I paint most of the pieces that I restore so you might be surprised to know that I love wood grain.
Like, First-Pumpkin-Spice-Latte-Of-Fall love... Handwritten-Letter-In-The-Mail love... Pizza-And-Netflix-On-A-Friday-Night love... Rainy-Sunday-Afternoon-Nap love... Good-Hair-Day love... you're catching what I'm throwing down, right? I love wood grain.
I have a strict conviction that you only paint furniture if it will improve the piece. Its a relative concept so preferences will vary from person to person, but I would encourage you to appreciate and consider the wood grain before deciding to paint. For me, this sometimes means I do nothing at all to the piece, sometimes I rejuvenate the wood by rubbing oil into the grain, other times I partially paint a piece leaving some wood grain exposed, but mostly I choose pieces that will greatly benefit from a complete overhaul.
Same as my last piece, this piece (who I lovingly refer to as Casablanca) was from that fantastic thrifting haul I came home with several weeks ago. I was immediately drawn to the design of this lovely dresser with its cabinet drawers on top (I'm sure there's a much more correct industry term, but its beyond my scope of knowledge). I hadn't planned on leaving any of the wood unpainted, but once I saw the black with the wood grain on the cabinet drawers I was a goner. Mesmerized. I won't complain when inspiration strikes and creates less work for me in the process!
Hope this piece makes you think twice about painting all furniture you restore!
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Thanks to my roommate for the use of her fabulous thrift store stool. |
The artwork is from a street artist in Barcelona. |
I used maps from a vintage travel book. Spain/Portugal is on the left and Casablanca & Algeria on the left. |
I felt like these handles were in line with the exotic feel from the maps... but maybe that's just me. |
You'll notice variations in the paint color. That's the beauty of milk paint. I love the more primitive and natural look you get from milk paint. |
- Bootstraps
- Amos Lee (Arms of a Woman anybody? Add that to my "Swoon List")
- Air Traffic Controller
did you apply a polurathane or a wax after the milk paint?
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, I applied wax mixed with some mineral spirits. The mineral spirits just makes it a bit creamier and easier to apply.
DeleteThat piece is beautiful! I am trying milk paint for the first time. Did you use the bonding agent when mixing the paint?
ReplyDeleteHi Veronica, thank you! I did use the bonding agent on this piece. It was my first time and it worked like a dream! I just lightly sanded the piece with a sanding block before I began and then painted on without a hitch.
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