Dinette Redo with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I needed a table for our kitchen nook, but every time we move with the military movers our furniture gets ruined. I wanted something round (to fit in the space) and with enough room to seat 4 people comfortably. Because I didn't want to buy something new to be ruined by moving again and buying a used piece of furniture meant I would likely be dealing with nicks, chips, or scratches, I knew I'd need a set I could paint. 

I'd attempted to paint furniture before but I was completely exhausted after the first attempt - with sanding, priming, sanding, painting and sanding again - it was a just a lot of work that I didn't want to do again. I'd been reading some blogs about painting with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and how easy it was to use and the paint would stick to anything without priming! I made the trip to my local retailer The Shabby Coast Cottage and looked over her paint samples. I picked out 2 colors, French Linen and Versailles, thinking I would use the French Linen for the table set and Versailles for something else.

 I found this used set on Craigslist for $100. And it also came with a leaf that can be added for more seating.

First I sanded and repaired the set - the set is from the 1980s and the glue holding the chairs together is getting old (seller didn't disclose the extent to which it needed repaired). 

I was finally ready to paint and I chose to paint a heavy base coat of French Linen to get the best coverage I could.

After the first coat dried I didn't like how light the gray paint looked so I made a wash with French Linen and Versailles and applied this as the second coat of paint. This is how it looked after.

 A light sanding and the set was ready for a layer of Clear Wax. After the first layer dried, a Dark Wax was applied to aid in the antique look. Then a final Clear layer of wax was applied and it was buffed to a velvety finish.

I'm in love with the color. What do you think (sorry for the less than impressive photos)?

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Little Girl's Dresser Redo

My girls are getting big..... too big for sharing a bedroom and too big for twin beds, so when we moved from North Carolina we left their beds and dressers behind so we could purchase new furniture for their separate bedrooms. We found a lovely full size bed but couldn't find a matching dresser that didn't look and feel cheap (furniture quality isn't what it used to be!).

(This was what the girl's room looked like before the move)

Since separating their rooms, we've started a new tradition when we move to a new base, we allow the girls to decorate their rooms as a reward for moving (because my husband is active duty in the military we move often). 

This is the bedding my youngest chose for her room.

It's a dark chocolate with a turquoise background and light blue accents.

I was on the hunt for a sturdy dresser that wouldn't fall apart - my kids (as well as most kids) can be extra hard on furniture but wasn't able to find something we would be happy with. What I found was neutral dresser of decent quality for $50 on a FB yard sale site (The top had already been removed in this photo).

When I purchased it the top had a large chunk out of the lip (front left corner). A very good friend of ours offered to remove the top and take it home to router a new edge. 

I primed the entire piece, then painted the body of the dresser a white color (Behr paint) that perfectly matched her new bed. I painted the drawers a contrasting dark turquoise (my daughter's choice) that matched the background on the bedding.

The top came back from our friend looking like new.  It was primed, painted then reattached to the body. Lastly, the entire piece was waxed and buffed.

I love how it turned out!

This is how it works with the rest of the bedroom!

 Ignore the messy room!

Let me know what you think!

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High End Goodwill Refinish

This redo has been in the works for a long time. I started working on it while I still was working at the Winery and didn't have the time to put into it. Now that I'm happily unemployed I can put more time into my furniture projects. 

I purchased this table at our local Goodwill back in the summer of 2012 and it needed some love. One of the legs was loose and falling off. The top and most of the table had scratches on it, but I loved the beautiful curved legs. I went to the local hardware store and purchased some new bolts and fixed the legs; to include tightening the remaining ones.

(I didn't get a good before photo but this photo was taken after I stripped the original stain off the top using my hand sander.) 

This is the first time I tried restaining a piece of furniture and it was a lot to take on. I started by putting one coat of Ebony stain on the top. While I was waiting for the stain to dry I started painting the body and legs with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Old White. I stained it another time but still didn't think the color was as dark as I wanted. My third coat of stain, I forgot to shake the can well before using it, was a disaster. I thought maybe it would look better once I put a coat of varnish on it. It didn't, it looked worse! So I decided to sand it lightly and add another coat of stain. This time I remembered to shake the can but left the stain on a little too long before wiping it off which resulted in a sticky mess. With a lot of elbow grease I was able to get it looking good again.  I applied another layer of Old White to the legs and body. I let the entire piece dry overnight then lightly sanded the legs and body to a beautiful distressed appearance. I applied a layer of Annie Sloan Clear Wax to the entire piece (I decided the top might look better waxed instead of varnished). I let it dry then applied a layer of Annie Sloan Dark Wax to the legs and body to make it appear aged. I let it dry then applied a final layer of Clear Wax. After that dried overnight, I buffed the body and top - the top buffed to a nice velvety texture and the top took on a beautiful hand-buffed sheen.

What do you think?

If you have any questions about the purchase of this item, email me at maisondurhone@gmail.com
This item is also for sale on the MaisonDuRhone Etsy page: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MaisonDuRhone
Update this item is sold

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