First off, I would like to dedicate
this post to my Mom. She plays a major part in my influence for
pretty things. She has always made every home we have lived in
beautiful. She has always been thrifty about it as well. I know I do
not say it enough, but I truly appreciate her and she is the best Mom
ever! I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!
I know what your thinking. That duck on the wall just totally makes the room. Well, he is just a guest and I plan on overhauling this room. The furniture is just the start.
I recently had to refurnish my
dining room. So I am taking the opportunity to share it with you. I
am going to make over furniture that I already have with as little
bit of money as possible. The first star of the show is a china
cabinet I inherited from my Grandmother. It is also my
understanding that she inherited it from her mother. As long as I can
remember my Honey (that’s what I called my grandmother as a child)
had this china cabinet along with a matching table a buffet in her
dining room. I think my Grandfather painted it for her, who knows
when. ( I guess I could ask her) He faux painted the set to look like
wood. Weird, huh? Well, that is what people did back then when they
didn’t have much money just as I am doing now. LOL . When my
Grandmother bought her first new dining set she gave the cabinet to
me. I kick myself now that I didn’t take the buffet too.
The table I bought from a friend
about 14 years ago with the full intention of refinishing it. Again,
I saw something beautiful that others could not see. I think I paid
$10 for the table. It has been in my basement for the last 7 years.
Now it is time to gather materials.
My suggestion of materials:
Latex Paint
Technique Glaze ( I like Dutch Boy
Dimensions® Technique Glaze Tintable Clear)
A good paint brush
A cheapy paint brush
Newspapers
Sand paper (fine grain)
Rags
Screw driver
Painters tape
I begin by removing all the hardware
and the door on the cabinet. It is best to have a second pair of
hands to take the door off. Then I tape the window so I don't get any
paint on it.
I like to take all the screws and hardware and put in an envelope and tape to the back of the furniture. This prevents little hands from losing them.
I prep the furniture for painting.
Using the sand paper I lightly sand every inch of the piece I am
working on. Once done I wipe it down with a damp cloth. I like to use
vinegar water as it cheap and not harmful to the wood. Be sure to get all dirt and oil. if you don't, you may risk areas of paint coming off while distressing that you didn't plan on.`
Now the fun part. Painting the
furniture. Being the thrifty person I am, I found some paint in the mis-tint section at Walmart, marked down 50%. It was a light color,
not exactly what I was looking for, but I can make it work. I also
purchased one of those little sample bottles of paint. I picked a
dark color so that I can add it to the gallon I purchased. You can
say I am the master of mixing paint. I m always creating my own
color. It is not hard, you just have to be open to surprise.
I apply my first coat of paint.
Since I am working on some large pieces I first paint a coat on the
cabinet and then a coat on the table. That when, when I am done with
the table the cabinet is dry and ready for its second coat. You don't
want to paint the coats on thick. Just thin coats. The key is
quality, not quantity.
It took about all day to do all of this, so once the second coat is applied I let it sit over night to
dry. Now, if your impatient like me this little task is a bit
challenging. I hate waiting and tend to want to keep working on
something once I have started. Mostly due to being eager to see the
final result.
On the second day after I am sure
the paint has dried I work on the glaze. I like the tintable glaze
because I can divide it up and create the color I desire and still
have some left over for another project. This time I only have half a
pint of glaze left over from another project. I add the leftover
paint sample I used to create my base coat. And eeek! It is still
not dark enough. No worries. I have a can of black spray paint, so I
spray some in and now I have the color I desire, but surprise! Its,
purple! Well, that really wasn't planned. But I like purple and think
this may really turn out nice.
Using my cheapy brush that I
purchased at Walmart for 75 cents I apply the glaze in sections. I
like the cheap brush cause it applies in streaks. I am not looking
for full coverage. After a section is painted I wait a couple of
minutes. Then I wipe over it lightly with a bunched rag. This
technique may take some practice and it is not a bad idea to practice
on a scrap board so you are sure you get the desired effect you are
looking for. I repeat this working sections on the furniture until
the whole piece is done.
Now, again, the hard part. Waiting.
I let it sit overnight, at a minimum, to dry.
Time to distress! With the sand
paper I start sanding every inch of the furniture. On the larger flat
surface area I sand a little lighter only sanding small areas hard
enough to show the wood underneath. I sand harder on areas that would
normally get wear such as corners and edges. Now normally, I would
tell you to always sand with the grain of the wood, but this is a
time that you do not need to follow that rule. I also came up with a nifty trick for around the legs. I used some of the rags and placed some sand paper under them and wrapped around the leg moved the rag back and forth for friction. This saved much elbow work.
I continue sanding and standing back
periodically to inspect my work of art until I am satisfied with the
results.
Sanding complete!
Time to put the door and the
hardware back on.
I found a can of silver metallic spray paint in
the basement and painted the hardware. I used a sharp knife to score
the edge of the tape where it meets the wood that I painted so that
when I peeled up the tape I didn't take any paint off that I did not
want to come off.
With the help of my handsome man, I
put the door and the hardware back on.
Ta Da! It's done!
Now I do plan on applying a coat of
furniture wax to help protect the furniture, but that will have to
wait till next week when I have the money to buy the wax.
This project so far, I did for under
$20.00.
Paint brush - $0.75
Paint Sample - $2.94
Sand Paper - $2.97
Mis-tint Paint 1 gallon latex - $8.97
Items I already had – glaze,
painters tape, rags, good paint brush, newspapers
Now I need to start the dresser that was given to me for free through Henry County Freecycle! Beautiful, isn't it?
I am still working on getting some chairs. I have one, but need at least 3 more. I am not worried. They'll show up.
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