Adventures in decorating... Part 2

What a busy couple of weeks!  I didn't think it would take this long to get Part 2 of these "catch-up" posts done.

Over the last week or so, I finally got that lampshade hung on the wall that I mentioned a couple of posts ago.  It worked!  Yes, that basket on the wall is a Pottery Barn lampshade, the "Holbrook Seagrass Tapered Drum Lamp Shade" to be exact.  I really like the idea of baskets on the wall with towels, but baskets are so stinking expensive.  I found this one on the local yardsale site for $20!  The seller said she bought it at the PB outlet for $60, so I feel I got a good deal.  And with the metal framing of the shade, it was very easy and sturdy to hang on the wall.  I used those gorilla hooks; they worked perfectly.  The paint on the wall is the $2.98 "sample" gallon from Lowes. (I'm just going to keep painting stuff with it.  It was almost free!)  I had been eyeing that shower curtain with the teal birds for about 4 months.  Every time I would go to Walmart, I would double check they still had it. The picture below the basket was a Christmas gift from my uncle.  He had no idea about the shower curtain or the $3 gallon of olive green paint.  His gift pushed me over the edge.  So, the guest bath was freshen up a bit for a total cost of $40! 

OK, on to the real purpose of this post... furniture and cabinet refinishing projects.  I mentioned some of them already in previous posts.  The first few projects were painted the old fashioned way -- primer and semi-gloss paint.

This table was refinished to resemble an "EDLAND" IKEA table:

I am pretty sure that I didn't even prime this table.  I painted it one afternoon while watching a very interesting movie with Denzel Washington.  (Why I remember that, I have no idea!)  I did rough it up a bit though, and, while it has held up nicely overall, there is one little bubble on the top where a sweating cup sat.  I would not recommend skipping the primer step on a piece that gets normal, everyday use.  (This is a "pretty" table only that is in my bedroom.) If you are using a regular latex paint, you will need to prime or sand (completely) first if you expect the paint job to last.

Next attempt at painting wood was a huge project -- my kitchen cabinets:

These I did prime with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 primer.  Love this primer!  It leaves such a smooth surface to paint over.  I only have two places where the paint is rubbing off, and this is on the plate cabinet and the cup cabinet.  Which with two teenage (almost) boys, those cabinets are opened several times daily.  I'd say, so far, I am happy with how they are holding up.

I want to mention one quick thing on the paint color.  First, the wall and cabinets are not the same color.  (I know it is hard to see in the picture.)  Second, the cabinet color is a custom color.  I mention this because you need to know you are not locked into the paint colors on the sample card.  While the majority of walls are Valspar "Asiago" 6005-1A and the mural wall is Valspar "Smoked Oyster" 6005-1C, I did not like the middle color, Valspar "Oatlands Subtle Taupe" 6005-1B, on the sample card.  It almost had a yellow tinge to it compared to the other colors.  So, instead of taking the Valspar paint expert's opinion (I mean, what do they know anyway!), I had Lowes mix the Smoked Oyster at 75%.  It is the perfect shade.  And, if I wasn't, I could have returned the gallon and tried again because they have a "Love your color guarantee" policy!  Moral of the story: don't be afraid to get what you want, not what the sample card says you should have.

Next, I tried something new -- glaze:

This table was the one I bartered for.  It was in very rough shape.  No sanding or stripping needed.  I used the left over wall paint and then glaze it.  I opted for the Martha Stewart Metallic glaze in "Muscovado."  It is a brown glaze with a gold shimmer.  I brushed it on and immediately wiped it off.  Men's old cotton undershirts work great.  (You can rinse them out and throw them in the washer to use next time.)  I would recommend wiping off more than you think you should at first.  You can always add more.  I was careful to get into all the nooks and crannies and leave the glaze in there when wiping it off.  Keep a wet cloth handy, as you can easily wipe it completely off and try again if you need to.  However, you really can't mess this up.  There is no right way.  Simple. Simple.  Just do it!

