After | Fresh Picked Vintage

Before & After #4

March 15, 2011 by Stephanie · 21 Comments

I have to say, I am pretty happy with myself right now! I know many of you have been there, tackling a project you’ve never done before and then tickled when it actually turns out.

Remember this stool I purchased at an estate sale the other day?

Well now it looks like this…

What do you think? If you don’t like it or think I did a crummy job, please be gentle with me because it was my first time and I think I did great!

Here’s what I did…

Lightly sand with a medium sandpaper block
Wipe stool down with a damp cloth
Dry brush on Light French Grey by Behr (Home Depot)
Let it dry
Dry brush on Aegean Blue by Martha Stewart (Home Depot)
Let it dry
With a sponge brush, brush on Minwax dark walnut stain and immediately wipe it off with a damp cloth making sure to get the stain in all the little nooks
You could finish it off however you like. I chose to brush on a thin coat of water based poly.

I’m sure it sounds like a lot of steps but each step didn’t take long and the drying didn’t take long either because you’re not doing thick coats.

Want to see it again? I thought you’d never ask!

A huge thank you to Miss Mustard Seed for all of her wonderful painting tips and tutorials. Reading her blog and many of yours as well gave me the confidence to try this. Did I mention the only painting of furniture I’ve ever done before was just using one solid color?!

Ok, leaving you with a couple more pictures because I can tell you are wanting more…

Have you tried something new lately? Let us hear about it!

Linking back to…

http://theinspiredroom.net/

http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/

http://thetatteredtag.blogspot.com/

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/

http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/

http://creatingahouseofgrace.blogspot.com/

http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

http://www.allthingsheartandhome.com/

http://www.mybackyardeden.com/

http://www.abeachcottage.com

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

http://www.elements-interiors.net

http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/

http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/

http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/

Filed Under: after, before, furniture, paint, stool ·

Before & After #2

March 9, 2011 by Stephanie · 9 Comments

Several weeks ago, when I took my hubby & son to their first estate sale, we found a wonderful rocking chair for $30! It was in good condition except for the awful stained fabric.

Before

Well, I finally got around to recovering the cushion and polishing it up a bit…

What do you think?

Personally, the fabric isn’t my favorite, however, once I finish my guest room/office makeover you’ll see this fabric goes with the paint, rug, etc. perfectly! I love that the chair has a mission / craftsman style just like the outside of our home.

I’ve been hard at work on another makeover so stay tuned. Oh, and did you notice my new Facebook link on the right side of the page?

Linking back to…

http://www.mybackyardeden.com/

http://www.abeachcottage.com/

http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/

http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/

http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/

Filed Under: after, before, rocking chair ·

Before & After – #1

February 1, 2011 by Stephanie · 18 Comments

So I’ve shared a before/after on my blog once before, but this is the first true before/after that I’m sharing where I did all the work. (insert fireworks & clapping here)

Below is the before of a table I picked up at an estate sale a couple of weeks ago in Tryon, NC.

Sorry for the ugly picture!

It’s a good solid table that I only paid $30 for (which is good right?). You can drop both of the sides but oh, the color, ugh, has a lot of yellow in it. So, I went to work sanding…

(I could insert a sanding pic here if I had remembered to take one! sorry folks!)

Then the great debate – to paint or stain? I originally thought I would paint it white and then make it a little chippy/rough around the edges. However, it’s in good shape and I have dark wood doors in my home that I thought I could play off of. So, I decided to try staining. Note: I’ve never stained anything this large before so this was a true newbie project.

What? You’re ready to see the “after”? Wait, first I went to tell you a joke I heard recently. Why did the junker cross the road? Just kidding! Here are the after pictures…

I used a Cabot stain that is a stain & poly in one. It’s a dark oak color. Not sure the pictures do it justice but believe me, it’s a big difference. I ended up doing three coats on the top and two on the rest.

So…what do you think? Give me your feedback in comments below!

How I did it – Step by Step:

First, I sanded it with a medium grade sandpaper. I used a power palm sander for the top and then did the legs etc. by hand since they are so curvy / tight spaces.
Then I used a very fine sandpaper and went over it again.
I cleaned it up with tack cloths, first a dry one to get most of the dust off and then a damp one to get the rest.
Let it dry (and a sweet tea break for me!)
Lastly, I brushed on the stain (Cabot dark oak water based stain that has poly mixed in). I did fairly light coats and let it dry in between.

That’s it! The hardest part for me is the sanding, just because I hate it

Linking back to…