think?    

Now that this project is complete, I can actually sit back and laugh about the entire thing.  It was definitely a LOT of work, but I’m happy with the finished piece.

 

Bedside Beauty

Well, that was a slightly longer break than I anticipated.  While I am extremely fortunate to have a large garage to work in, it’s not insulated, so as soon as the cold weather hits, a lot of my furniture redos have to be put on hold.   Cold weather + cold paint = NOT good.   I think the break was good for me though – I needed to step back and take bit of a breather.  Of course, with the beginning of the New Year, I was chomping at the bit to get back outside and start working on these pieces that have been sitting and waiting for me.

One of the pieces I finally finished was actually “mostly” completed a few months ago.  This bedside table was one of a few pieces I purchased from my brother-in-law last summer.

 It was in decent shape, but the orangey wood tone was just dated.  And the hardware definitely had to go.  In “blog-land”, this particular hardware is referred to as “flying bats”.  Ha ha.

I decided to go with a painted base and stained top.  I started by stripping the finish off the top and giving the rest of the piece a light sand and a coat of primer.

After taping off the top, I chose to spray the base with a soft cream colored paint instead of my usual white. I knew I wanted to go with a warmer colored stain and I thought the cream paint would compliment it better.   

 After 3 coats of paint, it was time to start the stain.  I had been debating whether to go light or dark and finally decided on a warm chestnut color.  I was really happy with the way it turned out!

After that was done, the cabinet sat...in the garage...for about 2 months. ;)   I never seemed to get around to picking up new hardware for it (to replace the “bats”) I FINALLY made a special trip into town this past weekend specifically for it.  Fortunately my trip was successful and it actually didn’t take that long to choose!

Although it now looks finished, it’s actually ALMOST done.  I still need to add one more coat of wipe-on poly to the top and then brush on a few coats of poly acrylic on the base.  THEN it will be complete.

Here’s one last quick side-by-side before and after!

Ahhhh....so much better.

I will be listing this piece shortly, so if you’re interested in it, please let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cristina

China Cabinet Craziness

Wow, can't believe it's already been a month since my last post and yet I don't really have much to show for it.  I've got a number of projects on the go, but none of them are quite ready to be revealed...hopefully soon!

I did manage to ALMOST finish a project that I started a few months ago but now it's even closer to being done!  Ha ha.  Does that even make any sense????

A few months ago I came across an online ad for an “Apartment size China Cabinet”.   There was no picture and very few details, but it was local, so I thought I would go see it.    It was bad.  I couldn’t seem to look past the horrible dark brown color, the cobwebs & the dust.  (It was being stored in the owners garage and covered in paint cans and car oil containers).  I actually decided to pass on it and went home empty-handed.   

A week later, I couldn’t get this cabinet off my mind, so I emailed the owner to see if it was still available – it was.  It was just as horrible as I’d remembered, but I managed to get the price down a bit, so I decided to take a chance.

Here it is in its ugly state on our front deck.   

My husband helped me unload it from the van, glanced at it and then gave me “the look”.  Yup, that “why did you buy this ugly piece of crap” look.  I’ve seen it many times. ;)

The original hardware was definitely not helping!

What I did like was the storage though.

I started on it right away by giving it a light sand and a coat of my favourite primer...Zinnser Cover Stain.    It covers everything!!!  I realize now I actually forgot to take a picture of that step.  Oops.  After that, I covered the entire piece in a coat of white satin paint.  Ahhhh...so much better.  I felt it still needed a little something, so I added some crownmolding to the top to give it a little more height and add a little bit of a decorative element.  This was my first attempt with crownmolding and, well, let’s just say wood filler and I have become good friends.

After giving it a 2^nd & 3^rd coat of white, I added a clear coat and moved it into our living room for our electronics and a few higher shelves for me to decorate that would be out of reach of little fingers..  It sat like this for 2 months until I finally finished painting the doors this week to add to the bottom.  The doors had a, um, “unique” block design on them.  Shall we look again?

I hated it.  The inside was very simple and I much preferred that look, so I turned then “inside out” instead.   I would still like to add some beadboard to the front panels to dress them up a little more, but that will be at a later date.

I decided to keep the original drawer pulls as I found them to be a little unique and don't mind the way they look now against the white paint.  I added some glass antiques knobs I had on hand for the doors though and for now, I’m happy with the way it looks.

It’s the perfect spot to tuck away our kids dvds and the extra blankets we like to curl up under when we watch a movie.

So much better now, isn't it?  Thanks for stopping by!

Cristina

Projects, projects & more projects. (WHAT am I thinking???)

This past week I came across a few new "treasures" I just couldn't pass on.  I'm super excited about them, but unfortunately, now my garage is looking more like a contestant for the show "Hoarders" with little room for me to actually work in there.  Yikes!  Time to get sanding/priming/painting while the weather is still cooperating!  My hubby must REALLY love me 'cause there's no way way we'll be parking our cars in the garage anytime soon and he hasn't said anything yet!

So, are you curious to see what I found?  Here are a few of the projects that will very soon be seeing paint!

