Guest Post: Curio Cabinet Rehab

I am SUPER excited to share a guest post from a friend of mine who does an incredible job transforming dated, undesirable furniture into gorgeous, showstopping pieces! She's a working mama of three who still finds time to turn old into new, and I am thrilled that she's stopped by TLWL with one of her fantastic projects! 

Enjoy!

Transforming furniture while living life

I fell in love with transforming furniture last summer. It was scary to take the plunge at first but I haven’t been able to stop since. I scour Goodwill, Craigslist and eye garbage as I drive by -- you could say that I am addicted.

But I am also mom to three kids- 13, 6 and 2 and I also work full time with an hour commute each way. Sometimes time is not on my side.

I had purchased this curio cabinet from Goodwill for $20 last June with the purpose of repainting it for my office. While I had an idea of what I wanted, I was constantly changing my mind and therefore put this piece on the back burner.

Fast forward to the end of January after one too many snow falls and the fact that I had not touched a paintbrush in months created the perfect stir crazy storm. I had picked up Napoleonic Blue Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan from my favorite stockist~ Michelle Green at DiLucca Designs. While there I also purchased Dark wax for the first time. That’s right folks this is my first time attempting to use dark wax.

My Toolbox: Napoleonic Blue Chalk Paint Clear Wax Dark Wax Annie Sloan Paint Brush Wax Brush Chip Brush Mineral Spirits Clean White Cloth

On February 1st at 7:35pm I got to work. I did not bother emptying the piece or even moving it. I was just going to focus on the top half. That’s the nice thing about chalk paint, there isn’t a scent to it so I can work in the house. No need to stip or sand- just make sure the piece is clean. I’m sure my method drives my husband crazy. Since this was not my first rodeo the first coat was on in less than an hour.

TIP: A little paint goes a long way especially if you are using a good brush. I recommend the Annie Sloan brush for better coverage.

The next day I was on a roll. I got the second coat on with no issues. I like to add a little water to my paint to thin it out on the second coat.

After I finished my second coat I stopped working in it for almost a month.

You know life happened- and that’s ok!

I’m going to be honest, I hate to seal. Annie Sloan recommend that we use clear wax with her paint. The first time I did I made a mess out of it. Not my favorite experience. I have since then used Polyacrylic which I personally find too shiny. I have used a different product by Artisan Enhancements that I like since it can go over chalk paint or wax.

Remember the dark wax I purchased earlier? Well I needed to use clear wax before that could go on. I reflected on what I really did not like about the process and decided I needed to start with getting a wax brush. Sometimes you just need the right tools because it did make a difference.

Tip: Only kiss the tip of the brush in the wax. It is like putting on lotion- put on enough and use the white cloth to wipe the rest away. It should not be tacky to the touch.

Now for this project I only used 1 coat of wax. It was not going to be exposed to as much wear. After letting it sit overnight I was excited to start on the next part.

This was the first time that I have used dark wax and I wanted to try a glaze of the wax as opposed to using it out of the can. In a plastic disposable cup I mixed 2 spoonfuls of dark wax with an equal amount of mineral spirits. Using a chip brush I painted on the mixture. Now the nice thing is if I hated it because I used the clear wax I could use more clear wax on top of the glaze to wipe it off. I think the glaze gives the paint more depth.

I also changed out the knob. I tend to collect knobs I like from Hobby Lobby whenever they go on sale.

I have some ideas for the bottom half but that will have to wait for another day. LOL

To be continued…

Hope you enjoyed this super impressive DIY!

For Hrisi's other creations (well as many as she has written about) check out her blog.

For her inspirations on Pinterest click here.

Happy Hump Day, Friends!