Mid Century Modernized Sideboard W/ High Gloss Oil Enamel & Gel Stain
1 Material
2 Weeks
Advanced
This roadside mid century freebie, picked up by another local furniture restorer, made its way into my garage after she decided to let it go.
In the 2.5 years I've been doing this, this may the most dramatic makeover due to the condition this piece was in when I got it.
After the frame was sanded and primed, I filled deep scratches and shallow nicks - with Bondo. Filling is critical when prepping for high gloss paint. I usually do this + primer 2-3 times before deciding that the surface is ready for paint.
My primer of choice is BIN Shellac by Zinsser. I buy it by the gallon ($41) and spray it (unthinned) with my super simple Critter sprayer. I set my compressor (60 gallon) to 60 PSI for spraying. Clean up takes a few seconds using denatured alcohol. Between coats of primer and bondo, I sand - every time - using 220-320.
To ready the frame for paint, I taped off the cabinets (prior to doing prep work), throughly vacuumed/cleaned and dragged it into my spray booth for painting. Right before I spray, I go over everything in the booth with a tack cloth to catch any final debris that was missed.
{
"id": "3392189",
"alt": "",
"title": "",
"video_link": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/sPkAVx-j6NY",
"youtube_video_id": "sPkAVx-j6NY"
}
{
"width": 634,
"height": 357,
"showRelated": true
}
To prep my paint for spraying with my siphon gun (I used Fine Paints of Europe Hollandlac Brilliant) I thin with lacquer thinner, add an enamel hardener, and add penetrol to help it flow out. When the additives are in, I place the jar of paint in warm water to help with viscosity. Check out my You Tube video that takes you through it, step by step.
When the paint is thinned/warmed and I have allowed the hardener to activate for 30 minutes, I attach the jar to my gun and start spraying at 60 PSI (obviously this photo is not the actual paint used for this project since it is black). The paint takes 48 hours for re-coating ( I recommend two coats); however, with a hardener, you should be able to re-coat within 24 hours.
After the paint is cured, I rub out the surface to glass-like perfection using a technique you can find on my friend Kayla's blog - here's her Hometalk Link for the process http://www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/furniture/how-to-achieve-a-perfect-high-gloss-paint-finish--16478495
To refinish the drawer and cabinet fronts, I used @general finishes Antique Walnut and Java gel stains. I applied by hand after fully sanding down the surfaces and prepping with Minwax pre-stain conditioner.
Stained surfaces were protected with GF's satin topcoat, sprayed with my HVLP sprayer.
Like I said - pretty dramatic makeover.
mirror-like reflection in the rubbed out, high gloss oil enamel surface. Better than a factory finish!!!
I styled with some feminine colors, DIY abstract art and brass to glam it up a and soften the hard lines. Read all about it on my blog!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 82 comments
-
Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!! I don't have the patience, skill, tools, or even the imagination required to create such a beautiful and skillfully rendered finish on a piece of furniture!! Do you have a shop or do you specialize in personal requests?
-
Hi! I mainly sell retail on Craigslist. :) and thank you so much.
-
-
Amazing gloss on that piece! Wow..... what talent ... and patience you have! You saved an ugly duckling and truly transformed it into a swan!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?