A twin size wooden head & foot board (including the metal rails) and a sweet little French Provincial bedside table I picked up at a friends garage sale last weekend.

A very solid (aka HEAVY) French Provincial 9 drawer dresser WITH mirror from the cutest little old couple!  I ended up having to call on some friends to help me load it in my van, so while waiting for them, I had a great little visit with the couple!  (Picture is from the online ad)

A French Provincial buffet/hutch (Are you noticing a trend here?  I ADORE the French Provincial style!).  I love the design along the top and the petite features.  (Picture is from the online ad)

And the last one I picked up is this (almost all) solid wood armoire.  It was being used for paint storage in the owners garage and he decided it wasn't working for him anymore.  Yes, it's covered in dust, cobwebs and paint spray, BUT, it was FREE!!!  Yup, didn't cost me anything other than the fuel for the one hour drive it took me to get there!  (Picture is from the online ad)

So there you go - a few of the many projects I'll be working on over the next little while.  Keep checking back for what I hope turns out to be some amazing transformations!

Cristina

The Tale of a Hexagon Cabinet

Have you met my friend Murphy yet?  And I use the word friend lightly.  Maybe you've been introduced to his frustrating law!  Allow me to explain.

I picked up this fun little table from my brother-in-law about a month ago before he added it to his garage sale pile.

 It was a bit dusty and definitely dated, but I knew it could be freshened up!  I added a coat of primer and then sat back and thought "now what?".  I decided to go online and see if I could find any pictures for inspiration.  Here are a couple similar tables I came across:

Aren't they pretty?  I decided to paint the outside of mine a clean crisp white.  White paint pretty much makes anything look better!!!!

Curious to see my finished cabinet?  Here it is!  I LOVE IT!

I added a poly acrylic clear coat to protect it and some new hardware to update it. Simple, right? Well, sounds simple enough except I didn't mention the issues I had with the clear coat or the hardware!

The clear coat I like to use is Minwax Polyacrylic.  It's a waterbased sealer that won't yellow over time, so it's safe to put over white & light colored paints.  The application suggestions are to use either a synthetic brush or foam brush.  I thought a foam brush would be a great idea so I wouldn't have any brush strokes.  Um...ya...unfortunately the foam brush was producing a foam with the sealer and causing tiny bubbles!  Great.  It didn't smooth out properly on one side and I had to resand it and start over (using a bristle brush instead).

And then, there was the hardware.  I had planned to use the original hinges - nothing some white spraypaint couldn't make new again, right?  Um, wrong.  These particular hinges are self-closing and so as soon as I opened the hinge, the spring mechanism inside scraped all my spraypaint off the center!  Frustrating.  Not a big deal, Home Depot still makes these, so I just picked up some new ones.  Ya...

What I picked up was these:

See the wonderful little step down on the right?  Not what I needed!  What I REALLY needed was these:

NO STEP!  Never fails.  Oh well, it was worth the numerous trips into town because they DO look nice, don't they? :)

Oh, and the new cabinet pulls I chose - of course they required two holes, so I had to fill the original single hole and drill two new ones.

So, there you have it - my friend Murphy's Law. ;)


ANYWAY, now that the outside is finally finished, are you ready to see the inside?  I decided to have a little fun.  I painted the inside...TURQUOISE!  How fun is that!  No more scary dark corners in this cabinet!

I LOVE how it just adds that bit of unexpected pop of color to the piece! And, check out the storage space this baby has!  It's perfect to tuck away extra blankets, books, magazines or even kids toys!

What do you think?  Isn't it a great change from the old dated look before.

I am SO happy this cabinet is finally finished - it was certainly one that tested my patience!!!

This is a piece I painted to sell, so take a peek in my Shop if you're interested!

Thanks for visiting!

Cristina



Linking to:

The Forgotten Table

This coffee table was actually one my hubby came across in one of the buildings he'd bought.  A tenant had left it behind and so it was headed to the dumpster.  My husband (smart man that he is) sent me a quick picture of it and asked if it was something I would be interested in.  Um, YES!

It was in ok shape.  The the top was quite chipped and scratched, but being solid wood I knew it could look great with a little help.

I removed the top and got to work giving the bottom a light sanding and a coat of primer.  Don't you just love my paint station...also known as a front deck! ;)

The top took a little more work.  I stripped it of the old varnish, gave it a good sanding and then started staining the top with a pre mixed mahogany/poly stain.  I took this picture after the first coat, but I think I put on a total of 3 coats to achieve the dark rich color I was hoping for.

Once everything was dry, I distressed the bottom just a bit my giving a couple of the edges a light sand and then covered the entire table with a water based, non yellowing glossy acrylic clear coat.  This gave the table a gorgeous glossy finish and will protect it a little more.

The hardware is missing in the picture as I had planned to check  out a few different options rather than use the dated hardware that was originally on the table.

I just love the shape of the legs!  It was hard to see past the ugly/dated orangy wood, but with the white paint, I think the gorgeous shape of the legs really stand out now.

I was really happy with how the makeover on this coffee table turned out!