Furniture Makeovers Archives - The Latina Next Door

May 10, 2021 By Yami 1 Comment

Secretary “Cottage” Desk Makeover

Some of the following links are affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for complete details

This week has been a very productive one and let me say it feels so good. Today I am sharing my secretary desk from hell. LOL! Yes I said that. This thing gave me a run for my money but I did not stop until I finally was able to finish it.

It has been a while now since I have wanted a secretary like this and I was able to finally pick one up from FB Marketplace. From the start I knew I wanted to give it a make over. I was not fond of the dark stain and I had seen several online that others had painted lighter and I wanted to try it out for myself.

Here is what it looked like when I purchased it. It had a finial at the top but I removed it from transport and then I ended up liking it without it.

When I first began to redo this desk, I was reached out to by a company who wished to send me a sample of their furniture paint that was a one and done deal. They assured me their paint would need no primer and minimal prep.

Since they had great reviews and many people used it, I thought I would try it out. Unfortunately it did NOT work so well for me. There was severe bleed through with this piece. I am not sure whether it was the paint, the age of the secretary, the type of wood or finish that did this, but it was pretty bad and I had gotten a but frustrated.

I had painted furniture before and always used an oil based primer especially when not using chalk paint and I knew better. But sometimes you just have to try things out and learn.

So after I went through all of that I decided to use my trusty primer to seal all of the bleed-through. This is what I use for my dark furniture before I paint.

Once the primer was dry I sanded everything with an orbital sander to make sure if was nice and smooth. But then came my next mishap.

I tried to use a new spray gun to paint the secretary (thinking it would be quick and give me a smooth finish). While I followed directions it didn’t come out so well. The paint came out super splotchy and uneven everywhere. There were huge globs of paint in sections so I decided to stop.

So here I am trying to sand every detail smooth again.

Oh, the horror. Another life lesson I guess…. just go with what you know… for now.

I used Glidden paint for this project in a semi-gloss (which is great for furniture since it makes it super wipeable). It’s a light gray color.

I used an angled sash brush for the corners and a foam roller for the flat and smooth areas.

RELATED: FREE TABLE MAKEOVER

I wanted to add a little extra character by adding some beadboard that I had left over from my kitchen renovation and apply it to the back of the shelves.

The Latino Engineer helped me with cutting them and I installed them.

I used liquid nails and a nail gun to install.

One thing you need to make sure when you do something like this, is that the lines match up as you move from one shelf section to another. This will make it look like one solid piece of bead-board instead of 3. Plus the lines lining up will look so much better.

Make sure to caulk all of the edges of the bead-board so that it looks seamless.

I wanted the piece to have a two-toned look so I painted the beadboard white. And while it’s hard to tell in the images, the secretary is painted in 2 different colors.

Finally, I wanted to reuse the old hardware so I decided to spray paint them black. But then after putting them back on I didn’t like them so I removed them again. This time I spray painted them a copper (hammered) metallic color.

I am so glad I changed them. The black was just too stark.

Then lastly it was time to style. I added a mix of books and things I already had on hand along with some of my previous DIYs.

I love the old key that came with the secretary and the lighter color of the secretary now accentuates the little key.

How many DIYs can you spot here? ?

Leaving the original handles allowed me to keep this makeover really inexpensive.

I removed the doors from the top (but kept them in case I wish to do something with them in the future).

I love the look this secretary has now. It still has that vintage look but it has that nice soft cottage feel. The bead-board gave it that extra detail and it’s completely functional still which is great!

I placed it next to my fireplace and I love the location.

Let me know what you think! I worked on some other items during the time I was remaking this secretary and you are welcome to check them out below.

Finishing Up DIY Projects

As always you can PIN this or share with a friend who would enjoy.

I will see you next time.

Until then… adios!

February 17, 2021 By Yami 1 Comment

Free Table Transformation

Some of the following links are affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for complete details

Hey there! Hope you are well and staying warm. It is a cold, but sunny day here in Georgia.

It’s been a while since I have done a furniture makeover and I thought it would be a nice time to share a new one. This is something I really love doing, but lately with all of the renovations, honestly, it’s hard to find the time.

