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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

31 Day With ME: Waterfall Buffet (Before and After)

 You're back! Good! Today is day 10 into my 31 day series. I keep wanting to put the word 'challenge' in there instead of series, really it's just a series for 31 days but it's a personal challenge for me to see if I can do it. Please visit The Nesting Place for a lot of other partisans.
A lot of you know that I have a booth space in Joplin at Rangeline Antique Mall, and I just finished this buffet to put in there. It occurred to me after writing My Secrets To Second-Hand Shopping, that some readers might not know that I shop to fill my space.
Do you remember the vanity? It sold and I had a huge hole, so I was so happy when I found this great piece.
 I haven't tried milk paint, or chalk paint, I haven't even tried the DIY chalk paint but I tried this method for the first time and wanted to show you the end result.

 I found this waterfall buffet this past summer. It may not appear too bad in the photo, but it is in pretty bad condition. The top is horribly scratched with watermarks and some damage on the door. I didn't plan on fixing any of those things, so a distressed finish seemed to be the way to go.

 First things first, I painted it white...well, I removed the hardware first, then I painted.  Regular ole' semi-gloss generic off the shelf white, some stuff I had in the garage, leftover from painting the fireplace. I did not sand. I did not prime.

 It took two coats and I gave it some time to cure.
 Then, I used sandpaper and went over the edges and details. All that stuff I've done before...
 ...but what I've never done is this: I used dark walnut stain over the white paint. I used a brush and did small sections at a time. Brushed it on and quickly wiped it off with a clean towel. This style of furniture is good to try it on, lots of little crannies for the stain to catch in. You have to move pretty quick though, the dark stain does the trick quickly...and you don't want streaks, that happened on a couple of the doors. I just let it dry, repainted and tried it again.

 It took me a little while, but I really like the effect. Of course the technique toned the bright white down significantly. The thing is, had I used cream/off white as the base paint, it would have turned out too yellow. Starting with white eliminated that, unless of course, you like that look. What I like about this finish is that you can't mess this up...I mean, I have never done this before, but I sure will again when I find another piece of furniture.
 Right now, it is acting as my "Halloween Buffet" in my booth space. I think it's a nice size, not too big. Hopefully someone will give it a nice home. Do you like the back drop? I grabbed some bi-fold doors at a yard sale and painted them in chalkboard paint and did a little chalk art. They provide a nice spooky backdrop for Halloween and I like the dimension and height in the booth instead of the plain peg board. I'll show you more of what's going on in the booth a little later...


So, have you tried this technique before? Did you like how it turned out?
2011-12-013

34 comments:

  1. That is just downright exquisite! Girl, you have such a gift of making things look natural, loved, classically aged and beautiful.
    Emily

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  2. it looks beautiful, and I love your spooky Halloween 'doors' =)

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    1. Thanks Andrea, I'm already trying to think of a scene for the Christmas season too.

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  3. Looks Fabulous! You are so talented!

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  4. Michelle - Good job on the buffet.

    Judy

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  5. That is so beautiful Michelle. As always, I am inspired by you!

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  6. I love your blog! I live in SE Kansas, about 1 1/2 hours from Joplin. Is your booth at the flea market that is on Range Line on the north side of town, past the mall? There is a really big one out that way and was wondering if that was the one? I love flea markets, rummage sales thrift stores. I go to Joplin every now and then shopping and will have to check out your booth. You are such a strong woman! :-) LaDonna

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    1. Thank you LaDonna. Yes, that is the one...north on Rangeline right before it turns into Webb City. I'm B24!:)

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  7. Hello! I really like the results on the buffet. I have a large dresser I use as a buffet, and have been needing inspiration. I have just found it, yay! My husband and I took a day trip from Kansas City to Joplin just to go to your booth and Cimmaron. I've never told you because it seemed stalkerish. I've been following your blog for a couple of years, so seeing the booth felt like more of a connection! I am praying for you, and sending you so much love. Thanks for being who you are and true to yourself. You inspire me on so many levels.

