My husband just loves it when I bring home furniture to redo. (Insert sarcasm.) Sometimes it takes me a while to get to them so they just take up space. Many of you can probably relate. Well, I finally got around to painting this little stand, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. He even liked it!
Here is the before picture. I would say this is something from the ’80s or ’90s, but it is a solid piece of furniture. All it needed was a facelift.
The colors I used for this makeover are General Finishes China Blue, GF Westminster Green and a purply mix of Black Dog Salvage Blue Ridge and Appalachian Sunset Furniture Paint. Sounds a little weird, but stick with me.
After cleaning it up and removing the hardware on the front, I gave the entire piece, inside and out, a coat of China Blue.
For the next step, I worked on one section at a time so the paint was still wet. I started with the door panels.
Now, listen up—this is important. If you try this, pour some of each color paint into a separate container or cup AND use a separate brush for each color. As you are dipping and blending, the colors will naturally mix on your brush but you don’t want to dip a dirty brush back in with what is left in the can.
Brush 1 - China Blue
Brush 2 - Westminster Green
Brush 3 - Black Dog Salvage purple mix - will go in the center area
So, with a different brush than what I used for the China Blue, I highlighted the inner edges of the panels with Westminster Green, blending where the two colors met so there was no demarcation line between the blue and the green. Sometimes I went back to the China Blue brush and alternated until I liked how it looked. With a third brush, I used the purply Black Dog Salvage mix for the center of the panels.
I used the same technique on the sides, top and inside of the stand.
When that was dry I used some gold Gilders Paste, similar to Briwax Gold Gilt Cream, to highlight the edges a little. I just put it on with my finger and ran it along the edge of the area and around where the door handles would go. I thought that would go well with the new gold handles.
I gave the entire piece two coats of General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in Satin finish and then attached the updated gold hardware. I think the sheen of the topcoat and the gold handles, along with the interesting paint treatment, give this project a more contemporary look.
For more tips on color blending, read How To Achieve Beautiful Blended Finishes.
Do you have a project or two sitting around waiting for you to become inspired? Grab a paintbrush today and let’s get started! Let Woodcraft help you with all of the supplies you need: General Finishes Milk Paint, Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint, topcoats, brushes, rags, sandpaper, glue…you name it. We’re here to help!
We hope you’ll be inspired!