Vintage Tea Cart Redone
This is a sentimental piece purchased for me by my Mother from an estate sale for my BD this year. It is a duplicate of one my Grandmother had in her home. It was in rough shape; dirty, the handle was broken, it had a bit of mold & was stinky. Cleaned it with bleach & sprayed it with killz it as the primer coat. I started out using the Rustoleum Charcoal Grey Spray Chalk Paint and had to switch to the same paint but in brush on due to the heat. The spray chalk paint bubbled in the heat...oh mylanta what a hot mess it was. Note to self don't paint in humid 80+ degree weather again! I had to scrape off the bubbled areas and repaint the entire piece! Sigh...it was so worth it.
The brush on chalk paint naturally crackles in a few areas when you apply it in hot weather (which I like). I had a tough time with the matte clear brush on polyacrylic. It went on too thick and showed lines everywhere. I normally like a smoother finish, but in the end the lines gave it character and made it perfectly imperfect! I was very pressed for time so had to complete the project in one day, whew. So it was another happy accident in the making ;) so without further ado, here it is!
BEFORE: The handle was broken and it was dirty! Had to remove the wheels and soaked the rubber rings and the front wheels in a hot water bleach solution to get the dirt off.
IN PROGRESS: So glad the wheels came off easily, just two crews! Was over 80 degrees and the spray chalked bubbled (note to self, way too hot too paint). Had to scrape it off and switch to brush on.
IN PROGRESS: I used this brush on Rustoleum Chalked Charcoal Grey Piant & Matte Clear for the finish coat.
IN PROGRESS: Added onlays. Gives it a little more character & charm.
AFTER: Here is the back of the cart.
AFTER: Added my Mother's Italian vintage Silverware Holders, my 25th anniversary silverware, my vintage Bavarian Bone China.
AFTER: Added this vintage silver tray that I refinished to pewter. It was a perfect fit! I loved the scalloped edges on this tray, the ornate handles and of course my favorite, that it's footed.
UPDATE: I decides to go with aged grey by Rustoleum chalked in 2018. I am lightening up the color palette of my home.
It work better with my china colors as well. See my blog for better photos.
Resources for this project:
Comments
Join the conversation
-
Love this & your style as well!! Also I think I have the same candle holders that you have! Mine were a wedding gift in 1974!!! They look exactly like yours! πππ
-
Thanks! I bet they are! My Mom may have given them too me. I also frequent thrift stores and repaint items.
-
-
Yes, I saw that block. I will try that. Thank you! And you did a fabulous job!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I have one of these. Do you know what it's worth? Didn't want to touch it to take value away. May do this. Love it.
How did you remove the wheels?
I love the onlays! Can you provide the style name? There are so many on the website and cannot find these. Thank you