This was one of my first projects, and lets just say it was a NIGHTMARE! But i do love the end result. Join me and see the results. I used chalk paint by Annie Sloan in the color Graphite.
For somebody just starting out i had chosen a difficult project. But you know when you dont have a clue what you are letting yourself in for, well you just dont know…..
I had found this cupboard online for free and when we went to pick it up (me and the lovely boyfriend). The lady who was giving it away said that it had belonged to her mother and she told us about how it had been in their family for years and how much they loved it. It really is nice to hear the history to a piece. This made me want to treat it with the love and care that it deserved.
The carvings were nailed on and badly painted and dry and cracked so they had to unfortunately be thrown away.
The whole thing was covered in a thick layer of old paint that had to be stripped off. This was my first time, so this process took a long time and didnt work very well. There was also a lot of details to try and remove paint out of. I ended up sanding the piece with an old sander which was not very powerful as well, fun haha.
If you look closely at the detailing you see there is still quite alot of white paint left. I Kept going and spent days sanding and picking at the detailing to get all the old white latex paint off. But underneath it all there was emerging a gorgeous solid top plank.
This at least made it seem worth it. I still dont know how necessary it was to erase any sign of the white paint from the rest of the cupboard. Maybe someone here would like to tell me?…
After i did this i stained the top with the color teak, which i thought suited the copper color i added later. I added a few layers of laquer to the top to protect it from wear and tear.
I then painted the inside with a all in one color and protecting top coat. This makes it look more polished. The final result ends up looking more professional i believe.
I also stained the drawers in the same teak color to bring it all together.
I then tried a few different things with the hardware. It was not as easy to just put gilding wax on. I feel like all i read was how easy it was to use and whatever i did, it did not want to stick. I tried sanding the metal, i tried painting it. The only thing that worked in the end was using a spray primer, then painting with chalk paint, i then waxed them and then added gilding wax.
It didnt turn out quite as i hoped but in the end i liked the result that was achieved.
The last step in the process was waxing the frame and doors with dark wax. This ended up also being a bit of a procedure since i didnt add clear wax first which i learnt later would have made this step easier. You live and you learn.
Overall I love this INDUSTRIAL STYLE CUPBOARD. It was gorgeous in the evening when you really saw the shading that was created on the doors with the dark wax.
I also learnt from this project.
I learnt alot.
It taught me and I love that.
With redoing furniture you are constantly learning.
I know i am going to love this for the rest of my life.
It will never become boring.
The feeling of pride you get at the end of a finished project is something else
entirely.
What do you think? I would love to hear any ideas from you guys?
Hope you guys have a great day!
From Anna x
