How to make something from nothing

I finished my console and I am so excited to share the entire process. I love looking up paint tutorials and learning different ways to paint furniture. Even though I learn about different techniques and ways to paint, I consistently go back to the way I have been painting furniture and cabinets for years. This way works for me, I love the finish, and it holds up well.

So here is the cabinet that I bought a couple of weeks ago.

It was dated, and dirty! I got it for a killer price and originally brought it home to paint and sell it. I put it in the garage to prep it for paint, and just kept thinking about how great it would look in my dining room.  I had my sweet hubby help me bring it in, and it totally fit where I thought it would go. I was excited. So, since this was a piece I was going to keep for myself, I decided on the color that would go the best in my room.  I brought out the supplies and got started.

The first thing I had to do was clean it. It was so so dirty. I vacuumed out the inside and wiped everything down with a wet cloth. I then did a final wipe down with my liquid sand solution. I love this product. It cleans, and de glosses your piece so you don’t have to sand it the traditional way with sand paper. I have used this product for years on everything I paint, including cabinets, and it is easy to find in the paint section at your hardware store. All you have to do is put some solution on a clean rag and give the piece a good wipe down. After the piece is wiped down with the liquid sand I gave it a coat of Zinsser primer. Sometimes I do this, sometimes I don’t. I always use it before I paint laminate furniture, and in this case, when the piece is just a little rough or you don’t know if you are painting over an oil base paint or not. It also seals in any odor, so it is a great thing to do if you are going to store any dishes or food in the cabinet.

After I cleaned it, I removed the doors and primed the piece. I let it sit an hour or so then took some fine sand paper and lightly went over the piece. Doing this step ensures a smooth finish between coats.

I then took basic enamel wall paint with a satin finish and went to work painting the piece. I love using just plain wall paint I have left over from projects. It goes on great, and is low odor and easy to use. Sometimes I use a foam roller to give it a sprayed on look, but I just used a brush in this case and it went on just fine.

I painted the inside of the piece first since I was using a lighter color. I did two coats of paint lightly sanding between coats, and the coverage was great. I always do two coats of paint on furniture and cabinets whether they need it or not just to prevent dinging and wear. At this point you can do a top coat of a satin polyurethane, but I never do. The one thing I love about using the wall paint is that the paint doesn’t have to be sealed. It is a step I can avoid.

 I let the paint sit over night then started distressing it just a little. I wanted it to look a little old and worn. I love how when you sand the edges of furniture the details and lines start to pop. That is what happened with this piece. Obviously this is a step you can do, or avoid depending on your taste or style. When I distress furniture I always give it at least a day, or ideally more, to let the paint cure. Otherwise if the paint isn’t dry all the way, you can actually pull paint off, and it turns into a big mess. After I distressed it, I brought it into the room and looked to see how it went in there. I loved it! The only thing missing was the top. When we bought this it didn’t have a top, so we had to create on ourselves.

We measured the top and went and bought a pre cut pine board. You can find these at the hardware store for not a lot of money. This particular one was the perfect size, so we didn’t need to cut it down. We just brought it home, gave it a good sanding, applied stain, and sealed it with waterlox stain sealer.

I love how it turned out, like it was made for this room. If you are willing to hunt and do a little work, you can have a great piece of furniture with very money for any room in your house.