Shabby Chic; Volume III

hmo

Catriona_P wrote: »

Long-time lurker of the thread and am always amazed (and jealous) by the transformations - have to say emma kate that table looks stunning! Good job

I would love to be able to do this kind of thing but lack of time & lack of skills isn't in my favour.

Can I ask for a bit of advice? I have a beautiful Stag Minstrel sideboard/display unit which is a beautiful piece (I think it's mahogany) but it's too big for the room. Ideally I'd like something a bit smaller made of lighter wood. I've tried selling it, nobody interested, offered it as a swap, nobody interested. Think the only option left to me is to give it to charity but funds are tight and finding money for a replacement will be tough.

So...the sideboard section is about the size I'd like to really have, so I'm asking if it's possible to simply paint the sideboard (perhaps white?) to revamp it. Or would this be silly and am I better off just cutting my losses and giving the whole thing to charity? I've attached a photo of the unit to give a better idea of what I mean. Thanks in advance

i would paint it and put new knobs on it, it will look stunning

Francesanne

Catriona_P wrote: »

Long-time lurker of the thread and am always amazed (and jealous) by the transformations - have to say emma kate that table looks stunning! Good job

I would love to be able to do this kind of thing but lack of time & lack of skills isn't in my favour.

Can I ask for a bit of advice? I have a beautiful Stag Minstrel sideboard/display unit which is a beautiful piece (I think it's mahogany) but it's too big for the room. Ideally I'd like something a bit smaller made of lighter wood. I've tried selling it, nobody interested, offered it as a swap, nobody interested. Think the only option left to me is to give it to charity but funds are tight and finding money for a replacement will be tough.

So...the sideboard section is about the size I'd like to really have, so I'm asking if it's possible to simply paint the sideboard (perhaps white?) to revamp it. Or would this be silly and am I better off just cutting my losses and giving the whole thing to charity? I've attached a photo of the unit to give a better idea of what I mean. Thanks in advance

I'd certainly keep the bottom section & maybe give the top part to charity. Or you could always try selling at local auction house. Think the bottom part would look stunning painted. Good luck.

p4tti

Hi Catriona

I had a similar problem, with a large, much too large very expensive unit when original, but found impossible to sell.

Took the bull by the horns and removed the top half. Took the cornice from the top and screwed it to the base at the back using flat corner plates/mending plates then painted.

First a coat of undercoat for wood (cheap one) then 3 coats of Craig & Rose 1829 Regency white. It has not been varnished was thinking about this but it seems to be wearing well.

Had a few issues with handles as I wanted Chrome and unbelievably all the handles on the original cabinet were different sizes so have ended up with some chrome and some white rope
Hope this helps.

Before


After


Can't seem to see my pics's so you could check them out here
http://pinterest.com/p4tti/unloved-to-loved/

Hope this helps someone.

chalkysoil

brilliant idea moving the fancy cornice thingy

hmo

chalkysoil wrote: »

brilliant idea moving the fancy cornice thingy

That looks lovely

Catriona_P

What a transformation P4tti! That looks amazing!

This is going to be a bit of a dumb question but do you need to paint the inside of the drawers/cupboards as well as the outside? And do you take the cupboard doors off to paint? One of the drawers is a felted cutlery drawer so that would be interesting but I'm willing to try!

p4tti

Hi Catriona

If you saw my other cabinet on pininterest - that one has been painted inside but it is really a pointless task unless you have glass doors, and can see the inside.

I found when I used it every day then the paint on the inside of the base got scratched very easily.

Suffice to say on this recent one the inside was not painted, and when the doors and drawers are shut it can't be seen.

The doors and all handles were removed though and replaced afterwards, but the drawer fronts were left on and the drawers just removed from the cabinet to paint.

Hope this helps. http://pinterest.com/pin/350858627190153998/

steve_2012

i had an idea last night, well i had thought of before then but dismissed as you guys dont seem to do it.
on for example a dresser we tend too use annie sloans or farrow and ball paint, or maybe we would like too but cost restricts this.
so, we buy emulsion from wilcos or others.
we then add POP to make HMCP, then wax.
im wondering if this would achieve a very similar finish visually and for maintenance purposes.
buy soft cream matt from wilcos etc but also buy the same colour in silk or better still kitchen emulsion.
use 2 coats of HMCP then use either the silk/kitchen paint straight on top or add a smaller amount of POP to this paint especially with the kitchen paint.
then dont bother with the wax.
would this give the same ish finish as the normal method of 2 or 3 HMCP then wax.
many find the waxing a bit taxing "see what i did there":) so this would not only eliminate the wax but you would also get the colour you orignally selected.
this of course would probably need some modification but cant see why this wouldnt work.
on my initial test pieces i had and used silk HMCP plus wax, too be honest this has a better tougher finish than my newer projects.
your thoughts please.

chalkysoil

I make homemade chalk POP paint out of any type of emulsion - silk - matt - both together, doesn't make any difference. I use wax or varnish to give the item some durability, plus wax feels nice.
There are quite a few posters in this thread who haven't finished the surface with wax/varnish and their furniture is surviving ok , it probably depends on how much thrashing stuff gets in your house.

Before the flood of chalk paint info, people used any old paint. I have loads of stuff I did in water based silk gloss type paint over formica type surfaces or varnish, it stuck but has self distressed over the years.

the colour change in waxing is x percent more yellow, I try and allow for it by painting with a more blue grey white than I would choose otherwise.

It's fun experimenting!

deborah007

Hi all

I love reading about and seeing all of the transformations you guys have done - thank you so much for sharing with us. :T

I have a question regarding ESP. I bought a second hand wooden planter with long legs at the weekend and I have a vision for how it will look when it is finished. I bought some ESP a while ago and this is my first project using it. The planter is varnished but I want to paint it the same colour as my garage and shed doors (Cuprinol Forget-me-not) and then add some decoration in cream. I painted the ESP on but it seems to be very uneven and runny and has left blotches. Should I wipe it off and start again or is that the way it goes on? I am not sure whether the heat has affected it (I know it is affecting me...) or maybe I am doing something wrong.

Thanks in advance

D x