I love picking up items from FB Marketplace and you can really score some good deals on there. I especially love getting items for FREE! It doesn’t happen to often so when it does it’s even sweeter!

I came across a listing for a side table. It was a free porch pick up and I was lucky enough to be the first person to respond.

The table had some water damage on the top, but the rest still had good bones.

I knew I wanted to paint it right away. So the first thing I did was tape off the straps to the legs and the bolts that held them together.

I used the color French Linen to paint the bottom part. For my application, I knew I wanted a smooth finish so I used a flat brush. And because I wanted a flawless finish I had to give the piece 3 full coats of paint.

It may seem like a small task, but with all of the pieces and the 4 sides to each piece it took a little longer than I expected. Plus, I took my time with the painting and made sure to use long even strokes.

Then I focused my attention on the tray (top) portion of the table. I thought it would look nice with a two-tone look so I decided to paint this part in White Adirondack.

I made sure to cover all of the corner metal pieces with painters tape since I really liked them the way they were.

Then I proceeded to paint with the same flat brush using long strokes.

RELATED: Thrifted Table Transformation

After the third coat dried, I decided to smooth out the tray with fine sandpaper and distress the edges. Since I knew this piece would get used quite a bit, eventually it would get some wear so I might as well make it look like that on purpose.

I did not distress the legs though.

When I was done sanding I made sure to seal both pieces with Debi’s Design Diaries’ clear wax and let it cure overnight.

The final step was to use my favorite grasscloth contact paper that I had already used for a thrifted tray makeover and my husband’s old humidor box.

I seriously love this grasscloth contact paper. It’s textured, has a nice neutral color and I still have more left over so it was well worth getting and it’s not even expensive!

I like to cut my contact paper really close to the edges of the piece and then roll it out gently, pulling the backing away as I go. I find this gives you the flattest application with almost no bubbling.

If you wear socks while you do this, it comes out even better. Just sayin’! ?

Once the paper was on, it was ready to set up and style next to the couch!

I love how it turned out and I’m glad that I gave it a two-toned look. The grasslcoth contact paper adds some more dimension and texture as well as protect the piece.

In addition the wax seals the piece and protects it from scuffs and smudges.

It’s definitely not bad considering that I got it for free and used paint and supplies that I already had on hand. Tell me what you think below!

By the way, if you like that vase with the blue pattern, it was a Look for Less Dupe I did a couple of years ago. You can check it out here.

It is true what they say… “One man’s trash is a DIYer’s treasure.”

If you enjoyed this you might also like what I did to my second piece below. Check out the video on what I did to transform it here!

I will see you back here next week! Until then… adios!

April 11, 2019 By Yami 6 Comments

IKEA Table Hack – Farmhouse Transformation

Happy Friday! I don’t know what is up with me, but it’s like I have been missing my “mojo”lately – perhaps it’s the allergies or perhaps it’s burnout… I’m sure you have noticed I haven’t posted as much on here as I would like. Maybe it’s because I have been doing this for a while and perhaps I just need a break from blogging??? No idea….

Or maybe time hasn’t been enough lately. I mean….

I.JUST.FINISHED.POTTY.TRAINING.MY.LAST(stubborn).CHILD!

Can I get an amen!?!

Then there’s my Youtube channel.

It has been growing at a much faster rate than I would have expected, and I can say that I have been enjoying the benefits of a loving community over there. Weird. I never thought of myself as a YouTuber, but frankly the complexity of filming and editing is actually something I have been enjoying… (nerd alert!).

And sometimes I get so involved in a project that I honestly forget to take images as I am filming.

I keep telling my husband I need a camera crew, but I don’t think he’s been listening. ?

Even still I don’t want to miss sharing my projects with my community here so I am sharing my latest furniture transformation that I happened to film… plus sometimes I think it’s nice to just sit back and enjoy a quick video instead of having to thumb up and down a post and actually read.

Perhaps, I’m just lazy like that! ?

So I will be inserting my video tutorials by themselves here and there to see how they work out. However, if you would rather enjoy images and print, do speak out!

