It's Easy to Transform Modern Furniture With Paint!

Patricia
by Patricia
5 Materials
I gravitate to vintage furniture, but have a special place in my heart for modern-day furniture, too. And it's easy to transform it with paint!
This piece was manufactured recently. It's made of some sort of wood composite, with a shiny factory finish. It does have sturdy construction and isn't a bad looking piece.
Unfortunately the top had some gouges and scratches.
If it was solid wood it might have been a candidate for refinishing, but such was not the case.
I used my orbital sander to smooth out the scratches and gouges. Since the finish was smooth and shiny, I lightly sanded the remainder of the piece with 220-grit sandpaper to give a little roughness for the paint to cling to.
This photo illustrates the importance of using a drop cloth! It was 90+ degrees the day I painted the table. The palm of my hand holding the can of paint must have gotten too sweaty, and the next thing I knew the can slid right out of my hand. Luckily it hit the drop cloth and didn't splatter onto the already painted base!
I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and painted the base with two coats of Old Ochre which is a lovely neutral color.
The top was painted in two coats of Coco which compliments the Old Ochre beautifully. I sealed the table with soft clear wax. I applied a second coat of wax the following day to the top for extra durability.
I applied light distressing around the edges of the drawers.
I didn't distress the diamond shapes as I wanted them to be subtle accents and not take center stage.
Finally here's a side-by-side of the before and after. This was one of my favorite projects to-date, but honestly I say that about whichever project I'm currently working on! Some upcoming projects are: another rocking chair (I can't get enough of those), a day bed, an executive desk, a 1940's chifferobe, and an antique buffet/sideboard that I just picked up today. I'd love for you to stop by my blog and follow by email to receive alerts of new blog posts!
Suggested materials:
  • Chalk Paint & Soft Clear Wax   (Winsome Cottage (Waynesville, OH))
  • Frog tape for crisp lines between colors   (Amazon)
  • Orbital Sander   (Home Depot)
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Patricia
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 6 questions
  • P Davis P Davis on Aug 13, 2016
    LOVE THE WHOLE LOOK. COULD YOU TELL ME YOUR WALL COLOR TOO?
  • Cbu7910906 Cbu7910906 on Aug 13, 2016
    What kind of wax did you use?
  • Joan Joan on Aug 14, 2016
    Can ypu give me a rough idea of how and where on the furniture you distress?mthanks
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