Bought New and Repainted Old

Well the holidays have come and gone for most of the world. There are still others celebrating "Epiphany" or "Three Kings Day" to which I give my best holiday wishes.

With most of the holiday "splendor" gone, the work of taking down the tree and decorations is upon me. I don't mind putting everything up, it's taking it all down I don't like. In the middle of all that there are still projects that had to be completed. Still others to come.  One of them I had put on hold, was the re-painting of two dining chairs.

When I see a furniture piece I like, it doesn't matter to me if it doesn't come in the color I want. I'll just paint it over! I know, I know, no one wants to "paint over" a new piece of furniture.  It's almost as if you're ruining it. But no, if you do it right, with the right paint and method , it can look  just as good.

Marchella Chair from Pier 1 Imports. Murky green color.

After painting.

I love country french furniture and the whole look that goes with it.  They tend to be large pieces that wouldn't work well in my space though.  After several tries from the charity thrift store, I finally gave in and ordered a table with a glass top from a popular retail furniture store. I'm still having trouble adjusting to the size of the table. I like the farmhouse style but can't find one small enough. I've been researching how to make my own. One of these days I'll come up with something.

I couldn't find the right dining chair that wouldn't look too large or fancy in my small space though. I finally found the perfect one at Pier 1 Imports. They have a smaller footprint than most and fit the bill perfectly. However the color was a  murky green. Of course if my decor colors coordinated with it, it would be fine. It's easier for me to paint a couple of chairs, than to change my whole color scheme though. Not to mention less expensive! So with a small can of paint and a faux finish I already had, I was able to transform the murky green to my favorite white, aged look.

I used  Krylon  spray paint in flat white, then used a faux finish for a distressed look. Since the chairs were new, I only needed to sand lightly. The faux finish is a natural wood tone that blends in with the white. I applied the faux with a dry rag method, dabbing some off as needed.  It replicated the original finish the chair had before I painted it white. I rubbed  paste wax over it after it was dry. The chair was old world green when I bought it, kind of murky. It looks grey in the picture, but it's really green with dark distress marks.                                                                             

Before and after faux finish.

                                                                                      

Faux distressing can be seen lightly.

Chair after painting white.

The hardest part was covering the wood part with painters tape. Getting the tape in the small curves can be annoying. It takes patience to paint anything and do it right, but since it relaxes me I don't mind. Finding the time to do it is another thing. I didn't know about chalk paint when I did this, otherwise I would have used it instead. Who knew!

The other two chairs were curb finds disposed of by a neighbor. They don't match but are french ladderback in a fabulous aged oak, so you know I was going to take them home!  They were refurbished and repaired where needed and are waiting for new rush seats.  That'll have to be a whole different post. I don't know which I like the most, the new or the trashed. I guess I like both! The little step stool is a vintage find from my favorite thrift store. It goes well with the two benches also from that store. I love those french curvy legs! Those are projects that will be coming along soon, I hope.

Until my next project, have a good week everyone!