Repurpose a piece of furniture this weekend!

Rather than tracking down a painted piece with just the right patina, you can create one yourself with a custom finish.  I advise clients on repurposing pieces all the time.  More often than not, they're simply tired of the piece an need a change.  From a nightstand to armoire, it's easy to paint, and if you add distressing, mistakes you might make add character!, Here's how:

Materials
Flat latex paint in contrasting shades - one will be the base coat and one the top coat
Primer
Crackle medium
Buckets
Paint brushes
Top coat of urethane or wax- optional


Start by lightly sanding your piece - unless you want those bumps and blemishes for character.  Prime it and let dry fully. I really do mean fully.   The first coat is key to having the rest adhere properly. Paint the first coat of color ..... that will be the one to show through your final color coat. This one is a deep rust color.  Let dry 24 hours.  If you want crackle, pour the crackle medium into a bucket and stir gently.  Using a clean brush, apply a thick layer but do not overwork it. Let this coat dry 1-2 hours (if you go too long the mixture will cure and the next coat will not crackle. Use another clean, dry brush for your topcoat - this one is a creamy beige. As it dries, the crackles appear.  For a worn look, you can lightly sand the edges of doors, drawers, and the box. I like to apply a light coat of Briwax rather than urethane, so I can enrich the sheen many times with ease.

  If you just want a bit of aging, skip the crackle medium and instead  rub wax along edges and places where wear might occur.  Continue with your top coat.  When the top is dry, rub off the paint in the areas you added wax with 0000 steel wool. That paint will come off nicely and the steel wool leaves it smooth.  I've experimented with other grades of steel wool and even sandpaper to give a more rustic appearance,  it's all done with  paint so you can always go back an make a change. 

To embellish with pattern, I often use stencils over the too cost and apply shellac to protect the final product.

Have fun!

S 

Furniture painting to update an old table or dresser top

I think everyone has an old workhorse piece of furniture that they love.  A well made table, a sturdy dresser, and they work well, they're just dated and worn.  Here's a great way to give the tops a face lift and get a great texture too.  Create a neat herringbone pattern using painters tape, a rubber graining comb, two colors of latex paint (oops paint works well and use eggshell or satin instead of flat for an easier time) and a clear acrylic glaze.

Start by sanding the top. I filled holes with wood putty so my pattern would be smooth. I primed the table and also used a base coat so I could see the color I wanted through the glaze.  Once the base coat was dry, I found the center of the table and using painters tape, made equal stripes across the top. Lay the tape side by side then peel every other row off so you get perfect spacing.  You can use 2" or 3" tape widths depending on the size of your top and how wide you want the stripe. Press the tape down firmly to seal the edges so you don't get bleed. 

The glaze is whatever color latex paint you like mixed in equal parts with a clear acrylic glaze. I had Benjamin Moore on hand so that's what I used. Roll on your glaze in the same direction as the tape. Using a rubber comb (Amazon.com), pull it across the glaze at a 45 degree angle to the tape.  I go all the way across the top to make the lines even, but if you  make an error, re-roll and pull again. I remove tape when the glaze is still tacky.  When the first pull is dry, tape over the stripes you made and roll on more glaze. This time, pull the comb at the opposite 45 degree angle to create the herringbone pattern.  Since the glaze is pretty durable, you may not need a protective coat of urethane.  I use satin spray by Minwax for tabletops that get used often.