Before and After

I've been busy this week getting ready for the next Room With A Past sale. I wanted to share a before and after of one of my projects and I also wanted to share a little bit on my paint techniques.

These night stands started life as a vanity. When I found them, the mirror and middle part of the vanity were long gone. They were in sad shape, with missing veneer and lots of little dings and dents. As you can see, not pretty.

But they had great style, they were basically sound, the drawers all worked, and they even had the original hardware. The best thing about them was the price - only $10 each. I am always looking for furniture like this - great lines, basically sound, but with a rough finish - and because of that, cheap!

So I patched the missing veneer with Spackle. Spackle is a plaster that comes in a powder form and available at any hardware store. You just mix it with a little water into a thick paste, then spread it on with a putty knife. After it dries, sand until smooth. I don't usually worry about smaller dings, as it just ads character in my opinion. I also sanded the stands all over, to smooth out the rough finish and help the paint to stick. Pre-sanding isn't always necessary, in this case it was needed

After sanding I painted with primer. Primer is essential with older pieces like this. It adheres better than paint and makes the paint go on better and last longer. I then painted them a pale blue grey. I can't tell you the color, as I just mixed up some white and grey paint I had on hand. I was going for a very distressed look, so I sanded quite a bit, especially on the edges. Finally I brushed on a glaze coat and then rubbed it off, leaving a little more in the crevices. I used a Ralph Lauren Technique glaze that the former owners of my new house left behind when they moved. It's great for finishing projects as it adds an aged look and is also a protective finish. I've been using it a lot.