Furniture Painting on holidays - 24 hour project

We are back from holidays traveling the Great Ocean Road. I’ll share more about the holidays soon but first I wanted to share a project I did for my sister in Melbourne. 

The kids and I drove to Melbourne via the south coast and stopped in Eden for a few days then arrived in Melbourne Friday evening. Phil flew in on the Saturday. So Friday night I was chatting to my sister Rachael while she was prepping dinner and she mentioned she’d been wanting to paint the furniture in her lounge room white for a few years. She was really nervous about doing it and also didn’t have the time she thought it would take.

Her furniture was a matte yellow with loads of texture. She had bought this set around 10 years ago and only choose the yellow as it was available immediately but the white was on back order for a few months. The yellow was quite dated and Rach was over it all. So when she mentioned it, I looked at her husband and said why don’t we go to the paint shop and I can paint it now. So while Rach put the lasagna in the oven, Sean and I jumped in the car and went to Bunnings: the only shop open at 730pm on a Friday night and close by. So I didn’t use my normal paints but I knew adhesion would be no problem as I was painting over a matte good surface. Also I have used so many different types of paints over the year I know I an get a good finish regardless of the paint I use.

After dinner, we set up in the lounge room - me with my paint stuff and Sean and Rach on the lounge and all of us with a glass of red wine: how civilized:) I gave the pieces a very light sand and a wipe down then primed it all with a good primer. I used my favourite brush (around $17 from Bunnings - the Monarch Angled Sash brush 50mm. This brush gives the best smooth finish that I have found and they last very well)

 One coat of primer

I didn’t even clear the bookshelves or baskets: Rachael wanted to leave the timber bits timber and luckily I am a really neat painter. We went to bed around 1130pm when I’d finished priming it all and let the primer dry overnight. 

The next morning I got up at 630am and did the fingernail scratch test and the primer wasn’t going anywhere. Such good adhesion which always makes me happy. So I started on the first coat of white paint. Because I couldn’t buy the chalk paint I wanted I used Dulux wash and wear paint in a low sheen. We choose Antique White USA as this is what Sean and Rach’s doors and architraves /skirtings are painted in. Also it has very good coverage for white so that helped me out with how mnay coats of paint I needed to do. I painted all morning which worked out fine as Sean went and picked up my husband Phil from the airport as he flew down to join the holiday and then we were just hanging out at home for my nephew Max to come home for lunch. By lunchtime I had finished the painting (two coats of Antique White USA (and the coat of white primer) gave full coverage over the yellow and after lunch we went out to the Finders Keepers Markets for a browse: well Rach, Sasha and I went to the markets and the guys went to a nearby pub for the afternoon. After dinner the paint had all dried nicely and we set up with the red wine again in the lounge room: I did the top coats and lightly sanded everything with a fine grit sand paper for a smooth finish - the product I used the Rustoleum Matte sealer that i really love and its non yellowing so that's a what you need for over white paint: and by 10pm I had finished everything. What a turnaround. 

Rach and Sean were absolutely thrilled  - so nice to do this for them. Th whole lounge room looks different and lighter and brighter. More modern also.  The white paint really set off the dark timber also and made it look so nice.

What a quick project - nice to do something I love for someone I love

Fiona xx

Some recent painted furniture

Hello again, I know it’s been a while but I have been working hard with lots of interesting pieces coming though my studio. I thought it was about time to share some here. I just hope I have a few readers still...

I had two of these little Japanese cabinets. They are designed as little benches for near the front door to put shoes etc in. One of my customers bought one as a TV cabinet as they have a marrow lounge room. Both painted in shades of grey. 

I also had a pair of vintage Japanese bedsides tables. Over the years I have done several of this style of furniture but never bedsidenso I was thrilled to source these. I painted them in a dark grey chalk paint and they were snapped up immediately with loads of people interested.

I love bedside tables with a pull out shelf. So handy. 

In the same grey I also painted these vintage English bedside tables. These bedside tables are very similar to several little bookcases I have painted before. Nice and slimlineamd good for a small room.

I have two pairs of bedside tables still for sale if you are interested.  A pair of duck egg bow front ones and some taupe serpentine fronted ones. drop me a line if you are interested. (Now sold)

And these lovely ones: $600 the pair (now sold )

I also have a few other pieces for sale that I’ll share tomorrow. Have a lovely day

Fiona xx

Affordable path update: stenciled tiles

How clever are my customers-turned-friends Kate and Jordan with their DIY makeover. They are recently married and have just bought their first home. Their side path was old terra-cotta tiles that were in good condition, just not the look they were going for.

They got a quote to retile this side area and it was over $10k but with Berger Paints Jet Dry Rapid Tread paint and Cutting Edge Stencils they have transformed this area for under $300. What a saving and how wonderful does it look.

