Short and sweet show and tell

 Today is show and tell time! 

We have been busy practising our prepping and painting skills and are pretty chuffed with the end results!

This chest of old pine drawers was given a new lease of life!

So crisp and clean with a coat of antique white paint.

a little "shabby-ing"...

we added some black drawer handles!

After giving the drawers a light sand we gave it a few coats of paint using a water based acrylic in antique white by Dulux.

Next we moved on to using a spray gun for the first time! So much fun! But be warned there are a few things you need to know before pulling out your compressor (please see our next post)!

In the meantime, here is the before and after.

before

after

---Mr and Mrs---

Shabby chic timber hutch

A while ago I bought this hutch and have finally got around to giving it a coat of paint, or 4!

I admit I enjoy painting but four coats on the one piece of furniture was tedious. It was not that the stain bled through that was the problem but Master 2 who found some stain that had not been put out of his reach. After seeing that mummy had been painting he thought he would give it a go too!

Needless to say it took a little longer finishing this hutch than I planned. But we got there. 

I decided to see what it would look like to paint the whole piece white and not worry about staining the top of the buffet. I used a water based acrylic, semi-gloss in antique white by DULUX. The 4 litre tin cost around $80 and I used around 2/3's of it (including the extra needed for the extra coats due to the attack of the toddler with paintbrush!) . 

 As you can see, I didn't paint inside the drawers or buffet but I did paint both sides of the cupboard doors.
I went to the hardware to find some suitable drawer knobs as I was not a fan of the previous handles. I decided to spray paint some pine knobs black rather than purchasing metal handles. The price difference was staggering! These knobs cost me around $30 all up but could've cost anywhere from $63 and even up to $90 for a similar look. I think these do the job just fine.

The glass didn't come out of the doors or if they did I didn't know how to get them out so I taped around the edge of the glass. It seemed to do the trick!
Finally, I sanded the edges a little rougher and shabbier than I did previously with the 2 door hutch.
I hope you are feeling inspired to get out that old piece of furniture that has been in the garage for years and treat it to a coat of paint!

                                                                           ---Mrs---

Carved mirror

Our old mirror was a gift given to us years ago by some very special people. Unfortunately, during the wet season the timber frame was covered in mould. After cleaning and drying out in the sun the timber stain was all but gone and the beautiful carved frame looked ready for the dump. Time for a coat of paint!

primer

 After priming the frame it was obvious that using a solid colour would disguise the carvings. We spray painted the frame black before painting over it all white allowing the contrast to be seen on the carvings.

 coat of black matte spray paint

Although we loved the overall effect, the black and white contrast was too bold for our home furnishings and colours and so we decided to whip out the brown spray paint. And instead of white we went with an antique white to soften the whole look. Here is the end result!

Bedside table

This weekend we took some time with Miss 9 to refurbish a set of drawers for her to use as a side table in her bedroom.We picked up this little set for $20 off eBay. We removed the knobs and gave it a light sand.

$20 chest of drawers

Miss 9 adding a coat of paint to her sanded drawers

a quick spray paint of the drawer knobs

and with legs!

The total cost, including purchasing the drawers, was $30. We gave it a coat of paint and spray painted the knobs and legs. Voila!

Seasonal hazards!

So I got to thinking, what happens when the weather is on the chilly side and winds are cold? When will it be suitable to prime? paint? stain? varnish? How long between coats? Indoors or outdoors if the sun is out?

  

"Weather conditions can have a great impact on how well paint holds up. The worst conditions are extreme heat or cold. Paint needs to chemically bond to the surface it is covering. This bonding can only happen if the solvent (water or mineral spirits) in the paint evaporates at a slow or medium pace. Water-based paints used on a bright, hot or windy day can result in the water evaporating too quickly from the paint. Plan your painting for cooler temperatures and try to paint areas after direct sunlight has left them for the day." Matt Weber - Extreme how-to

Today I simply tried applying a primer to my timber frame that has seen better days! 

This mirror has seen better days

glass removed and primer on

As I began applying the primer I was sure to fill in all the detail.

primer applied to all the detailed carving

As I lightly brushed over the next corner I loved the look of not having all the gaps filled in and so I have decided to first do a dark coat before going over the top in a lighter color.