Okay, my breakfast area was in dire need of a table that I could use for a coffee station. I had been looking a while for something cheap on FB Marketplace and I came across an IKEA table for $20. I was on it like white on rice cause you know I love a good score!

My hubby and I picked it up STAT!

She was not pretty by any means though, but I knew I could fix her up!

With the help of some leftover 1 x 4’s…

and some paint…. I was able to turn her into this!

She’s a vision!

I love the blue color (that my husband actually picked out) and the pop color it gives this wall. And the wood along with the distressing makes it look like it’s been in a farmhouse kitchen for a long time.

Things you will need for this…

IKEA Table Hack – Farmhouse Transformation

some of the links below may be affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

Folkart Chalk Paint in Nantucket Blue
Folkart Chalk Paint in White Adirondack
Wood Tint Walnut Stain
Folkart Clear Wax
Chalk Paint & Wax Brush DUO
Sanding Block
Lint Free Cloth
Miter Saw
Nail Gun
Wood Glue

And here is how I did it… simply click play and enjoy the process!

Have you done any Ikea hacks lately? I was so lucky to have found this table for only $20! This is one of my favorite pieces yet!

January 25, 2018 By Yami 9 Comments

Transform your Furniture with Milk Paint

I have a wonderful transformation to share with you today and since this is my first time using Milk Paint I thought I would take you a long the journey and share my first experience and how I applied it to my 2 bookshelves that I scored for FREE and will be using in my Craft Room Challenge!

The Rules:

Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
There’s no monthly theme.
There’s no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

As you know I have been working on my craft room and one of the items I planned on using were these bookcases.I used to be in Commercial Property Management and sometimes when our office tenants would move out they would leave lots of goodies behind.

Like these…

Two of these were left in an empty space to die…. The horror!

?If you wish to do this remember you can easily find nice bookshelves at your local thrift stores or at used office furniture warehouses for a steal! That’s where finds like this usually go, I just made it to the shelves before they got there for re-sale! Heck yeah!

So I gladly took the burden upon myself to take them home. They have stayed this way for about 4 years now. I never really knew what I would end up doing with them or how I would transform them.

But, recently I came across Jami Ray and her tutorials on how to paint with milk and chalk paint and boy was I hooked!

And after finally comparing so many decor styles out there, I finally decided which one is me. I call it “Hamptons Farmhouse”.

Chic. Coastal. Farmhouse. Bling.

It has a ring to it.

So I quickly ordered my paints from Jami Ray and got to work.

If you have never used milk paint before, it comes in powder form. You mix equal parts of powder and warm water and shake until it’s the consistency of a melted milkshake.

It can be done easily in a mason jar.

*The color I used was Moody Blue and I actually found a REALLY good chalk/wax brush online that is SUPER affordable.

>You can find the brush here.<<

You can also watch the tutorial below

Milk paint is great for distressed and chippy finishes.

Since my bookshelves were super slick with top coat, I gave them a light sanding and used Extra Bond in the milk paint mixture so that it didn’t chip too much.

I like a little bit of distress but not that much.

Once I sanded them down, I gave them 2 coats, allowing them to dry a full 24 hours in between coats. You can see the difference between the first and second coat below:

However, even after I painted them 2 times, the paint still looked streaky and uneven. I’m not sure if it was the brand of paint, the fact that I only used Extra Bond in one of the applications (since that’s what it says to do) or I didn’t know what the heck I was doing.

But here is how it was after the second coat:

YIKES!

So I paused and after freaking out a little bit I just kept going….

I sanded it down with a 220 grit sandpaper and here is a close-up of how the paint looked after the sanding. I distressed edges and random areas here and there.

I knew I wanted a beachy and light feel so my plan was to add white wax and make it look aged anyway….So I held my breath.

I then used Debi’s Design Diary’s DIY White Wax.

The little one is the white and the large is the clear wax that I apply later.

I used my awesome and cheapo brush to apply the wax.

Tip: Always have one brush for paint and one dedicated to just wax when using these brushes with these products this way any oils left on the brush won’t mix with any paint. Plus you can always store your wax brush in an air tight ziplock bag in between uses so the wax won’t dry out, this means you need an extra.

