Are you ready for a little white paint magic?
This was one of those pieces of furniture that when the paint stripper and orbital sander had worked their magic, my heart skipped a beat.
The timber underneath the 1960's faux red mahogany finish was simply beautiful. The original finish had a lot of scratches in it and the colour did nothing for the piece, in my opinion. I am not a fan of reddish wood furniture. Actually two timber finishes I really dislike are orange pine and fake red mahogany.
The photo above has an Instagram filter on it and I've deleted the original from my phone but it was redder than it shows in the photo and it was more scuffed and scratched. Below is the beautiful timber in it's natural state and one coat of primer on the body.
Once I had stripped the top with Diggers Paint Stripper, I sanded it with sandpaper of graduating fineness - (is that how you'd phrase it? - sounds weird to me but I mean of paper of coarse grit to start with and then medium grit and then fine grit) until it was very smooth and then I broke out the 0000 grade steel wool and sanded for a good 15 minutes to give a super smooth surface. By doing this I ensured that the stain that I was about to apply would soak in evenly and that the surface would feel silky smooth to touch.
My preferred timber stain is Wattyl Craftsman Finish in Walnut. Bunnings no longer stock this brand but you can find it at Mitre 10. I love this stuff. It gives a beautiful dark finish and is easy to work with. I use a cotton lint free rag to apply it and usually do two coats with a few hours in between for drying time. Work quickly to ensure an even finish. My tip is to NEVER use the "all in one stain and varnish" - it gives a very inferior result.
Once the timber was dry I then gave it a few top coats of wax with a lot of buffing to bring out the shine. A great workout for my biceps! Ha ha
The result is a beautiful timber top surface. I am always thrilled when I see these sideboards unleashed from their 1960's shackles!
I painted the backboard and body in Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Old White (which once the wax is applied is cream). The paint leaves a matte chalky finish but once you apply a top coat of wax and then sand it, you are are left with a beautiful smooth velvety finish that is very durable. I lightly distressed the ornate mouldings to bring out their details.
I know one of the benefits of ASCP is that you are not meant to need to prime your piece prior to painting but I knew that this piece would bleed though the paint (this regularly happens with the old red stained finishes) so I gave it two coats of Zinsser. Better safe than sorry!
I know one of the benefits of ASCP is that you are not meant to need to prime your piece prior to painting but I knew that this piece would bleed though the paint (this regularly happens with the old red stained finishes) so I gave it two coats of Zinsser. Better safe than sorry!
I also painted the original hardware for this piece. ASCP has excellent adhesion to metal and the original hardware was in good condition but I thought it would look better not standing out as a feature. I wanted to draw attention to the mouldings and not the hardware, so I painted it all.
I don't find these French shaped pieces very often. Shame I don't have room for yet another sideboard in my house. This one's for sale, message me if you are interested.
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Fiona, you can ship this right over to Texas. It turned out beautifully!!
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful FIona, thanks for the detailed instructions on how to achieve this look. I wish I lived closer!
ReplyDeleteAnne
Oh My what a beautiful makeover. So glad to have found your blog. Newest follower via email.
ReplyDeletehugs Beatrice
It is really beautiful. Thank you for such a well written tutorial.
ReplyDeleteI am totally in lust with this piece and have gained some great tips for a table I will be doing soon. thanks for a great post yet again!
ReplyDeleteBec x
BEAUTIFUL!! and yes, i prime with old white, too- i find it doesn't stick as well as some other colors, too, aside from the bleeding.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous piece. I love the walnut top too. Great job of refinishing. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting about the tannins coming through ASCP, I have no doubt you are right, they would have bled through, but I thought Annie might have addressed this in her paint formulation if it is meant to go straight onto any surface. I haven't heard anyone mention this before.
ReplyDeletexx Karen
Beautiful Piece Fiona! I Love it. I was wondering which Zinsser Primer you prefer? They have a few to choose from. I always use the oil based BIN for anything which I think will have tannin bleed, and have tried a few water based ones.
ReplyDeletePam x
thanks Pam, I don't really have a preference for zinsser - but not really a fan of oil based paint (environmentally etc) -this is a waterbased one not sure which but probably covermore- 2 coats of primer even waterbased will sort out any bleeding.
Deletecheers fiona
This is gorgeous! I didn't know you could paint the hardware and I am loving the look! Hope you can stop by the enchanted oven for a visit.
ReplyDeletexo,
Lisa
I agree with you on the bleeding. Wouldn't want to take the risk when the end result is so pretty. Looking forward to trying ASCP when Sandy gets some in. Beautiful work Fiona.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely divine
ReplyDeleteThat’s one gorgeous piece of furniture. I love the pics.
ReplyDeleteWow,the piece turned out absolutely gorgeous! Great job. Joining your blog and hope you will join ours.
ReplyDeleteLinda at The French Hens Nest
You did a great job on this sideboard! It gives me hope for my pieces I am going to paint!
ReplyDeleteHearts,
Betsy