The question I always ask myself before transforming a piece if furniture is”do I really need to prime”? The answer is yes and no, and for me it depends on the look I am trying to achieve.

If I do go for a distressed look like here and here, no, I do not prime. I try to fix all the cracks and dents with wood filler, and then I paint. I do not distress the parts I know I fixed, because I do not like to see distressed wood filler, I like to see wood.

I always, and I do mean always, seal my pieces with polyurethane, or wax. Again, I think distressed pieces look better waxed, and I use polyurethane for the pieces that will not receive any distressing treatment.

When I am going for a glossy finish, I always prime. I do not do it necessarily for the love of priming, or to make sure that the paint stays on. There are so many paints out there that do not need this preparatory step. One of the big reasons I do it, is because it allows me to see every little detail of the piece. Most of the times it means any repairs left to do…

Take this piece for example..I thought it was all done, that I glued, and I filled everything…

But see, there is that little line along the top, that still needs glue..I completely missed it..

And there, there was this long crack on the top..that still needs some wood filler..You cant even feel it with your hand, but it sure shows after I primed..

I am happy that I can catch things like this before I start painting..I do not like any unwanted surprises..

Curious what I am working on?

This beautiful ladies writing desk, that I got from an auction..I paid more than I wanted for it, but it was totally worth it..I loved the shape and the details..

And no, its not going to be white, nor red, nor yellow..but, I can see it finished already, in my head..

XOXO

Denise