Here is the brush again…

And a soft cloth to wipe off the excess soon after.

I let dry for another 24 hours and the change was amazing!

You can see it was starting to chip a little and it was gorgeous!

But that wasn’t enough for me.

I decided to add another element: shiplap.

So I cut down some shiplap strips I had leftover from another project and glued them to the back.

I smeared the glue evenly along the shiplap with a spatula….

I laid the bookcase on it’s back and laid the shiplap down and held them in place with weights…using a nickel on either end in between the shiplap to leave an even gap.

Then I took Debi’s Design Diary’s White Swan Chalk Paint and painted the shiplap white.

I finally added a coat of Debi’s clear wax to the entire piece. Waited for it to dry for 24 hours and then came back with an old cloth and polished the bookshelves.

And they looked amazing!

The clear wax deepened the color in several areas to bring out even more contrast. And it made the bookshelves super smooth.

Here is the final product:

I’m super proud of these!!!!! It has the perfect Hampton Farmhouse feel to me. And look amazing in my craft space.

What do you think?

Make sure you subscribe so that you can follow along and see the progress on my craft room and how it’s all coming together!

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

An InLinkz Link-up

February 15, 2017 By Yami 6 Comments

Pottery Barn White Sofa Look For Less

*some of the links in this post are affiliate links for your convenience, see full disclosure here*

So as you already know, I like to have a nice and beautiful home, but there are 2 factors, hindering this severely.

I have 3 kids, 5 years and under. My house is never “guest ready”.
I am a SAHM mom and while I am finally seeing the fruits of my labor from both of my blogs I still cannot afford ALL the things that I wish I could. Plus, it has never really been in my nature to spend ridiculous amounts of money on things I can live without…. oh, but they’re still pretty to look at. 😉

One of the things I am trying to do is give my home a facelift. I feel as if no matter how much I try I still cannot get things to look the way I want them to. Currently, we only have one living area on the main floor since the den is being used as an office/craft room/playroom at the moment.

And we have had this big sectional in our family room since we moved in.

WOW. Has this room seen a change?! I am almost embarrassed to show that! Paint samples and all – you can even see my little guy taking a nap on it… #justkeepinitreal

Since this photo was taken we have gotten rid of the leather recliner and painted the walls.

Unfortunately my kids have used the heck out of that sofa, spilled drinks on it and jumped on it to the point that some cushions just aren’t the same anymore. So, since this is the room we sit with guests, I decided we needed to do something to it to make it look a little more sophisticated, but kid friendly.

We have 2 (even older) couches in the basement which haven’t gotten much use since we moved in, and they are a doodoo brown that I am NOT super fond of.

I decided to bring them up and take the sectional downstairs to the basement (and get it steam cleaned in the near future). It’s a completely finished basement and super cool in the summer. We plan on using it more this year – we haven’t in the past because since moving in 3 1/2 years ago, I gave birth 2 times and it was kinda hard using another level of the house with the kids being so little.

My littlest is now almost 2 years old so hopefully we can use it more now.

Now, with these 2 couches I was faced with 2 more problems:

The couches don’t match the new decor.
The kids will most likely spill stuff on it.

Dilemmas, dilemmas, and more dilemmas….

So I decided to look online for some slipcovers that don’t look like blankets hanging over my sofas.

And after hours of searching, low and behold I found some!

I searched based on 3 things:

Color – I needed a color that matched my gray walls and I love these beautiful white pottery barn couches and I thought it would be cool to replicate. I know what you are thinking… white? Really, you just said you have some messy kids, right? Well, yes. But I LOVE white blankets, white bath rugs, white towels, white dining chairs…. my parents think I’m kinda crazy, but I like how they remind me of being on a vacation in a hotel by the beach and they can be BLEACHED! Yes, bleached. Oh yeah, get those nasty stains and germs right off with BLEACH. Ha!
Price – I wasn’t looking for anything pricey cause if that was the case I might as well be buying new couches.
Durability – I needed something that could withstand A LOT of washing and ironing (cause there is no way I am putting wrinkled slipcovers on my sofas).

