Thursday, December 1, 2011

Painted China Cabinet; From Free To Fabulous!

A good inexpensive way to update the look of your home is with paint. Sometimes painting furniture pieces will bring it all together if you have mismatched pieces. I have painted furniture many times over the years. The pieces I choose to paint are usually older and solid wood.




Here is my latest painted piece. We helped a friend move and this cabinet would not fit into their moving truck after the rest of their furniture was loaded, so we hauled it home. It sat on the back patio a while, then I decided to paint and use it. It is a quality piece, and it was in good shape. I liked the lines and structure of it; just not the color. It just didn't work with my other furniture without painting it.

I didn't photograph it before we started but you can see the original color inside the cabinet. My husband sanded it; we vacuumed and wiped it down to remove all traces of dust and dirt.
Then it was painted with a primer base coat; I used Behr brand exterior water based primer and sealer. We let it dry for at least a week, and another base coat went on. A couple of weeks went by, (we are busy) and then the last paint coat went on, a creamy very pale yellow.
To add an aged look, I used a water based wood stain.

I brushed on the stain then quickly wiped off the excess with a dry cloth, rubbing it into the cracks and crevices.

I usually start inside a door to make sure I have my ‘paint on wipe off ‘ technique the way I want it before proceeding. If you are new to aging or distressing, don’t be afraid of it, try painting some card board or scrap wood as you paint your piece. Then you will have a place to try out the aging or distressing process before you commit to it.

I think that having patience and waiting a long time between coats of paint (I always use several coats of paint) is best to avoid peeling or chipping of your new paint job. Paint takes a really long time to cure; it will feel dry to the touch but still have moisture in it. I waited about a month before I used this piece. I placed a picture on a shelf then checked it the next day to make sure the picture frame was not sticking to the shelf before placing any more items on it. I had planned on replacing the knobs but now I’m not so sure I will. Maybe I’ll just give them a coat of spray paint.
Here’s another piece I painted and aged with stain. It is in the office/kids crafting area to store all their crafting supplies.



I'm really happy with how this china cabinet turned out, and I've put it to good use as you can see! If you would like to know more about painting furniture, check out Miss Mustard Seed's blog for some expert tips and techniques. You will find some amazing tutorials there too. She does amazing work!


I linked this post to Made by You Mondays at Skip to my Lou, A Bowful of Lemons, French Country Cottage, Under the Table and Dreaming, Between Naps on the Porch, Craft-O-Maniac, Organizing Junkie, Ginger Snap Crafts, Living Life Intentionally, Chic on a Shoestring, Cheerios and Lattes, Uncommon, Grandma's Briefs and Miss Mustard Seed.

**Join me for Wow Us Wednesdays link up party.**

16 comments:

  1. I think it turned out really well- love it in the white!

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  2. Looks great and you can't beat the price!

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  3. Looks great! Also, you have put it to good use. I could use some extra space to display pictures of the grandkids and my favorite pottery and glassware.

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  4. It's beautiful. Between seeing this and concrete counter tops this morning I am in a bit of awe ! I was looking at your sewing tutorials for the kids one day on my lunch break as well. Might try that magic wand one day ...
    I did do some furniture painting when the kids were little..there was a local unpainted furniture store and it was so much cheaper to purchase furniture that way

    It's been a long long time though.

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    1. Ah shucks Debra....but thanks. I don't think I brave, just determined and not afraid. If I mess up; oh well I'll try again or do it differently next time. Of course I always take risk only when I don't have much to lose.

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  5. Beautiful job! We are in the process of buying a house so I am all into checking out furniture re-dos and decorating ideas right now!

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    1. Congrats on the house! There's nothing more satisfying (at least I think so) than buying a house and making everything in it all yours; adding your own touches, like painting a china cabinet :)

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  6. Wow, that looks great! Thank you for sharing with us on Saturday Show and Tell. I hope you'll join us again this week!
    -Mackenzie
    http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com

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  7. It turned out beautifully! I'm like Debra -- I haven't tried to do anything like this since the days of the unfinished furniture stores -- I miss them! Maybe you will motivate me!

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  8. Connie, what a brilliant idea. The furniture looks fantastic. Maybe one day when there are more hours in my day I shall do the same thing.

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  9. I have always admired people who got the painting gene. Your cabinet is beautiful.

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  10. Oh, you did a beautiful job on both. Love these. I think you should come visit me and do the china cabinet I have in my dining room. It needs to be done but I could never make it look as great as yours. Whatdya think? :D

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    1. Is that and invitation to cooler CO? :D Packing!!!!!!!!!!

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  11. OOPS! Forgot to say, THANK YOU for linking to the GRAND Social!

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Thank you SO much for taking the time to leave a comment!