Hey there, friends! How about we dive into the first furniture flip of the year today? December came and went and I worked on not one piece of furniture, knowing that January was looming and I would have to get my tail in gear for the January Sweet Clover sale. Well, then January arrived, and I ended up with a pretty busy work schedule for the first two weeks and panic struck… how was I going to get anything done! Not to mention, the temperatures outside were not conducive to sanding. Thankfully my husband is willing to put up with a lot of crap, because that’s basically what’s going on over here at the moment, but I am happy to report that I’ve been able to finish two new pieces and am going to be ready for the sale next weekend. (Thank goodness!) Today I am going to share the first furniture makeover: gray neoclassical sideboard.
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I found this piece at a local auction and fell in love with the hardware and details, but also really loved the size and storage that it offered. However. the wood finish was just sort of lackluster. I am a fan of natural wood when it’s beautiful and suits the piece, but I truly thought that it would be improved with paint. As I mentioned, the temperatures here have been ridiculously low and sanding this one outside was not going to be an option, so I purchased a bottle of liquid sander/deglosser by KleanStrip and hoped it would do the trick.
Now, I planned to haul this big guy into the basement with Chris, but as it turned out, my protruding belly made that really awkward… so we laid a drop cloth down on the kitchen floor and I worked right in there.
As you can see in the background, my kitchen cabinets have been repainted and are just awaiting new hardware, so we have that going on, plus some life stuff getting in the way. Let me explain… this photo accurately depicts the current state of my life:
As you can see, the doors are off our kitchen cabinets so we’ve been living like that for a week, I am painting in the kitchen in order to get things done, and Snowball has some anal gland issues so she’s been wearing a wrap and the cone of shame. Also, the dogs are hating this cold and missing their walks but want to be with me, so they’re lounging on the drop cloth while I try not to paint them… Yep, it’s a glamorous life I am living! 😉 We’re all just over here trying to make the best of things.
Anyhow, let’s get back to how I actually did this makeover. One of Chris’ soccer teammates recommended using a scrubby sponge with the liquid deglosser, so that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t want to use my nice bamboo sponges, so I got some cheapo disposables like these. I poured the deglosser into the sponge and then used the scrubby side to go to down on the sideboard, scrubbing in circles, and then using a rag immediately after to wipe off the residue. If you don’t wipe with a rag immediately, the residue will dry on the piece which you don’t want to happen because the paint won’t adhere to it.
After I gave it a good scrubby deglossing all over, I cleaned it with Simple Green, just to remove any other grease or dirt I may have missed. Once the sideboard was completely dry, I was able to paint. I applied the first coat, using General Finishes Seagull Gray, a beautiful soft and cool gray. If you’ve been around here for a while you know that General Finishes is my absolute favorite paint to use… although prep is required in the form of sanding or deglossing, no primer is required (but I do recommend it strongly when using white), and the finish is super smooth.
When I am not certain if paint will stick (and since I had not sanded and used the deglosser I was a little worried), I do a scratch test and scratch several areas with my fingernail after the first coat is dry to make sure the paint stuck. Indeed, it stuck in this case and I was safe to apply my next coat! I ended up applying a total of 3 coats for a nice solid finish.
After it was painted all over, I used 220 grit sandpaper to distress the edges and details to give the piece a little more depth.
After the distressing was complete, I applied a coat of Black Bison wax in neutral; this is my favorite wax to use as it’s non-toxic and leaves a nice hard finish after buffing. I applied the wax all over the piece with a rag and allowed it to dry for about a half hour. Then I used a clean rag to buff it; generally I buff in circular motions, but I loved the lines on this piece so I buffed in long lines along the top and sides and doors. Buffing gives the finish a little luster and makes it harden and protect better.
Those original knobs and backplates really stand out now against the soft gray,
This piece definitely provided me with some valuable gems….
- Deglosser is my best friend this winter.
- I can survive utter chaos, so I should be able to handle a new baby no problem.
- I can’t quite lift and move like I could just a couple months ago.
- My husband and kids really love me to put up with the perfect storm I’m creating inside of our home.
All is well that end’s well, and fortunately, this piece turned out even better than I expected and it’s already at Sweet Clover, ready for January 19-21, and ready for its new home!