Finally, I found this white Surefit slipcover that I liked, however, I needed 2 of them so I knew I would be spending over $200 for sure and I wanted to keep it under that number… so I did a little more digging and actually found almost the exact same white slipcover from the same company in Bed Bath & Beyond FOR LESS! You cannot purchase them at the stores, only online.

And I was even able to use the 20% off coupon, plus I got FREE shipping! They arrived super fast and I couldn’t wait to try them on.

I was so pleased and relieved they didn’t suck!

The best part about them is that they fit just fine, even with a little bit of extra fabric to make up for different sofa designs – the video they have on their site shows you how to tuck away the excess.

The fabric is twill which is a jean material. While it is not as thick as regular jeans it is durable and you can’t see the brown from underneath. BONUS!

My kids actually like the new look and surprisingly enough they don’t jump on these. We had a “talk” and they understand that these are the “nice” couches. It’s actually a nice feeling because it does feel like we have “new” furniture.

And they do channel Pottery Barn so this mama is happy!

Definitely check these out if you have been searching for an inexpensive way to update your sofas. I highly recommend them!

I have made a few more changes in this room, so stay tuned. I hope you enjoyed this simple makeover with a huge impact.

March 7, 2016 By Yami 4 Comments

How to Repair Granite – The Inexpensive Way

Hey there! Today I have an awesome transformation for you and an easy solution if you happen to have a hole or gash in your granite and you 1.) hate the way it looks 2.) don’t want to hire someone to repair 3.) don’t want to replace it cause, well, it’s just not in the budget and 4.) have no idea even where to begin on something like this! So, lucky for you this girl has been there, done that. And I know you are just dying to find out how to repair a hole in your granite. 😉
[Read more…] about How to Repair Granite – The Inexpensive Way

February 25, 2016 By Yami 4 Comments

China Cabinet Transformation and Dining Room Update

Okay my friends, the time has come to share the progress in my dining room. It currently is the most put-together room on our main floor. And since it’s located directly at your left when you enter our home, I like to make it look good for first impressions.

…. and then you enter the “real” rest of the house 🙂 ha!

It is also the room that I do the most seasonal decorating in. Like right now, I have beautiful floral stems that I bought at Michael’s (at 50% off) as a centerpiece, since I really can’t wait for Spring! Ya know, I remember thinking that if I used faux flowers, my arrangements might look kinda cheesy, but I have learned that the key is to 1. invest in good quality stems and 2. to NOT overdo it. Simple (and less) is better…

February 8, 2016 By Yami Leave a Comment

King Bed Makeover For Master Bedroom

Happy Monday everyone! This past weekend was my oldest daughter’s 4th birthday (holy smokes how time flies!), but unfortunately ALL of my kids were sick and we weren’t able to celebrate like we had planned… We still were able to cut 2 different cakes and spend time with loved ones which is what really mattered, but the month is yet to be over and anything can happen…

I smell some make-up plans brewing!

As promised, I have my first transformation to share with you this year. This is one of my all time favorite projects. Our king bed transformation…. It was time we upgraded from our Queen and into a King size bed. Before kids, the queen was fine but now that our little ones sneakily get in between us to cuddle in the middle of the night my husband and I realized the Queen just wasn’t cutting it. She had to go….

….to the basement.

Since obviously, I could not bear to get rid of such a nice and expensive piece of furniture, duh!

At this point though, our budget was not nearly as flexible as it was back when we got our Queen, so naturally, I had to get in touch with my good friend Craig… as in Craigslist.

It took a couple of weeks, but patience paid off and I scored, BIG TIME. I found a bed similar in style to what I already had and the people selling it were less than 15 minutes away. Not only that, but we got the bed for $150.00 – solid wood. I was in heaven!

Let’s check out the transformation and how we did it!

February 25, 2015 By Yami 1 Comment

Dresser Turned Buffet

Do you ever have anyone come up to you and say, “Hey, I know someone who is giving away some old furniture they no longer want, and since you like to redo furniture, I figured I would ask if you were interested…” Well, I do and my first thought usually is…. hmmm, why would anyone want to get rid of old furniture???? It must obviously not be that nice. But then on occasion they show you a picture like THIS!!!!!!!

