Minwax | A girl and a brush

aging furniture with stain

October 14, 2012 By Denise 5 Comments

I must admit that aging furniture is not as easy as one might think. There are several methods that you can use, to achieve an realistic aged look.When I started painting furniture, I actually felt pretty intimidated by using stain to age my pieces. First, I started experimenting with glaze, and move to just stain, once I start feeling more confident.

First, you need to decide what type of stain to use, I usually don’t go for a very dramatic change, so I have been using a lot of light stains, that add just a subtle color. The type of stain to use, also depends on what color the piece that you are planning to age, is painted. I do work with Dark or Special Walnut from Minwax on dark painted colors, and Golden oak, on light color pieces.

Supplies needed:

stain, the color of your choice
rags, lots of them, to wipe off the stain, make sure they are lint free. I usually buy mine at Home Depot or Lowes, and they are pretty inexpensive.
chip brush, do not use your favorite brush for sure. I have a separate brush that I use only for this purpose.
piece of furniture, preferably distressed

I started with a drawer on this particular project, as I always do. It is small enough to repaint in case something goes wrong

Use the brush to apply the stain, same way you would use it to paint

The time you leave it on, depends on the look you are going for..add more time if necessary. I usually go for a second coat of stain, if its not dark enough.

Wipe off the stain..I usually go in one direction, from left to right, and keep working my way down

Decide if you achieved the look you have been going for, and do the same steps on the entire piece you are working on..

Aging process is a relatively fast one, I usually finish a whole piece in about an hour, depending on the size, and the look.

Now, you can sit back, relax, and admire your piece..You can see the finished piece really soon (wink)

XOXO

Denise

Filed Under: minwax Tagged With: aging furniture, stain

Amsterdam is so…gray

September 24, 2012 By Denise 37 Comments

Before I show you the latest piece I finished, I just wanted to thank all of you for the love and support you showed me! I truly appreciate all the nice words you sent my way, you guys are amazing!

It’s been crazy this past few days trying to finish to0 many projects at a time, shopping for new pieces to be transformed, working late hours at my day job…All I can do for now is dream of the day that I can do this (painting and blogging)full time, and not sit behind a desk all day..

Also, I am working on a plan, to try to get myself more organized and be able to post more often. I have so many ideas in my head, I have been taking lots of pictures while working on some pieces in order to make tutorials, all I need to do is to find time to actually sit down and write them.

Last week I went to my first vintage market..I know, its crazy, I cant believe I’ve never been to one before..I always wanted to, but never knew where they were..now, I know about at least four that will be held in the next couple of months..

I’m tempted and would love to participate to one, but I am scared…I just think I cant get the things done in time..I do not even know where to start even..I would appreciate all the tips that you guys can give me..what are some of the pros and cons..anything will help, really!

Last week I worked on a beautiful dresser that I picked up not too long ago from a dealer..It has beautiful details, and the design on the drawers kind of reminds me of a pineapple (???) though, but was missing a piece from the top..It was actually shorter in the back, I assume it had a mirror at one point, but now that was gone..So we had to get a little creative..we cut a piece of wood that we picked up from Home depot, leveled it, sanded, added wood filler to fill the gaps,more sanding and now you don’t even know what was missing a part.

The color I used is called Amsterdam from Benjamin Moore, and its a beautiful gray with enough blue to make it different..

The knobs are from Anthropologie, and I bought them with another piece in mind, but I decided this one is a better fit…for the finish I used stain and water poly..and I named it Josephine

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Filed Under: benjamin moore, dresser, minwax Tagged With: anthropologie knobs, benjamin moore paint, grey dresser, josephine, minwax stain, stain

Chalk paint

July 23, 2012 By Denise 25 Comments

After hearing so many good things about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I decided that I need to give it a try..I have to admit, I wasnt to happy about the price tag..At $40 per quart, this is definetlly the most expensive paint that I have ever bought…

I kept telling myself that is going to worth it, since I have been reading a lot about it, and supposedly it goes a long way..

After the first coat, I wasn’t sold on it..so I went for the second coat..then, I was in love..now, I am a big fan, and I just finished painting the forth piece with it..

Distressing was easy but..at 115F in the garage, distressing was still pretty much equal with a good workout..

I finished the dresser with two coats of Fiddes wax..I usually apply one coat, wait until is dry, and buff it..then, I apply the second coat a day later..I like to wait after the first coat, so that the wax gets to penetrate the wood, that way will be more durable on the long run..

I hesitated between painting the top, or just re-staining it, and I am so glad I choose to just re-stain it..

I use Minwax in Honey oak, and it came out perfect..the top was finished with two coats of Danish Oil, that took a little bit longer to dry than I expected..since it’s monsoon season, its humid, and I had to wait about a week until was completely dry..

This is Olie, and it will be at Jam starting August 1st.. I am so excited!

xoxo

Denise

Chair%2Bon%2Bright%2Blike%2Bheader Chalk paint

Boogieboardcottagehtmlbagde 4 2 1 Chalk paint

Filed Under: annie sloan, chalk paint, dresser, fiddes wax, minwax Tagged With: annie sloan chalk paint, fiddes wzx, hobby lobby knobs, jam, minwax stain, olive dresser

Introducing Greta

July 15, 2012 By Denise 26 Comments

I know what you think, it was probably about time that I show you a new piece. It has been crazy around here, and I apologize for going M.I.A for almost two weeks..

First, my Etsy shop got almost sold out in a week, and we spent a lot of time packing and prepping all those dressers, night stands, chair, vanity, for shipping, gathering shipping supplies, quotes, etc..not that I complain, that was a good busy..and I can’t be thankful enough to all those nice ladies, for making space in their homes for our pieces..

Second, another big news this month, starting August 1, some of our pieces will be available at Jam, a super cool art boutique in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. If you are in the area, please stop by for a visit, you won’t regret it. I definitely wanted to buy everything on my first visit, you can find so many unique pieces there, starting with home decor items, jewelry, and even better, everything is hand made or repurposed… And while you are there, you can visit the entire area, it is filled with great unique shops.

Now, the introduction…meet Greta

she is such a beauty, and I must confess, I didn’t even think she will turn out so well..

I picked up this console from Goodwill, a few weeks ago, and the entire finish was full of scratches.. I think somebody even tried to write their name on it..I saw it, and I knew it has to be mine..

I had a lot of fun stripping it of the thick layer of lacquer..

The good thing about it, it didn’t need almost any repairs..I do not understand why people give away such good stuff, but hey, I am glad I was there to get it..

I wanted something different for it, I love mid century pieces, but I also wanted to put my print on it..that is why I choose to paint the drawer a high gloss yellow..I initially wanted to paint them different color stripes, but sometimes, even if it is a good idea in your head, in practice, doesn’t work..

Since I had the piece stripped to bare bones, I re-stained it with Minwax in Dark Walnut, for an authentic Mid Century look..I used the original hardware, because it would have been impossible to change it, so I just use some silver metallic paint to give it a new look. I finished the piece with high gloss polyurethane, 3 coats to be exact, and that went easier that I had expected..

The piece is now sitting in my dining room, and I love how it looks next to my table..I think it would look great like a buffet, and I am so bummed that I do not have space to keep it..