Shabby Chic; Volume III

chalkysoil

I slapped some water based gloss paint on a veneered mdf wardrobe and it was fine, didn't flake off, has a few chips after 4 years or so but I didn't even sandpaper it.

saw this article ... http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/2012/07/trash-to-treasure-painted-scrollwork.html she used milk paint but I wouldn't.

"Now, I do a lot of furniture repair and refinishing, but messing with veneer like this is beyond my repertoire. I almost didn't buy this piece because of that one spot. I thought about having my husband replace the entire top, but I decided to try to smooth out the bubbled area. I removed the loose veneer and filled in the space with 3-4 layers of wood filler. I sanded each layer heavily until the top was smooth (or as smooth as I could manage.) Once painted, it blends in pretty well. Most people probably wouldn't even notice it unless they knew it was there.

emma_kate

Hi Fattybumble, If you have missing veneer you can build up the holes with wood filler taking care not to overfill as it dries rock hard and is a pain to sand back unlike polyfilla. I would give it a light sand all over, a good hoover and a wipe down, use a primer and/or undercoat depending on wether or not you are using oil based paint and your chosen colour. Then paint. Or just chalk paint forgetting the sanding, priming and undercoating!
If you have veneer bubbles you need to slice them open, get wood glue under the veneer and stick a pile of heavy books on top. Veneered furniture is great to paint.
I'm actually now fond of milk paint after my latest foray but it is unpredictable and not everyone likes the antiquey look you get with it. I'd say it's a painters paint (if that makes sense!) If you have never painted furniture before I wouldn't go there...

emma_kate

TV cabinet BEFORE

emma_kate

AFTER. Tung oil and walnut stained refinished top and MILK PAINT

emma_kate

Close up to show the kind of cracking you might get with milk paint...More detail on the ****

missychrissy

That's impressive emma kate!

When my four boys were young I used to sand,fill and paint second hand furniture for them in Dulux Satinwood and then rag another colour on top. The ragging did wonders to camoflage imperfections and each boy had his own matching furniture.

pennib

That's a great makeover Emma.:T

shandyclover

Hi shabby chic'ers!

I'd posted elewhere looking for advice on jazzing up furniture for a young person and someone suggested I post here. We're moving out of a house that had built in cuboards to a slightly bigger house, just not every bedroom has built ins. DD20 was given a few odds and ends of furniture for her room. I know absolutely nothing about furniture but from my guess they are cheapo 60's/70's style. She is not in a postition to buy new furniture just now, and to be honest I would like to show her splashing out for a modern look is not necessary. I'd like to do up the wardrobe a bit to look a bit more modern. Shabby chic is not necessarily DD20 style - she likes the black/white modern look. I've found a makeover on pinterest in a style I think she'd really go for...

Here is a photo of the actual wardrobe....



sorry I realise now that it would have been more helpful if I had one with the doors closed! My brother is an artist so he could paint on the stencil for me. Anyways I've never attempted anything like this before so wondered if you experts had any words of advice?

pennib

That looks lovely. Very modern with the black on white. The advice I would give is to make sure that you primed your piece first before painting it. I use ESP which is liquid sandpaper. (you can get it in most diy shops) and saves a lot of hassle and then primer and then your paint. Most furniture can be given an amazing makeover with just a bit of paint and patience!

chalkysoil

that looks like it could be fab.
I just bought some ESP from Amazon ( as I am the word's laziest and preperation/sanding) - haven't used it yet though.