You can buy Berger paints at Bunnings or Paint Inspirations. It’s around $90 for 4 litres and is quick drying for high traffic areas. 

Jordan and Kate selected the Santa Ana tile stencil. You can select different sizes so choose the one that matches your tile dimensions.

 I previously painted my old concrete lounge room floor (before we renovated) with Berger Jet Dry and it lasts forever and feels wonderful) - I just used white but wanted to comment that I had no problems at all with the paint peeling. It lasted years and years and included a high traffic area. 

My white painted floor even made it into a magazine so it much have been good :) 

Well done Kate and Jordan! Your side path looks amazing ❤️

Do you have old tiles that could do with a spruce up?

Latest pieces

Sorry I have been slow on blogging lately. We are now settled down in front of a movie after a long Good Friday lunch with lovely friends. So I thought I’d update you on some recent pieces.

Lunch setting

Kelly bought this long India Hicks style console table (much larger than it looks) from my inventory and asked for it to be painted the same as a chest of drawers she bought a few months ago from me. 

FMP Putty with Heirloom interior

A lovely buffer waxed finish. 

Julia asked me to paint her old pine drawers for her new bedroom. We chose a pale warm grey chalk paint and I gave it a gently distressed finish. I added new handles that Julie bought from Provincial Home Living.

And before

This is a lovely old upholstered bench seat. I initially painted the frame a pale grey but it had such a purple undertone and I kept looking at it and decided I didn’t like it so I repainted it in this lovely deep slate grey that perfectly matches the ticking. Funnily enough it sold immediately repainted so my customers must have preferred it also. 

One of my customers, Nicole, has missed out on several glazed cabinets recently so when I came across this one I offered it to her prior to listing it for sale. She loved it. It’s such an old piece and in gorgeous condition.

I loved these vintage French bedsides. They were so nice to paint and turned out so pretty. They got snapped up immediately also. (I’ve got the best customers) 

I have also sold a heap of mirrors and homewares lately but I’ll  share them in the next post. 

Hope you all have enjoyed Good Friday and are set to relax over Easter

Fiona 

Kitchen island from an old chiffonier

Hi everyone 

Hope you are having a good week. I finished the kitchen island last week and Steve and Cathy love it. Eventually they will get marble cut for the top but in the meantime they will just use it with the painted top.

Here is a close up 

They still need to build the rest of the kitchen but Cathy has some great ideas and I think it will all look pretty fabulous. 

A long way from the dusty old piece when they found it. I originally turned down this woke but so glad I reconsidered. I love painting it!

Fiona xx

What I’m working on this week

Hi everyone, hope you had a lovely weekend. Ours was fun but tiring. Jonty’s party and sleep over Friday night, lunch with Phil’s mum and sisters on Saturday, they arrived literally an hour after the boys left so I t was a quick tirnaround) . And then yesterday up the coast for my dad’s birthday. Plus the kids have a lot of assignments and I had the usual furniture pickups and deliveries and I painted a mirror and we always seem to be doing house work and folding laundry. It never ends :) I was glad to hop into bed last night.

This week I am finishing the kitchen island bench for Cathy. She now wants the top painted so that’s a lot of extra work.

Here’s where I’m at the moment: bases painted, apron primed, top needs sanding right back as it’s damaged.

I also am painting this little bar unit below - already sold to a lovely customer Elle. She’s going to use it to store her router etc in. 

And I also sold the second bookcase I sourced so that needs painting. These are all from the same seller. All English oak but stained so dark.

I also want to start a sideboard that I bought from a beautiful old lady. Maybe that’s all too high hopes :)

I have two pairs of bedsides, a hall table and a glazed cabinet all arriving tomorrow also. I’ll share photos soon. 

I also am planning on swimming my laps everyday. I’m really enjoying it and getting fitter. 

Enjoy your day.

Fiona xx

Bedroom furniture in pale grey chalk paint

This beautiful bedroom set came from the Consul General to Finland. It is just so beautifully made and despite being quite old was in pretty good condition. Initially I was thinking of selling it as is but the long low drawers had a few nicks along the trim above the drawers and the tall set had quite a bad mark on the top. The rest were just perfect so it was a shame. 

I ended up painting them the same in a pale grey chalk paint with clear wax. The drawer interiors are a pale sea foam green. I love that combination.

A lovely couple who aren’t on Facebook bought this set. Their friend commented sold for them. When I went to deliver the piece I realized I knew the friend (who was there to help unload) so it was all a very nice transaction. 

I really buffed these for a nice shine. I’m just so thrilled the set stayed together. 

I’m so tired tonight, we had 6 boys here for a sleep over last night for Jonty’s birthday. Such nice kids and so funny. And wow big groups of boys eat so much. 

So we are off to bed early (10:30pm which is quite early for me anyway). 

Have a good weekend

Fiona xx