I apologize for the poor quality, but this is the only one I have of all the pieces together.

And then you gasp and ask, “Why would ANYONE want to get rid of that?!?!?!?” OMG! I could not believe it, a dresser, 2 nightstands and a mirror for FREE! Deal of the year people! Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity.

The furniture didn’t look that bad in the picture, but it was pretty banged up. There were a lot of nicks and dents all over the tops and sides. I would have liked to have kept it a wood finish, but I decided to paint the dresser since I am just not that familiar with refinishing wood yet, and it’s not like I paid anything for the piece, nor did it have any sentimental value to me. I didn’t need a dresser, but I thought it would be great as buffet for my breakfast area. Here is the area I wanted to put it. There was a dresser already there (the one I refinished in this post), but I have since moved it to the guest bedroom in our basement.

We started by filling in all the dents and scratches with wood putty.

As you can see, there were A LOT…. [Read more…] about Dresser Turned Buffet

January 29, 2015 By Yami 10 Comments

Dining Chairs Before and After

A couple years ago I bought 6 dining chairs and a china cabinet off Craigslist for $125.00 total (and yeah I know, total slacker here!). I basically got the chairs for free since the china cabinet alone is worth $125.00 so it was a big score. However they all needed a lot of work. I knew I was going to paint and reupholster them before I could use them anywhere so they stayed in storage or hidden throughout the house over time. They were hideous!

See what I mean? I did like how they were tall, the cushions were in great shape (very sturdy), and they were in the “french” realm which was right up my alley. I knew I wanted them white and we had a paint sprayer that went with our compressor so we thought we would give that a try….

September 16, 2014 By Yami Leave a Comment

Breakfast Chairs Re-Upholstered

My breakfast area chairs were looking a little worn out and just plain dull and since I could not buy new ones, I figured I would go to my FAVE store Hobby Lobby and get some fabric to re-upholster them. This is what they looked like before… YUCK!

They were brown microfiber and over 7 years old. They had stains and some areas were wearing out.

I only needed a yard and a half of home decor fabric, and luckily it was 30% off. So I got a beautiful velvety-bluish fabric with a trellis design on it.

October 21, 2012 By Yami Leave a Comment

A Sentimental Transformation

My grandfather is very ill, and the last time he came out to visit us from Puerto Rico, he bought my dad these outdoor chairs. It was the last thing he bought my father before he became too ill to travel back out of the island. My father’s work travels took him away from home and after a couple of years the chairs took a bit of wear from constant exposure to the cold winters and the hot summers, but since the chairs were of so much sentimental value to my father, he never wanted to get rid of them…. So, I had a bright idea.

This past Father’s Day, I wanted to make sure my dad got something really cool, so I thought I would fix the chairs up for him. Originally they were a set of 4, but one was broken and too hard to fix, so I dedicated myself to the remaining 3. This is what I had to work with.

I took out my primer and started spraying away. The chairs took a TON of primer and paint since they were so dry. I ended up using 6 cans and one clear top coat, but it was so worth it.

Here they are while I was priming them…

Here is one of the chairs with only one coat of paint. I painted it Jellyfish Gloss by Valspar outdoor paint. Here is what the can looks like.

Below is the chair with the first coat of paint.

Don’t mind my big head in the picture. Ha!

Here is the chair with the final coat of paint and top coat…

Here is a close-up of the color…

I was happy with the work, but I still thought it still needed a lil somethin’. I thought some cushions would be a perfect finish! So AGAIN, I went to my local Garden Ridge and found 3 striped cushions with blues and greens to keep that masculine touch…

And here you have it!

He was totally stoked when he got them! He keeps them in his garage when they are not in use and he makes sure to take very good care of them. The best thing about it is that he can still enjoy his father’s last gift to him for many years to come, so the gift is priceless…

When was the last time you actually made something for someone instead of buying them something… Or brought something back to life? The satisfaction is immeasurable!

Your Latina,

Yami

September 21, 2012 By Yami Leave a Comment

First Craigslist Makeover!

