Stop in at any thrift shop, and you will likely find at least one of those boxy, outdated end-tables that is a throw-back to the heyday of chunky, oversized furniture. Most people would pass it by without a second glance. Others, however, ferry it home with excitement from the aisles of Sally Ann, or from their parent's basement, or from a neighbour who is tired of looking at it or a friend who just can't use it anymore.
And what separates the passer-by from the person who sees it as a diamond in the rough? In our world, that would be
Chalk Paint™ and
Milk Paint!
Today's
Reimagined Monday project is the perfect example of seeing past the cosmetics, but also a lesson in how easy it is to go back and make changes if your tastes warrant it!
This was Marguerite Velthuizen's end table:
...and this is her experience:
"A few weeks ago, a friend of mine gave me some old furniture
that she no longer had room for. It had some great bones, but I wanted to
give it a fresh look. My on-line search led me to Annie Sloan chalk
paint, which, in turn led me to Apple Box Boutique. There is only so much
you can learn from the internet, and I so appreciate all the helpful
advice I was given by your super-friendly staff."
"For my furniture, I wanted a look that was
somewhat antiqued, to bring out the detail, but not overly distressed.
This is what I ended up doing: I cleaned my night table with TSP, and
rinsed well. I knew I wanted new hardware, so I removed the
existing hardware, and filled the holes with a wood filler. I sanded the
filler flat, and wiped off the little bits of filler. I gave everything two
coats of CoCo paint, using a cheap chip brush from Home
Depot. Since I wanted to minimize brush strokes in the finish, I
diluted my paint; roughly 4 parts paint to 1 part water. The paint went
on beautifully, and gave great coverage."
"Next I clear-waxed
everything. I was glad to have invested in a good wax brush. I wiped
off the excess wax with a lint- free cloth. I then applied and wiped
off dark wax in the same manner, and hated the dark blotchy results!
On went two more coats of paint, and one more coat of clear wax. Next I
mixed my dark wax with an equal amount of clear wax, and applied it with the
wax brush, immediately wiping off the excess as I went along. Much better!"
"I found some great hardware at Home Depot, and after 24 hours, buffed the
living daylights out of the cabinet. I love how it has turned out."
The finish has a gorgeous sheen, and I have noticed it has become
nice and hard over the past week or so. I can't wait to finish the rest
of the furniture!"
"Thank you so much for your help. I know I'll be
back for more paint."
It is our pleasure, Marguerite! Thank
you for sharing your fabulous project with us... we can't wait to see what you do with the rest of the pieces!
We wish Marguerite good luck in this month's Reimagined Monday Draw!
Don't forget to enter our monthly contest for your chance to win!
Here's the info:
Reimagined Monday Draw

We
would like to highlight more customer projects! Send us your
before/during/after pictures and tell us about your creative process
using
Chalk Paint™ or Milk Paint and you'll be entered into our monthly
Reimagined Monday draw.
Each month we will give away a different item like paint, brushes,
books, supplies, gift certificates and more. You don't have to be
featured to be eligible... the month you enter is the month you will be
included in the draw.
Send your name, pictures and story to:
♥,
Apple Box Boutique
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