7.03.2009

Furniture Renovation Part V: Painting and Antiquing

Phew! We made it to the final segment in this series! Painting and antiquing furniture is a lot of fun, and it gives you that instant gratification that we all love so much.

The first step is to prepare the surface to receive the paint. You can sand it, or, if you're lazy like me, this liquid sandpaper might be a good option too:

After doing all that sanding on my table, I was ready for a change. I applied this liquid sander with a steel wool pad, and it definitely "roughed up" the surface enough to be able to take the paint. Just let it dry for 30 minutes or so, and then it's ready to paint. However, if your piece will be taking a lot of wear and tear, I think sanding might be the better way to go.

Then I just started painting! I used Behr brand (eggshell finish) in a pretty robin's egg blue that I totally copied from Tracey over at Notes from a Cottage Industry. She has a custom color recipe that I just took to Home Depot and had them mix for me. Love it!

I applied two coats of paint. I didn't prime first. I am on the fence about priming because I am lazy! I have primed before, if I am using a darker paint color, or if I know the piece needs to be super-durable. But like I said, laziness wins sometimes. So I leave the decision to you!

After the paint dried overnight, I went back to start the antiquing process. First I grabbed some sandpaper (150 grit) and gently rubbed off some of the paint along the edges of the table. If you click on the photo below to enlarge it, you can see one of the raw edges.

Then I got out my trusty Behr Faux Glaze. This stuff is fun! As you can see in the photo below, it is white until you add some color to it. The instructions say to add 4 parts glaze to 1 part color. I just added some acrylic paint that I had lying around (purchased from Hobby Lobby, it's Folk Art "Coffee Bean").

Here's the glaze after I mixed it with paint.

Basically, you just rub the glaze on until you like the way it looks. I used a damp paper towel to apply. Just kind of goop it on there, wait about 30-60 seconds to let it dry just a bit, then go back again with the paper towel to "tweak" how it looks. Work in small sections at a time and let a little more of the glaze gather in the corners and the crevices of the furniture. I think it looks more natural that way, as if the piece has aged over time.

Below, you can see how the glaze looks when it is dry. To get this look I just wiped back and forth with the paper towel, trying to create light streaks of color. I was going for a very understated "antique" look, but certainly you can add as much or as little as you like. I think a brown glaze looks nice on lighter colors, like this blue or a white or cream. If I was antiquing a black or brown piece, I would probably just use sandpaper on the edges and forget the glaze all together.

I will leave you with a few links that were helpful to me. Once again, Tracey over at Notes from a Cottage Industry has a great post on how she "antiques" her furniture. Also, Kimba from A Soft Place to Land recently gave us her Ten Tips on Painting Wood Furniture.

Good luck with all your projects! I hope this series has been helpful to you. And next week I will show you the final product...my new cottage work table is complete and ready for action!



20 comments:

Amy said...

Great job glazing! I'm so terrified of glaze, I've never used it. But I believe if I ever got over the fear, I just might actually like it.

Thanks for the post! You've encouraged me to try it!!

Annie said...

This was perfect timing (and instructions!) as this is what I want to do with our upper, lighter cabinets in our kithcen. I think this would work well in our bathroom as well.

Brava, Miss Bee!

Chris said...

I have been LOVING all your great tutorials lately! It's stuff that I kind of know, but always need some re-assurance from someone else! You've been doing an awesome job! Thank you!

jewelrybyrebecca said...

I'm so glad you clued me in on all the different products. I think I might just be ready to start my project. Now if I can only find some extra time????
BTW- I love the aged look of the glaze over the paint. That is probably the route I'll take. Thanks!!!

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing your tips! i've always been weary of glaze, but you make it sound so easy! have a great fourth!

Jboo said...

Wow -- thanks for posting! Have an old armoire that I am thinking of painting, so will be re-reading your tips!

Have a great 4th!

Janet

A Cottage Industry said...

Great job doing your furniture!! Isn't it just the most gratifying thing, so re-invent a piece? Thanks for linking to my blog and have a fabulous 4th!
Tracey

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Stephanie said...

This looks amazing! All I've done to furniture is strip, sand, strip, sand and then polyurithane (yea didn't spell that correctly at all)....this looks like something I might be able to handle!!! :)

oliveoyl64 said...

I purchased the liqiud sandpaper before I read your post. I used it as per the instructions with a lint free towel and wasn't hugely impressed. Might do better with the steel wool. Thanks for the tip. I picked up two quarts of paint at yardsales recently and didn't realize until I got them home, they are both Sherwin Williams and almost identical in color....robin's egg bluish.

Great minds think alike.

Our Complete Family said...

Wow girly~ where, oh where do you get your drive, power, gung-ho-ness (I think I just made up a word!!!) 'cause I sure need some for me!
I loved catching up on your posts. You have been busy and your projects are awesome, as always!
I have quite a few things that need to be redone in our house. They are high on my 'to do' list when my other 1/2 gets home at the end of August.
The kids and I are in FL right now, speak of the devil! :)
Happy 4th of July to you and yours Carrie~ xo, Les

Its So Very Cheri said...

GIVE AWAY will be posted by tomorrow morning-there's a peak preview of one of the items-go check it out and send everyone over to get their names in Monday morning.
Cheri
www.itssoverycheri.blogspot.com

Amber said...

I'm so glad you posted the link to Tracey's paint color! We just bought a new house in Lakewood, CO and I have this fabulous laundry room that I thought would be cute painted in robin's egg blue. (In our TX house my washer and dryer were in the 100+ degree garage, so having a laundry room is SUCH a luxury!) I was thinking I was going to have to search for the link to Tracey's paint recipe because I loved the color, but you saved me the step. Perfect timing!

I can't wait to see your finished table. I bet it looks great!

Ms. Tee said...

You have so much energy, Carrie! ;)
I love the job you did - just beautiful. I keep seeing that liquid sander and haven't tried it yet. It seems so much easier - I'm gonna have to try it. Hope you had a great 4th!

Jennifer {Studio JRU} said...

Thanks for the great series... I can't wait to see the final product!!

Aico Furniture said...

I don,t think that furniture painting is so easy job.

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Useful tips on how to paint furniure and it a new life!