I bought this wooden chest in Bavaria for only $50. It was love at first sight for me. My husband on the other hand didn't think it was so wonderful. It's true how two people can look at the same exact thing and yet see something different.
My husband saw the orangey pine color which doesn't mesh well with our mostly dark colored furniture. He also saw the damage. The scratches and knicks all over.
But the DIY creative soul in me saw potential. I saw beautiful details and corners and shapes that just needed some love. I saw THIS in my head:
As it turns out this needed a lot more work than even I expected. It took about 3 days to complete. I've painted and sanded several pieces within the last year and have made mistakes along the way, but those mistakes helped me know exactly what to do with this piece. I read several tutorials form Centsational Girl and I read them over and over and over again.
There are 3 things I have learned when it comes to painting furniture:
1) I don't like the spray primer. It seems like a spray would give a more even layer, however in my experience spray leaves little bumps. I know this probably has to do with the nozzle or the temperature, but either way it happens. I much prefer just painted the primer on.
2) My favorite brushes for painting are those cheap foam brushes. The ones without any bristles. They don't leave any brush strokes and give a smooth finish.
3) PATIENCE. Well, duh! It seems obvious, but when you start a project and are seeing the results coming together you just want it in your house right away! I did so well with this piece until the very end. The stain was taking forever to dry (2 days!) because it's been cold here and I figured it was "dry enough" so I brushed the wood finish on.
*Face palm*
It kind of bubbled up and the stain started coming off if I touched it anywhere, so I just left it alone. I wanted to put on 3-4 coats of the finish, but it's just going to have to do for now. I plan to re-sand and re-stain the top next spring.
All in all I absolutely love it! I love the color (beige was the name of this paint, though it looks a bit more yellow ish).
There's still enough imperfections to give it a shabby chic look, but the gnarly scratches and knicks have been polished away.
Hope everyone is having a happy humpday!
xoxo
Frau Wright
