Shabby Chic; Volume III

Kevie192

Hi all,

Looking for a little advice on this item. I'm collecting this tonight (for free - yay!) and intend on shabbying it up. Whilst I've done quite a few pieces now, I've only ever done it with real wood; sanded and then painted with F&B eggshell.

(Click for bigger image)

This table is not solid wood, I think it's melamine so not sure how I should treat it differently? I'm thinking I might just cover the top with oilcloth anyway so it's only the legs and other bits that matter, though it does extend so I might just paint the central piece in a complimentary colour so that if you change the oilcloth you don't need to change that piece which is largely unused...

Also, I see many of you mentioning homemade chalk paint. Is there a fool-proof recipe I can use for this and is it as good as F&B?

Thanks,

Kevin

chalkysoil

chalk paint goes over melamine nicely but the end result is often rustic rather than fine art.

chalkysoil

the recipe I use is 3 units of emulsion paint/ one of plaster of paris /one of water. although the water content varies a bit depending on my mood.

Matt Dulux or Wilkos is probably good, but I use any old paint (eg silk,) to hand and sometimes tint it with acrylic paint. Stir well or whisk and mix up enough to do the job - it's very hard to get an exact match later.

I've also painted melamine with cupboard paint as I bought some in 99p stores.

Kevie192

Thanks chalkysoil. Do I need to use anything to prep the melamine first or just chuck the paint on?

Is there anything I can do to make the finish less 'rustic' ?

Thanks,

Kevin

Seakay

clean with sugar soap to remove all grease. Use the chalk paint as a primer, sand and paint with emulsion on top to create a smoother finish. Protect with wax or matt varnish.

Kevie192

Ahh ok, so the top coat should be just plain emulation and not chalk paint? And which wax would you recommend?

Thanks again,

Kevin

hmo

all done now with CK tissue decoupage, thanks Missmilly for the reply to my thread the other day.



Its not the greatest photo is a bit grey here today, but they are lovely and white and the little design just makes them look cute.

missmilly

hmo wrote: »

all done now with CK tissue decoupage, thanks Missmilly for the reply to my thread the other day.



Its not the greatest photo is a bit grey here today, but they are lovely and white and the little design just makes them look cute.

Wow! What a transformation, it looks amazing :):)

sylvergrunge_2

Hi everyone

It is my first time posting on this forum, although I have been a lurker for a while and in awe of the beautiful creations everyone is making. I am loving the fact that we are giving old, perfectly good furniture a new lease of life rather than allowing it to be sent to landfill :beer:

Well I wanted to share my first large upcycle project with you and get some feedback if that's OK? It is a tall chest of drawers I picked up for my daughters small bedroom. I knew I wanted to decoupage it in some way but she is quite picky with what she does and doesn't like so I was glad when she gave me a pointer with music sheets. Take a look and see what you think. I loved every minute of doing it and I reckon it's pretty glam and my daughter is more than happy with the result too :T I have managed to get my hands on a really cute little solid wood desk which I am going to do up in the same way so as to look like a matching set :T All feedback (good and bad) gratefully received. x

http://pinterest.com/pin/384705993140441195/

emma_kate

I don't think you'll get any BAD feedback here! It's gorgeous! Well done!