This is what I do when I’m trying to procrastinate…..
Find an old desk…..and make it fabulous!
Old furniture is my favorite thing to create something unique. I use to “try out” my techniques on “junk” because it wouldn’t matter if I ruined it. But, taking a risk is well worth it! Sometimes you just have to jump in and figure, the worst thing that will happen is it looks horrible. That’s not really a big deal in the scheme of things. And paint is forgiving….if you hate it, paint over it. It’s that simple.
So, what I did is find a little secretary desk. I paid $100 for it at a “junk store”. Well, worth it in my opinion because it’s very solid hard wood with dovetail joints. I like the curved front drawers overall lines of the piece.
- Stripping: Because this was a stained piece, not painted, I had to try a different process. (If it’s paint, all you have to do is sand and scuff it up so the primer will adhere.) With a stained piece, you have to strip it or the primer will not adhere. This was the first time I used a stripping product. Now, this is powerful stuff! It has warnings, but I wore regular gloves (and they disinegrated….so follow the instructions and wear special gear!) You simply “paint” the goop on and wait for about 30 minutes and scrape it off. It makes a mess, but amazing how it works. Then, clean it up with a “wash”. This will ensure there isn’t any residue left behind. Because it will harden and look really bad.
- Prime: My absolute favorite primer is a “Gripper” primer. This mean, you can apply it to surfaces that might normally scratch off. Cover all surfaces. Depending on the coverage you’re getting. I often let it dry thoroughly and then apply another coat.
- Paint: I use a semi gloss latex paint for the basecoat. Paint two coats of your base color. I used a cream color called “raffia cream”. Use a brush for small areas and use a small foam roller for flat surfaces like the sides and top. Let your paint dry overnight.
- Stripes: This time I decided to do stripes. A low tack painters tape works well for this. Apply the tape in the pattern you desire. Smooth down well on edges. Then, I used a roller to paint the stripes. Remove the tape while the paint is still wet. It gives you time to clean up anything that may have seeped under the paint. I then, used a brown (raw umber) paint to make a fine stripe along the lines. This highlights areas on the trim as well. Let that dry and then apply an antiquing medium. I like to apply paint, then rub it off. You can apply a polyurithane (just make sure it’s waterbased if you’re using latex)
No comments:
Post a Comment