Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Antiquing Furniture: The Basics

Now days, it seems as though antiquing furniture has become a phenomenon. We've all fallen in love with the shabby chic cuteness of ruffles, chipped paint and and dainty prints and I am no exception!

If you look back through the posts you'll see that I did a post on chalk paint 101. That is the first step of this antiquing project.


Originally when I decided to redo this desk I had no intentions of using a stencil on this desk turned vanity, but when I saw this gorgeous leaf stencil at Lowe's the idea hit me and I couldn't resist! Going with a filigree look, I picked up some silver spray paint also.

Depending on what you're stenciling, you may need a tape measure in order to make sure that the stenciling is even.





Now, this is exactly how I set up my stencil originally. I was in a hurry and excited to test out my brilliant idea. Well, as some of you might have noticed I over-looked some things. The main one being that when you spray spray paint it goes beyond the stencil. Hence, the next picture. So, when you are stenciling be sure to cover up the important surfaces with newspaper so that they don't get end up with fine silver mist.  





To remedy this situation, I simply went back with more chalk paint and painted over my mistakes. 

Once the stencil had dried, the next step was to go back with some sand paper and scuff up the edges of the desk and chair. The grit of the sand paper is not crucial, but keep in mind that the larger the grit the easier the paint will come off. 



Once I had sanded and scuffed my furniture to my heart's desire I applied Valspar Antiquing Glaze. The technique for the glazing is made clear on the bottle. With a wet rag apply the glaze in slow strokes. Continue to apply the glaze until you get the color that you desire.
I was thrilled with the way the my desk turned vanity turned out!! 

After the glaze has dried be sure to apply a wax finish in order to protect the paint and chalk finish. Apply the wax liberally and buff out until smooth.




 Ta-Da!! I added some glass knobs to my drawer and called it a day. Antiquing furniture can be easier than you ever imagined. Give it a try!

Love, Beth

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