Shabby Chic; Volume III

Bibbitybob

Hannah_10 wrote: »

I have a glass top table almost identical to this one just slightly less square/ more rectangular. My 5-6 month old baby daughter can roll over and sit up pretty well. She will be standing up on her own feet within a few weeks and when she does that glass table is suddenly a huge liability. Money is tight. So tight I don't even really want to splash out for for an £89 Ikea replacement. Can I replace the glass table top with something else? What about marine-ply and then always use an oilcloth over it? Would it warp? Has anyone tried this?

I'm not sure about replacing the top as it's not something I've ever done, but have you tried asking on your local freecycle/freegle for a table? Even something a bit old and battered could paint up nicely/be covered with a pretty cloth until your little one is old enough to use your glass table again

I've been posting a few updates on my blog, but I thought I'd just update you all on my SC kitchen again. Work has been slooow since Xmas, but we seem to have gathered some steam again this week and Mr BB tiled the walls.

Before grout (can see color and shape better here)



After grout




It's hard to tell from this pic, but the tiles have a lovely crackle glaze finish to them. I can't wait for the car boot sales to start again so I can begin to collect pretty bits!

annie-c

savingmummy wrote: »

Hello all i`m a lurker who is so envious your all very talented!!

I have a small hall storage cupboard 3ftx3ft and have painted it sorbet pink, we plan to shelve it out next week and turn it into a mini utility room to house cleaning amd laundry items etc. I have got shabby chic bits and bobs and on the shelving i will be using cube shaped wicker baskets which are lined with cream linen.

NOW i would of preferred cream/white wash wicker but have light to dark brown ones any ideas for painting them? what paint to use?
Some of the baskets are not treated just plain wicker, a couple have a clear varnish type coating `i think` to them.

T.I.A

Sj xx

Spray paint is your friend!

White spray paint (sometimes sold as car spray paint) is 99p/£1 a can in £land, 99p stores, random cheapy shops. the whiteglos is great, though best if you use several light coats rather tha one heavy one, as it is prone to dripping. Do it outside if poss, as it stinks!

Hannah_10

Bibbitybob wrote: »

I'm not sure about replacing the top as it's not something I've ever done, but have you tried asking on your local freecycle/freegle for a table? Even something a bit old and battered could paint up nicely/be covered with a pretty cloth until your little one is old enough to use your glass table again

Thank you for the idea, unfortunatly it wont work for me as I have nowhere to store the glass one. It has given me another idea though, so I am off to post on freegle to see if I can swap with anyone.

Bangerchick

Morning!

I love these Shabby threads!

Last week I bought some great balloon backed chairs which I want to paint. :j

I have sanded them all down and now need to prime them. Can anyone recommend a good, easy to work with primer?

Thrifty_Sister

EagerLearner wrote: »

Hi TS, I am doing exactly that to my 'orrible orange pine tv unit. I cleaned it then gently sanded it down to remove most of the old varnish.
Then I painted Farrow & Ball Wimbourne White onto the front, sides and shelves (2-3 coats, allowing 2 hours between each one). On top have left without painting, but applied danish oil. So far I have done about 6 coats. Needs 1 or 2 more (6 hours between coats). Then polish up to a nice buff...
Your plant holder should be fine, just make sure it is clean and varinished, then paint with a decent brush - good luck and show us piccies when you are done!

Thanks for the info EL - thought I would wait until the weather brightens up a bit before attempting the plant stand so I can paint outside. Think I will do it F & B cream as I do love their paint!

xxvickixx

Bibbitybob. Those tiles are beautiful and the kitchen looks lovely.

EagerLearner

Bibbity love the kitchen! Also took a peek at your blog, I have the laundry basket from Dunhelm that you looked at - it's so cute and wasn't too expensive. Ido find Dunhelm is temptation station, very easy to spend lots...

savingmummy

annie-c wrote: »

Spray paint is your friend!

White spray paint (sometimes sold as car spray paint) is 99p/£1 a can in £land, 99p stores, random cheapy shops. the whiteglos is great, though best if you use several light coats rather tha one heavy one, as it is prone to dripping. Do it outside if poss, as it stinks!

Excellent thank you very much I will put a pic up once its done x

annie-c

I have decided to award myself the title of Queen of Spray Paints as I seem to have tried out every one on the market..... so here is an updated review of them:

Plastikote Red Gloss - This is the most expensive paint I have tried at £7.49 in Focus DIY. Gorgeous vibrant colour which I used to spray the frame/legs of an ikea Bekvam step stool. Beautiful quality but it drips very easily so I had to keep sanding bits off til I learned to spray from quite a distance and use many light coats instead of fewer thicker ones.

Rustoleum White primer, White Gloss, Ivory Gloss £5.49 delivered from Amazon.co.uk. The ivory was on special at £2.49 a can, but the offer seems to be over now. Good-ish quality. The primer is excellent, the gloss is a bit drippy - technique is important, but the finish and colour are very good on all colours/types.

£Land/Cheapy Shop AutoPaint (Car Paint) in Black, White, Clear, Red, Gold and silver. 99p to £1.29 a can depending on the shop.
Black, White and Red all much thinner than the Plastikote/Rustoleum, so you use a lot more tins per item. However, the thinness of the paint means drips are few and far between, even if you get carried away. Definitely worth the money. I painted a mirror frame in white, an old table in black, and a battered grey filing cabinet in red. Superb results.
Silver: vile grey shade, never again! Best used for sprucing up car wheel trims.
Gold: A bit bright and gaudy, prob better for christmas decs than permanent interior features like mirrors. However, with a bit of accident + experimentation mixed together, I got a lovely muted gold shade by spraying silver onto a mirror frame first, then gold lightly on top. However, I found it hard to replicate the effect when I tried again later!
Clear: I found that spraying clear lacquer over the gold & silver made them duller than ever, rather than adding a shine, so I don't recommend using the clear to layer over coloured spray. However, I used it to give a tough top coat to an emulsioned picture frame and it worked a treat. Probably not tough enough for furniture that is moved about daily, but for a mirror frame it gave it just enough coverage to stop the emulsion scratching while I hung it on the wall, and while I give it the occasional polish.

Hope this helps.... I have a can of Rustoleum Antique gold spray to try next (I have Amazon vouchers to spend which is why I have worked my way through so many of their paints... :rotfl::rotfl:)

Thrifty_Sister

Bibbity - your kitchen is lovely and I too love your tiles. Its such a nice 'not in your face' look that its given me some inspiration to do something with my tired looking kitchen. Thanks for the inspiration.