Buffet Makeover

Quality furniture never goes out of style! One might not like the original stain color but that is simple enough to change. Since our client newly decorated her home, she wanted a piece that would be stylish and fun that she would enjoy looking at each day. We found her the perfect piece and got to work.

The first step is removing the hardware and cleaning the piece.

Get ready to use some elbow grease because you will be surprised at what your sponge or shop towel removes. Our favorite cleaner is Krud Kutter, followed by a rinse.

Once that is completely dry it is time to sand and assess any areas that need repair, filling, etc. This piece was for the most part in great condition but there were a few areas that needed some building back up, so we chose Bondo. There are other products you can use, but when building build back up large gouges in the wood Bondo is our preference.

Bondo is a two part product - it gets mixed with a hardener and we apply it with a spreader. When mixed together and applied once it is dry it is very strong. The work time is very short though with Bondo so be sure to only mix the two parts together as you go because it becomes unworkable in about three minutes once mixed. It dries to to solid within about 10-15 minutes and then is ready to be sanded smooth. Be sure to use a respirator when using Bondo and with a lot of ventilation. I like to apply mine outdoors because the smell is very strong.

We used our favorite sander, the SurfPrep 3 x 4 electric ray and a 220 sheet to smooth out the bondo and then continued to scuff sand the rest of the piece. I have a discount code AMINI10 to use at surfprepsanding if you would like to try this awesome sander. Then it was time to prime. We used shellac based bin to prime this piece, making sure to sand between coats with 400 grit sandpaper and remove the dust with a tack cloth.

Next we painted three coats of Paint Couture Paint in Peacock, lightly sanded between each coat with 400 grit and then sealed it with two coats of water based top coat. We finished it off with brand new hardware and now it is exactly what our client envisioned. What a difference!