Now, to my new love - chalk paint:

A friend called and asked if I would be interested in refinishing a table for her because she just didn't have the time.  I gladly took it on with one condition; I wanted to use chalk paint.  At first glance it seems a bit pricey - $29.99 for a quart.  But, if you consider that a quart of primer is roughly $13 or so, and a quart of semi-gloss paint is $14, the price is really comparable.  I had heard/read so much about chalk paint and milk paint, I was itching to try it.  She agreed, and we split the cost.  I LOVE this paint.  The finish it unbelievably smooth - like a baby's bottom!  You don't have to sand, prime, strip, anything... just paint.  I have only used Amy Howard chalk paint.  I know there are others, but Amy Howard is the only chalk paint that claims you don't have to seal it with glaze, or wax, or poly.  That is my kind of paint.  This is "Bauhaus Buff," kind of a gray white.   I did apply the same glaze as the previous table in order to age it a bit. 

 I also used the chalk paint and glaze on the "music table" and attempted another first -- distressing:

While I did paint entire table the with the chalk paint, the stripe is Valspar "Olive White."  (That is why I was buying a $3 sample in the first place.  I just wanted to paint that stripe.  I ended up with a gallon, so I now have a bathroom painted "Olive White" as well.)  Distressing is just as simple as glazing.  You really can't do it wrong.  Where ever you would touch or bump a piece of furniture is where you want to distress it - corners, handles, edges, etc.  I use 220 grit sandpaper in sheets.  (You don't really want to buy the blocks as you can't control the pressure points with a block.) The chalk paint, unlike latex, turns to dust when you sand or scrap off a drip.  No peeling, like with a latex paint. I was very pleased with the outcome.

By this point, I have painted with the chalk paint, used a glaze, and distressed something.  So, I did what any sane newcomer to refinishing would do, I took on a kitchen and bathroom cabinet refinish for a paying client!  Confidence, people, confidence!

As you can see in the pics above, she had builder grade pine cabinets.  You can't really see from these pictures, but her kitchen is shaped like a "U" with the backside of the sink cabinets and the backside of the opposite lower cabinets are exposed as well as the side of the fridge and the sides of the upper cabinets.  While the cabinets were wood, the exposed backs and sides seemed to be a pressboard type material.  I painted them with Amy Howard "Black" chalk paint and glazed them using the Martha Stewart Metallic glaze in "Black Coffee," then distressed them a little:

They were gorgeous!  Or, so I thought.  She didn't care too much for the shimmer.  All the Martha Stewart Metallic glazes have a gold shimmer regardless of the base color. (I should have figured that out, since her entire house, including her molding, is a flat paint.)  No problem.  I repainted the doors and made a glaze using a colorless glaze that you mix yourself.  I mixed in the chalk paint, and it worked perfectly.  I then distressed the doors as before:

She was happy, and I was happy she was happy!  I talked to her the other day and the finish is holding up fabulously!

Most recently, I refinished a dresser and chest that was the client's as a child and will now be her daughter's.  They are having another girl in a just a few weeks, and they bribed her to give up her baby furniture to her new sister with a big-girl room makeover.  A girl after my own heart!

Once again, I used the Amy Howard "Bauhaus Buff" and then mixed my own chalk paint by mixing a sample of pink latex the client provided with water and plaster of paris.  Per the directions on pinterest, you mix 1 tbsp warm water and 1 tbsp plaster of paris and then add it into a cup of paint.  I don't think I thoroughly mixed the water and p of p because my "chalk" paint was very gritty.  The grit easily sanded off though with my usual 220 grit sand paper and distressed nicely as well.  So, maybe I did do it right.  My suggestion, test the solution by rubbing some between your fingers to make sure the p of p has dissolved before putting it into the paint.  Distressing the corners and edges with the 220 sand paper took very little effort.  However, to make the rubbed spots on the bottom front took some extra elbow grease.  You might want to try 180 grit, but Home Depot did not have the sheets of 180, only the blocks.  So, I just had to work a little harder with my 220.

Thus far, I am really enjoying mixing in a bit a furniture refinishing between upholstery projects.  Next on the calendar is a PIANO!  That's right, I will be painting a piano!  As a pianist, I am super excited about this project.  I will definitely post "after" pictures.

If you have a refinish job you need a little nudge to complete, contact She siad; He said.  I am happy to give advice or complete your project for you.