DIY glossy red table / from drab to fab
forget the year of the dragon, for me this has been the year of the paintbrush. in all my years of apartment dwelling i longed for a space (garage / yard / driveway) to drag furniture out and paint it. i dreamed big dreams of do-it-myselfing. so now i'm putting my money where my mouth is and starting to accomplish little projects. this one quite easily landed in my lap!
i snagged this little black nightstand at the swap party a few months ago. and, no, i didn't even have to fight anyone for it. it was left there–lonely and sad–after the guests left, just waiting for a new home. i thought it may be perfect in benji's room. plus i've always wanted something lacquer, glossy and red.. this was the perfect non-committal piece to try it on! painting something for a toddler's room is also a great place to start, no perfectionism or scrutiny here.
it was a quick project; one night i stayed up late and hunted pinterest (see my home improvement board) and jenny komenda's blog (she's amazing!) for good advice on re-painting furniture. these two articles were very helpful to me: tools for painting furniture and i heart oil-based paints. one morning trip to home depot, one drippy can of paint, and one bright red paintbrush later, we had ourselves a shiny red table. three cheers! i love admiring it in his bedroom and try not to look too closely at the imperfections (the spindles were a bit tricky!). the red is the perfect pop. am pondering how i can use up the rest of that can of paint!
supplies for DIY glossy furniture
+ sandpaper and rags
+ plastic drop cloths
+ an old but decent paintbrush (oil-based paints don't come out easily)
+ paint thinner to remove paint from brushes (and limbs!)
+ Rustoleum brand oil-based enamel paint (i used gloss sunrise red)
+ use 2 coats of paint and voila!
+ at least 24 hours to dry
7 comments:
It's so hard to paint with high gloss--you did a great job! (My front door still has brush marks.)
Shar
Love this. Now I'll be looking for something to lacquer. I've always wanted to find a dresser to turn bright green!
i love that! its so cute!
Three cheers for enamel! This is great- you chose the perfect color. I admire your bravery with oil-based paint. It turned out so great, I may have to try. Fabulous as always, Marta!
The table is adorable! You're always posting ideas and recipes that make me want to be a kid again (cousins carnival, S'mores brownies!), so I wanted to share this post with you. Popsicles for breakfast!
http://foodie-stroll.blogspot.com/2012/07/strawberry-greek-yogurt-popsicles.html
I'm listening to my first Nora Ephron book (I Feel Bad About My Neck) because of your post, and her sense of humor is definitely something to appreciate. Thanks!
I love, love, love the red glossy table! it's so cute.
You're so good at seeing the potential for style in objects!!
Fab indeed! LOVE the color, love the gloss!
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