Asked on Jan 05, 2013

Furniture Re-Do Ideas

Shari
by Shari
A few things about us / what I'm looking for --
1) I'm not the most handy. Okay, fine. I'm not handy at all. ;-) I'd like to change that, however.
2) My husband is deployed overseas, so manly help isn't an option right now.
3) I've never so much as held a paintbrush, so verrry simple projects & ideas are welcomed.
This is my first "learner" piece. It's a very inexpensive laminate-type piece I bought at Target years ago. I want to try it more for technique than for anything else.
I'm in love with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Miss Mustard Seed paint effects. I'd love something like that, with wear spots. I'm not about brand new or matchy-matchy.
Our decorating style would best be described as vintage-rustic, I suppose. We love old things, but place the most value on items that are sentimental (i.e., passed down within the family as opposed to priceless & delicate antiques). We like to live in our home, if that makes sense. :-)
  18 answers
  • Shari Shari on Jan 05, 2013
    Another piece, still very simple, but it's hard wood. It's in our office/Hub's dressing area with two other pieces which are matching dressers. I'd ideally like to make all three work together somehow. The file cabinet rolled underneath isn't part of this piece.
  • Shari Shari on Jan 05, 2013
    These are the two dressers. The tall one is used for Hubs' clothes; the wide one is for office supplies.
  • Shari Shari on Jan 05, 2013
    And lots more... my china hutch, table & chairs that were originally my grandmother's, an antique quilt chest & dresser/mirror bought at an auction, the list goes on. Now you can see why I'm so desperate for help.
  • Storywood Designs Storywood Designs on Jan 06, 2013
    Hi Shari! I love all the projects you have lined up and that you are ready to dive right in. If you want to use the laminate piece as a test piece, I would use something to similar to chalk paint on it. It is pre-mixed and easy to apply. Since it's a laminate piece, I would pick a fun color or 2 and play with the distressing techniques. If you like the distressed look, you could paint the laminate piece a dark brown base color (like ASCP coco) and then once that dried, go back over it with a fun color. That would help give the look of dark wood when you distress it. It would also be pretty painted one of ASCP's blue colors and distressed so that some of the white peeks through. Lots of possibilities! I've painted a couple of laminate pieces with ASCP and it worked great on both. ASCP can also be distressed with a damp rag, which comes in handy on laminate pieces and cuts down on the sanding dust indoors. Milk paint and chalk paint are also VOC-free, so you don't have to mess with moving pieces outside... just tuck drop cloths around the bottom (no manly help required!). Can't wait to see what you do... keep us posted on your progress!
  • Sherrie Sherrie on Jan 06, 2013
    I love chalk paint and Milk paint. II haven't tried Mrs. Mustard Seed's but she is on my List. Even through I have refinished a lot of furniture it was with stain not paint. So I either found cheap or free pieces. Sometimes they were pretty nice pieces. But I practiced on them first. I didn't have to worry about messing anything up. I also learned if I did mess anything up it was a simple fix to start over. I don't worry about being perfect that is the character of it. Some things need a special coat of paint. I always use laminate primer. Before I paint it. Today my garge is full we can't park our cars in it. : ). And I am turning a storeage building into a workshop. Never believe you aren't talented. Because your interested means a lot. You just need to learn some skills. There are also classes. It would be a win win. You would meet people and learn new things. There are many incredible bloggers. I read and ree-read them over and over and because of them I have redefined my skills and always learn something new.
  • Miriam Illions Miriam Illions on Jan 07, 2013
    Wonderful suggestions so far. You might find this tutorial on painting with ASCP by @Jennifer Carroll helpful: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/kitchen-dining/kitchen-dining-furniture/how-to-paint-with-annie-sloan-chalk-paint-a-tutorial-614352 Can't wait to see what you do! You have some great pieces there!
  • Z Z on Jan 07, 2013
    @Shari, I'm not big on painting and distressing furniture so I can't help you there but wanted to thank your hubby and family for serving. It's greatly appreciated.
  • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Jan 07, 2013
    @Shari - congrats on your decision to start refinishing furniture. It is much cheaper than buying new and so rewarding when you have completed a project. As for suggestions on how to move forward, I would suggest that first you do a search on dressers here on the site - soooooo many creative ideas :) That way you will find what type of refinishing you prefer for each of your pieceswhich may be different for each piece - I am a big fan of keeping some of the wood with painted wood pieces. I am an eclectic collector of furniture as well - usually try to tie together with colour, stain etc. For the laminate piece, you may want to consult at the paint store for what adhere to it or it may eventually peal off. I used an oil based on one of mine which gave the appearance of hammered metal when done. So explore here and the paint store before you start.Good luck and please keep us posted. Thanks for the question.
  • Shari Shari on Jan 07, 2013
    Thank you, @Z! I appreciate that. :-) @Gail Salminen if I understand it correctly, the ASCP should stick to the laminate just fine. And honestly, now that I look at it more closely, I think it might be an actual wood top with the rest being particle board. Really, I just want to practice technique on that particular piece & learn what I do/don't like, and since it has no busy trim and very simple lines, I figured it would be a good starter piece!
  • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Jan 07, 2013
    @Shari - I don't know much about ascp paint. I googled it and it brought me to a lot of sites about Annie Sloan chalk paint, but didn't indicate it's use outside of wood. It may be like Home Depot's Behr paint, they have several types for various uses - latex, oil, acrylic etc. You can't use the latex on laminate. I think you have selected a good starter piece, just wanted you to consider the medium you use, but if it is wood you may be ok, but still need to consider the current finish unless you plan to strip it down, which is really a fun project - love that step of the transformation. There are many experts on here you can pose a question to for an answer - @KMS Woodworks is very knowledgable and helpful. Again I am no expert in this area, and am not trying to scare you, I just llike to dabble in it and be amazed at the results of a project. Enjoy!
  • Shari Shari on Jan 07, 2013
    Oh, gosh... I'm glad you told me! I just kind of assumed. Silly first timer's mistake, huh?? I'll be honest, I'm not even entirely sure how to tell if something is laminate. LOL
  • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Jan 07, 2013
    @Shari - look at it from the back if it is unfinished. It could just be press board with a laminate on top. If you can't tell you can scratch it on the side with a knife to see what is underneath. Because you are just learning, we were all there once, you may want to talk things over with someone in the paint department at a specialty paint store or Home Depot or Lowes - those store seem to have people who are knowledgeable or will be able to point you in the right direction, and also know what to ask you in order to give you answers. Don't be afraid - move forward, it really is a great hobby! :)
  • Shari Shari on Jan 08, 2013
    Upon further examination, this does in fact appear to be wood. The frame is slats, and then the top? Well, I have no clue what that is. ;-)
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Jan 08, 2013
    You can paint laminate...ideally it should get a light sanding to help with adhesion. Many folks have re-painted their kitchen counters (which are laminate) with kits from Rustoleum etc.
  • Shari Shari on Jan 08, 2013
    Oh, wow! That's crazy!! I'm pretty sure that painting counters in base housing is a no-no though LOL. I'm so excited to get started!
  • Z Z on Jan 08, 2013
    Ha ha! Yeah, I'm sure they'd frown on that Shari. Our nephew just left for Marine Boot Camp yesterday.
  • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Jan 10, 2013
    @Shari - I saw this post on a painted desk, and recalled that you have a desk piece to do as well. Not milk paint, but I don't see why that wouldn't work. Does give a colour combo though. http://www.hometalk.com/diy/home-office/furniture/roadside-rescue-desk-and-chair-makeover-746695?se=dig&tk=lxs4pl @Art is beauty has done an excellent job :) and has a blog to go with it.
  • Shari Shari on Jan 10, 2013
    Ooooh, that is SUPER cute! I'd love something like that, and I love the dark top with lighter bottom. Oh, heading over to read! Thank you!!