Okay, so I have become a major Craigslist JUNKIE! There is no 12-Step program for this addiction yet, so in the mean time I will enjoy basking in the delightful high that you can only get from buying furniture a-la cheap!

So, please meet sad dresser #1 that I scored for only $30!!!! The owner wanted it no mas and I was glad to take it to a loving home. The look on my hubby’s face was priceless when I said I wanted to buy it! But deep down inside I knew he had FAITH. I apologize for not having a picture with the hardware on it, but I did get a close-up of those tarnished old things.

You can see all the scratches on the surface of the dresser.

First thing’s first – I removed all of the hardware and sanded it. It had received a little wear and tear over the years and even though I was not able to take all of the scratches out, I made it look MUCH better.

After a TON of research on the web and bombarding my local Home Depot paint sales clerk I primed it using the best primer out on the market: Zinsser Cover Stain Oil Based Primer. Note: You can prime a piece of furniture with oil-based primer and then paint over with latex paint, but you CANNOT prime with latex primer and then paint with oil-based paint. Comprendes????

This is what the can looks like. I gave the piece 2 coats and gave it a light sand once it was dry.

I will also add that the products I list here are products I have read about, tried out and have come to like. I am not being paid to advertise – I am just sharing with you the products that I have used and have come to prefer.

Back to business… Okay so I am really into grays, blues and light greens and I found the perfect shade of grayish blue: Antique Silver Premium Interior Paint by Glidden. I chose a semi-gloss because I wanted a smooth easy-to-wipe surface with a little bit of shine. I did 3 coats of this just because I really wanted a thick and smooth surface.

One tip: I use this product called Floetrol – it is a paint conditioner and it comes in an orange bottle. This can only be added to latex base paint. It is supposed to make the paint much smoother and reduce brush marks. It also allows the paint to dry in a much slower time (in case you are painting in your garage in the middle of summer!).

This helps when the paint is really thick too, which is usually the case with enamel paint. If you want a good paint job, then use this with your paint – TRUST ME. See inventory below!

Tools: I used a 4” foam roller. You don’t need a big one since drawers aren’t really wide. They cover well and they apply paint better than a paintbrush since they don’t leave streaks. For the corners and crevices I use the small foam brushes that are CHEAPO (both shown below).

Always remember to allow at LEAST 24 hours for your paint to cure. NEVER rush or you will spend twice the time fixing what you did wrong. It can get very tempting to rush, but DON’T DO IT. The end result will be so worth it if you just wait!

The final step for the dresser paint was to add a sealer. I used Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic Projective Finish in Clear Semi-Gloss (also shown above). I wasn’t sure how much “traffic” this piece was going to receive, but I did want to make sure it would take a lot of wear and tear so I did 2 coats of the sealer.

NEXT came the hardware. I REALLY wanted to restore the brass knobs, but after over 20 hours of backbreaking buffing and several failed attempts to strip the tarnish with chemicals, I learned I was getting nowhere fast… so I said FORGET THIS!

I raided my spray paint stash and pulled out some Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic Projective Finish in Clear Semi-Glossand spray painted the crap out of them! Then AFTER letting them dry for 24 hours I used Krylon Short Cuts Gold Leaf Spray Paint. I ended up using about 3 cans, but it was worth it. Check it out!!!!

Here is a close-up of the hardware….

I currently have this in my dining room and it doesn’t go with the wall art, but here is what it looks like from afar (I am also learning how to take better pictures with my Nikon, so bear with me!).

I just can’t help myself! Here is another angle! I love the Modernized French Provincial Style -totally me!

I am very proud of this piece. Hope you enjoyed! I have about 14 other pieces in my garage waiting for a face-lift and I can’t wait to share the transformations with you.

Wanna see this post translated?

September 6, 2012 By Yami Leave a Comment

First Sneak Peak

So, I am working on my first furniture transformation post and I want to make sure it doesn’t look like a child put it together so it is taking me longer than I thought. However, I wanted to show you a little sneak peak of what I did. Can you guess what it is???

I am totally proud of this and cannot wait to do another. Post coming soon!

Secretary “Cottage” Desk Makeover

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