Furniture
In Part 1 of this blog, I showed you how Sanding, Priming, & Prep Work are necessary when taking on a project like painting an old dresser. Now, in Part 2, I continue where we left off: the priming. If you buy paint with primer already in it, you don’t need to prime.
Without sanding, priming & prep work, chances are the finished product isn’t going to be very good…no matter how much paint you layer on. Case in point: This antique dresser that was purchased on Craigslist for $35. Why was it so cheap? Because it was a mess. Someone else had already tried to paint it, and I inherited their shoddy work. But a lot can be learned from it, so I’m going to use it to show you why sanding, priming and prep work are so important.
I loved the shape of the dresser, but it needed LOTS of work. (Unfortunately, I never took a decent “Before” picture other than this one on it’s side.)
Wax on, wax off… I could almost feel Mr. Myagi watching over my shoulder as I was working in my garage this week. Fortunately, I wasn’t forced to wax a car like the Karate Kid. I was trying out a new technique on a piano I painted, using Annie Sloan’s Clear and Dark Wax.
If you’ve been following my posts for any length of time, you know that I often give things a distressed look when I’m done painting. It gives an added dimension. It takes something flat and gives it character. But there are many ways to achieve that look.
BEFORE
AFTER
I could look at Before & After photos ALL…DAY…LONG! The subject matter is irrelevant. So long as the difference is dramatic, I’m all over it. That’s probably why I love painting so much. Because even going from one paint color to another, you could look at the very same thing in a whole different light. When something, like an old piece of furniture, has been neglected for a while…and it gets a fresh coat of paint…it’s even more gratifying. It’s almost like I could see the clouds parting and hear the angels singing the sweet sounds of redemption! I’m not even exaggerating. That’s how I feel. So I encourage you to take Before & After pictures of any projects you take on, so that satisfying feeling can last as long as you hold on to those photos. That said, I thought I would share some of my favorite Before & After photos of projects I’ve done.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ9bUew16iI[/youtube]
An old, beat up dresser gets a major makeover in this furniture flip. This video tutorial will show you how it was done, and give you an idea of what you can expect to spend in both time and money to take on a similar project.
See it go from THIS:
To THIS:
It’s always Tea Time with this sweet hand painted table.
There’s just something special about hand painted children’s furniture. Whenever I have an opportunity to paint a unique piece that will be used in a baby nursery or child’s playroom, I feel like I’m using the gifts God gave me to the fullest potential. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE painting children’s wall murals, but they eventually get painted over as the child grows. Hand painted children’s furniture, on the other hand, is passed on to the next child or the next generation. Just the thought of that makes my heart happy!