The detail of the timber is highlighted with this effect

I will take a little time to glean ideas from my favorite home magazines and look forward to seeing the end result. Stay tuned!

---Mrs---

What will it cost?

We made our way to Bunnings on Monday evening around 5:30pm. It was a quiet time and gave us the opportunity to speak with someone in paint about some of our options. First we looked at primers.
The median price range was

• $20.73 for 470ml

• $33 for 1Litre

• $87.93 for 3.75L

Obviously the savings are reasonable. So we will be buying the larger tin.
 Next we had a look at paint. We have decided to use water based paint for its ease of cleaning. Did you know the Australian government may be getting rid of oil based paints within 15 years?

• H20 enamel 4Litres was $66.72 for 4L. 

•  Aquanamel  was $74.25 for 4litres but paints on with ease. 

Stain and varnish: together or separate?
We have used a combined stain and varnish in the past but might try taking a little more time to use the stain first followed by the varnish. Why? Apparantly staining alone sinks into the timber and shows more of the grain. It also gives a more even finish. Using a combined stain and varnish can look more like a paint rather than a smooth varnished stained surface. I, Mr, am skeptical about this advice. But as we haven't perfected the stain and varnish to date we may give it a go.

Varnish prices were

• $11 for 250mL

• $26 for 1Litre and 

• $60 for 4Litres

For those items where we cannot remove glass panelswe looked at masking tape. Some would easily allow the stain or paint to bleed through. Scotch has a blue tape for around $10 for 55m.

Paint brushes were last on the list and we found the price difference significant. The brushes we will be using will be synthetic as they have softer bristles and will be easier to use. No hairs will come out on the surface and if well looked after will last. The bigger the brush the more paint it can hold. We also noticed the better quality brushes had layers of bristles (like a layered haircut for the ladies). For the varnish the softer the bristles the better.

For our three door hutch we will need

- 1 x 3.75L primer $87.93
- 1 x 4L paint $74.25
- 1 x 1L varnish $26
- 1 x stain around $30
- 1 x scotch tape blue 55m $10

Approximate total required =   $228.18

Still need to add sandpaper and handles for the cupboard doors but it's a start!

---Mr & Mrs---

Preparing for prepping!

Time to get our three door hutch underway. Before researching products and prices I thought it might be helpful for those of you wishing to refurbish your own furniture, to have a guide as to what you will need when painting an already stained item.

Before - dark stained hutch

To get started

Tomorrow we will venture to our local hardware store and ask a few questions. Apart from getting an idea of price we also want to learn a little more about the basic three products we need to paint our dark stained timber hutch. 

Sandpaper

·         What grade sandpaper do I use before priming?

·         Do I need to sand after priming but before painting? And, if so, do I use the same  grade sandpaper?

·         I am going to re-stain the bench part of the hutch. Do I need to strip it right back with my belt sander? What grade sandpaper do I need?

Primer

·         What kind of primer will I require? eg oil-based, water-based, acrylic…

Paint

·         What kind of paint will I require? eg oil-based, water- based, acrylic…

·         What products will I require for cleaning? eg methylated spirits 

Paintbrushes

·         What size paintbrushes will I need?

·         Will I need a different type for priming, painting, staining?

We will see the difference in product quality and  price and let you know what we find out!

---Mr & Mrs---

All I want for Christmas...

Christmas 2009 I asked Mr if I could give eBay a whirl! So with $100 to my name a-shopping I did go.  I love homemaking and thought I might find some 'new' items for our home. I figured that as long as it was solid timber we could always give it a coat of paint and enjoy doing so in the process. So today I thought I might share our practice items.

Down the track we will share more about how we went about painting these but for the moment here is an overview of our some of our furniture refurbishments thus far.

First we gave this Pine timber hutch a new look

 

Mr added new knobs for a french country look.

This old timber cupboard was originally a blue similar to this. But it was dirty and the paint was flaking off from age. A good sand and a few coats of paint and it was ready for use again. 

This pine coffee table had a great shape for refurbishing - excuse the laundry baskets in the background!

Then there was this lovely country cabinet..

And finally, there was this coffee table (which we almost ended up taking to the dump before deciding to give it a coat of paint).

So there you have it! It's now time to go into business and share our journey along the way. 

--Mrs--