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    1. Stephanie, wow! Thank you! I appreciate the prayers and the trip and the stalking ha ha. I love Cimmaron too, they've got A LOT of goodies!

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  8. I love it! You really did a nice job on the buffet. I am in the love with the bi-fold doors looking forward to the post about it. See you tomorrow.

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  9. Sister, as always you are amazing . I know you might get tired of me saying that ; but I'm right. The drawing in chalk is fantastic! Love you always Klair

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  10. The buffet is gorgeous! I have recently tried this method! I painted a dog feeder platform with a bright sunny yellow. It was a little too stark so I sanded it a bit then rubbed on a dark stain over it. You were correct that you have to rub it off quickly. Now I love the outcome. I sealed it with a coat of water based poly as it gets some water drips/abuse from the dog. These hand painted dog feeders are quite expensive on etsy but I saved a lot by doing it myself and really was just experimenting. Love your blog--new follower in Missouri! (KC area). Have a great day!

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    1. That sounds great Sarah. I want to try it over a color too. Appreciate you following along too!

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  11. I remember my friends grandmas having furniture this style. I believe you brought out a prettier life to this piece than it had originally. Love how you just tried it ( a technique you made up!) and it looks perfect!!

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  12. What a significant change...very pleasing. It is a method, as you said that will look just as grand on many types of wood furniture. Love the idea of painting by-fold doors with chalkboard paint.
    Will be praying for you during your next chemo challenge.
    I also miss North Carolina and Virginia but then that's life, n'est-ce pas?
    Joyfully,
    ~Sylvia Faye

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  13. Love it and love that you used stuff you had in the garage. In case you are thinking about trying DIY chalk paint, it works! It is a great way to stretch out small amounts of paint. I tried the plaster of paris (5T), water (1-3 T) and 2 cups of paint. It makes the color so deep and saturated and a little paint goes a long way. I shook mine in a glass jar to mix it well. I didn't like all of the work of the wax paste finish and ended up brushing on a satin poly to give it shine. It worked so well that I am currently painting all of my kitchen cabinets with the same process. I haven't updated my dorky little blog for months but will post pictures of my kitchen and some other projects in a month or so, in case you want to see. I am not trying to promote my blog (I do it for my family and friends and make no money) - just that this stuff is awesome. Wish I had tried it years ago. I have never tried the real stuff so I may not know what I am talking about.

    Peace!

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    1. Thank you for the tips...I've been wanting to try that method, just unsure about it...I will certainly take a look when you get done. Good Luck!

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    2. I'm curious, how did your kitchen cabinets hold up?? Are the edges chipping? What if anything did you coat them with?

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    3. I'm curious, sweetpea's mom - how are the kitchen cabinets holding up? chipping on edges? Did you have to coat them after chalkpainting? Thanks!

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    4. The kitchen cabinets held up well, and they did not chip. Although, they were distressed as a part of the design, and in my experience, this eliminates most of the sharp edges that are prone to chipping. In any case, after 5 years, they have not needed to be repainted, and as for the chalkboard paint, which she used on many applications, it has consistently held up as well without ever having to be recoated.

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  14. I am in love with that dresser! You did an awesome job, and I never would have even taken a second glance at it before, but now it is equisite! If you don't mind me asking, how much are you charging for it in your booth? Praying for you in your fight - my Mom has lung cancer, was diagnosed with it in May and is fighting as well.

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    1. Thank you Angie! It is $299.99. Thanks for the prayers and I will do the same for your Mom.

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  15. I have been following your blog for a while and just love what you have done with this piece of furniture! It looks fabulous! I hope you can do all kinds of creative things with it. Take Care, Thea

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Thank You for taking the time to comment! Because of the insane amount of spam comments, I had to stop anonymous comments-sorry for the inconvenience.
Michelle