Mid Century Modern Redo!

Lisa Marie
by Lisa Marie
3 Materials
I picked up this piece... and after doing reasearch on it, I decided to paint it. It didn't have any manufacturer marks on it so I decided to give it a go! It is a BEAUTIFUL piece, well crafted and solid!
I started by CLEANING! Always my first step. Removing hardware, drawers, etc. Inspecting the piece for any necessary repairs, I found a small dent I needed to fix in the wood so I repaired that with wood filler.
I sanded the top...but it wasn't working. The varnish on this things was THICK! So I had to purchase some stripper. I used that and it was easier than sanding but still PATIENCE was required~
I originally was going to do the piece in black, leaving the wood in the middle to peak through... I decided black wasn't the way to go.
I ordered some General Finishes Driftwood Milk Paint and once I put it on the piece, It POPPED and I knew I made the right decision.
Finally, after the stop was ready for stain, I mixed up some custom colors... I used some red to dye the original stain I had on hand to bring out the cherry look and then added some grey gel stain on top.
I mixed and spread it till it was to my liking! I really love the color combo and it wasn't even sealed yet!
Here is the top, sealed and just absolutely stunning! I love the different shades in my pieces... I like to think out of the box. I sealed the top with a high gloss varnish.
FINAL PRODUCT!~
Lined the drawers with some fun and colorful fabric!
The drawer in the middle didn't slide in and out without making a creeking sound so I used bar soap to stop that!
Open!
Detail - I updated the hardware to something more modern.
The acrylic and "gold" hardware. It was gold when I bought it but I used silver gilding wax so it would complement the grey.
My First MCM Piece! Im in LOVE
Suggested materials:
  • General Finishes Milk Paint
  • Howards Restore a Finish
  • Unicorn SPiT
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  • Christine Millership Christine Millership on Jul 22, 2016
    I like this transformation, particularly the blend of that colour with the wood. Why did you change your mind away from black? I'm interested, as I often change my mind on my original plans, and sometimes I just clean and varnish after much thought.
  • Eroque022810 Eroque022810 on Jul 23, 2016
    So if I'm understanding you, you picked up the piece because you liked it and checked for makers marks and since you didn't find any then felt it was OK to paint? So if you had found a mark would you not paint out of respect for the craftsmen ship or would you have left that beautiful piece alone and enjoyed the beautiful woodwork? Or would you have tried to sell it and get a better price? I love wood so I'm biased. I wish since you did paint it to have not finished the top so it would match doors or painted doors top match top.
  • IFortuna IFortuna on Jul 26, 2016
    Do you know what kind of wood this is?
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