Guest Project: Old Piece, New Life

I'd like introduce my good friend Irene. She has also been working hard on her new house. Recently, Irene has created a really neat project, taking an old table and making it new again. Check it out!

Hello!  When Laura asked if I could document my experience reviving a sad, old side table that I had I couldn’t have been more pleased!  Laura and I have a keen appreciation for design and decor and with both of us in new homes I have enjoyed exploring all the possibilities together with her.

I have a great love for colour and antiques and while I wouldn’t paint every antique piece that I have, this side table of mine was a poor old soul in definite need of a resurrection.  It was my husband’s even before we were married, and that was eight and a half years ago, and has stuck with us for 5 moves!  (Come to think of it, this may be the only piece of furniture we still own from our wedding day…yikes)  All the surfaces had major scratches and all the corners were all dinged up and bruised (think bachelor pad bruising, lol).  The final straw someone had accidentally squirted hand sanitizer on it and left it there to dry without wiping it up, leaving HORRIBLE bleached out splotches on the top.  No amount of tablecloths or doilies could cover up the fact that this guy was on his way out.

I had been looking up instructions for some time on how to refurbish old furniture, from sanding tips to varnish removers , all of which looked like a ton of work before even considering what colours to paint or stain.   I had been following adelinewoolf.com and loving the magical colours that she used on her furniture but it didn’t really connect with me until I saw Kylie M Interiors’ post that I learned that it could be done without all that prep work!  Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint can go on any surface, even glass and metal.  I had to see for myself, so after some research, I decided to try out some tester pots in Graphite and Old White. The girls at The Painted Brush in Oakville were super nice and helpful!

Pretty scary huh?  I tried the first coat in Graphite, because I loved the deep rich grey, but realized that most of my furniture is dark already, and I should go lighter.  If you look at the bottom of the table you’ll see the original wood, and all the scratches and nicks that it had.

1 Coat on the Body, and 2 Coats on Top

So after contemplating the Graphite over the weekend, I changed my mind and decided on French Linen, a pretty grey that goes well with the blues and greens in my home.  And since I had a tester pot in Old White still, I did a lighter tint (about 1/3 Old White, 2/3 French Linen) for the top, and used up the remaining Old White on the inside of the doors.  

Almost Done! (Top is shiny because the paint was still wet)

The paint applied amazingly, though it does take some getting used to—it dries quickly, and you will get texture on the paint from the paintbrush, but it leaves a gorgeous velvety finish, and if anything goes wonky, just wait for it to dry (about 30 mins), sand it down, and try again.  There’s no odour, which is amazing, and I was able to do this project in my little reading room. I did want my top to be a smoother finish, so I sanded it smooth using 220 grit sand paper.  It turned out almost glossy!  All the claims are true—I was too lazy to take off the hinges and knobs, so I just painted over them, no problem!  If you’re thinking about taking the ASCP plunge I found the most helpful tips were found on from the Purple Painted Lady on Youtube. The only real challenge I had was on the edges of the top, the paint kept cracking no matter how many times I sanded and repainted.

Finally I sanded it down and dipped my finger into the paint instead of a brush and rubbed the paint in firmly but smoothly.  Problem solved!  No idea why this happened, it was fine on other curvy parts of the table…maybe it had to do with the tinting?  Who knows.

And after waxing here’s the finished product!

I know that ASCP is popular among those who like the distressed shabby-chic look, and I might consider that too, but for now I’m glad this side table is clean and chic, and no longer shabby! 

Now what else can I paint??...