Vintage Duck Egg Blue Sideboard

This sideboard was my last project of 2013 and was a lovely piece to finish the year of painting furniture on. I hadn't planned on doing such a big piece so late in the year but I'd been asked by a few people to keep an eye out for a sideboard for them and when I found this one I couldn't pass it up (despite it being a week or so before Christmas).

Even in the rough original state covered in pot plants I could see her beauty. When I see furniture like this I shake my head that people don't take care of and oil their furniture. The wood was completely dried out. If the owners had just bothered to dust it and oil or wax it (a ten minute job) they would have got a lot more money for it when they sold it. Oh well, all the better for me.

Isn't the shape just gorgeous. A lovely solid piece with great storage and pretty detailing.  I emailed one of the people looking for sideboards, Elizabeth, and she wanted it and asked for it painted in ASCP Duck Egg Blue with White coming through on the distressing. It's not how I would have painted it but that's the way with custom jobs and I was happy to have it sold so quickly.  I probably would have painted the base in grey and white with the top left timber but restrained and sealed. Saying that it turned out very pretty and Elizabeth is thrilled with it. 

Here is a progress shot below. ASCP Duck Egg Blue is a very easy colour to paint with. It has great coverage. I wouldn't normally prime using this paint and colour but Elizabeth had asked for white peeking through the distressing so I gave the sideboard two coats of white Zinsser primer. I sanded the sideboard well before priming it to smooth out all the old chipped varnish.

Here is the door primed and painted but before distressing and waxing.  Because Elizabeth wanted white coming through, I made my paint work a bit streaky so that the White showed through on some areas of that flat surfaces to give it a faded vintage look that Elizabeth was after. 

And here below you can see I've started to distress the paint to bring out the details.

Sideboards really are one of my favourite things to paint. They are such a grand statement piece of furniture. I especially love the ornate backboards in ones such as this.

The afternoon dappled light makes the sideboard look very patchy but at this stage in my Christmas preparations I wasn't going to haul it inside and stage it. I just wanted the job finished and picked up.  

Below you can see that I have finished distressing it but I haven't waxed it just. The colour is much lighter before applying wax. After sanding but before waxing I wipe down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding chalky residue. This step also gives you a good indication of what your finished piece will look like.

And then after oiling and waxing the sideboard the true colour of the paint is revealed. The wax also makes the timber and white paint visually pop. Below is after one coat of wax, I gave this sideboard so couple of coats for added durability. 

You can see below how the wax changes the finish as compared to the earlier photo of the backing crown.

I painted the hardware in this piece, the metal wasn't that nice and I didn't want the handles to be a visual feature. I love how they look painted and distressed. 

So that's a sideboard makeover outlined for you.  This sideboard now looks very vintage retro which is what Elizabeth wanted. 

 I have another beautiful French sideboard that I'm starting when I get back from holidays. It's very beautiful and I'm looking forward to painting it in a very French provincial style. 

Cheers Fiona