Media Cabinet Makeover

Even before spring officially arrived, I'd been chomping at the bit wanting to do a new Porch project. I've got a pile of things in the basement, and technically I'm supposed to be stopping the madness to get our house ready to put on the market, but I admit it. I have a problem. I see something cute and I just want to make it cuter!

Like this TV cabinet for example.

I love, love, LOVE curvy little legs and cute little doors with tiny little knobs and well... I saw this baby's potential and wanted to make her SHINE.

My original plan was too ambitious for hubby. I wanted to gut this cabinet and add barnboard shelves and a beadboard back, but it wasn't to be. Hubby is maxed out with his own work at the moment, so I had to settle for what I could do on my own, mainly painting.

So, I started with Zinsser primer. It sticks to everything and is essential if you don't want to sand. Next came a couple layers of a country white latex paint. After that, I scraped and sanded away at the edges to give this cabinet a chippy, vintage look. Finally, I brushed on a walnut stain/sealer and wiped it off with a cotton rag.

Actually, it was hubby's shirt. If you're going to steal a cotton shirt out of your husband's drawer and use it for staining furniture, I highly recommend doing it when he's at work. Fighting is bad for a marriage, so let's just avoid it.

This little lady is still drying, but I'm hoping to get her out onto the Porch and take some nice photos with a little natural light to really show her off!

A Few (Hundred) Makeovers

Okay, okay. I have been sorely remiss in posting on my blog. Let me just give a few good excuses: I am a mother, an author, a weekend warrior and furniture re-furbisher. I periodically update several different blogs (check out Booktorium!), an Etsy shop, my Pinterest page and various and sundry Facebook pages (for my books & furniture). Whew!

But enough whining and excuses. I've done LOTS of awesome makeovers this summer and I want to get you up to speed! So, here is just a taste of what I've been doing. Maybe when you see how busy I've been (and all the super-dee-coolio pieces I've found & refinished) you'll forgive me.

Makeover #1: A French Country End Table

I'm extremely forgetful when it comes to "before" photos. I hope you'll forgive me; this is the only one I had of this wood table.

When she came to me, she was in need of some love. Her top was scratched. She was an orangey brown that really did nothing for her complexion. And she had something sticky in her drawer. I don't even want to know.But look how she turned out! A shabby-chic furniture piece anyone would be proud of! A little primer, a little paint, some sanding/glazing/sealing. The usual process. And she went to a kind and loving home. ;)

Makeover #2: Mantle BookcaseI found this excellent mantle at a thrift store. i wasn't sure what I would do with it, but when some vintage wood came my way, I knew it would make a beautiful, one-of-a-kind bookcase. With help from hubby, I transformed the orangish mantle into a beautiful shabby show piece!

Makeover #3: Shabby Chic Hutch
Again, I forgot to take a proper "before" photo. This is all I could find, but you get the idea. This hutch, while cute, had the potential to be MORE. So, I got to work, and after long, grueling hours of taping off glass and layers and layers of primer, paint and glaze, I finally had a beautiful, shabby hutch! I sold it to an amazing woman who was starting a boutique, and she was kind enough to send me a photo of the hutch in its new home. I know it will be VERY happy there!

 

A Few Winter Projects

Well, it's been a long, cold winter, and I haven't had much opportunity to work on the Porch. Still, I've managed to complete a few indoor projects. Since I don't have much time to write about them, I will skip to the good stuff and post some photos!

Faux Grain Sack Pillows: I used the CitraSolv method to make
these, and they turned out SO pretty!

Family Name Window. Hand-painted.

Yes, another makeover display hutch.
LOVED the detailed
molding on the top! Beautiful!

Rescue Hutch

Hutches are my new obsession. In the last two months, I've bought three of them and worked on a fourth one for a friend (see it here). They are oh-so-fun to makeover! They go from looking like something your grandma kept porcelain figurines on when you were eight to something BEAUTIFUL... not to mention the awesome storage they provide.

In fact, right now the hutch in my dining room (a Salvation Army find for $75, total bargain) hides a jumble of board games and seasonal decor underneath and displays books and photographs above! Maybe I'll post pics of it later, but back to the rescue hutch.

So, when I found this baby on Craigslist, I jumped at the chance to make it over. The sad thing was a victim of basement flooding and had some damage to the finish  on the bottom portion, but glass doors, an interior light and those fabulous engravings more than redeemed it!I knew I could refinish it and make it shine like new. So, I got to work.

This hutch was a mixture of solid wood, most likely pine, and composite wood. Sanding was a bit of a challenge. But I managed it. Then, I put it through the usual routine: prime, paint, distress, glaze and seal. The end result is stunning! (And sold.) :)

Hutch Makeover

All sanded.

What I Did
Something I realized over the past two weeks is that refinishing furniture for a client is SCARY. I don't know if I want to do it ever again. See, when I buy something from Goodwill and decide to fix it up, the worst thing that can happen is it looks bad, or I dent it, or I just can't sell it and get my thirteen bucks back. Really, the consequences aren't all that dire. But when I'm working on someone else's furniture, I have to worry a little more about if I'm doing everything right and if it will stand the test of time.

Left unglazed. Right glazed.

That being said, I really did LOVE working on this hutch, despite my fears. And in my opinion, I think it turned out BEAUTIFUL. The client seemed happy, too, which was my biggest fear.


How I Did It
First, all the hardware was removed. Yes. All of it. Next, I sanded the whole thing. Yes. All of it. My fears here were if I didn't sand it, the paint would slide right off. It's a lot of work, but in the end, sanding really pays off.  Next step was priming, then painting with a creamy satin latex paint. It took a few coats to cover it all up. After that, I sanded all the

I also painted the hinges to match the
new hardware.

edges to bring out the details of the molding. Next, I glazed it with a mixture of burnt umber acrylic and water, brushing it onto the surface, then wiping it away, leaving just a hint behind for that aged/worn look. And finally, I coated it with a clear acrylic sealer. I used spray matte finish Mod Podge and then also brushed on few coats of matte finish furniture-quality Mod Podge.