Should We Paint Antiques?

It’s time to address the issue. It’s 2017 and there is this common thread running through social media: “NO! Don’t paint that! It’s an antique. You will ruin it!” OR, “Nobody wants antiques any more. Paint it, make it beautiful again.” Who is right? Let’s look for a minute at a little bit of history, specifically, Colonial America… At 6:30 this morning, I woke up and said, “Hey, Siri. What time is it?” The lovely British accent came back at me and said, “It’s 6:31, way too early.” As per usual I grabbed my phone to check my messages on the Forum to see if there were any fires to put out and saw a screenshot from my DH about another debate going on regarding antiques. Oh, boy. Here we go again. One day I’ll tell you about a convo I had to deal with when my DH and I … Read more

“Shantalle” Side Table Flips for Annie Sloan

#sponsored post I’ve had a chance to give Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan a try and like it. Sure, sure, I’m later than most to the game. I’ve been trying out other paint brands with a plan to give Chalk Paint® a try. That changed when her company offered me their products in exchange for my review. I went to her site to find out the history of Chalk Paint®. From her website: “Annie Sloan first developed her now famous decorative paint, Chalk Paint®, in 1990. When she started working on it, she wanted to create a decorative paint that was immediate and allowed her to be direct and spontaneous.” It never gets old. Do you get tired of seeing before and afters? I never do. Here is her “before” – I know, I know. Her before picture is nice. BUT, she becomes WAY better after her makeover…keep … Read more

It’s a Giveaway!

Over at our Facebook Group, Furniture Flipping Forum, we're having a giveaway to celebrate reaching 10,000 members. Come join and enter the giveaway!   In this video that we posted on our facebook group, Jillian is showing you some of the prizes:     < Come join the fun! Go here to join and enter >>> Furniture Flipping Forum.

10 Steps to Revive an Old Nightstand

They Are Everywhere You’ve seen them. Junky pieces of furniture that no one wants. They are priced for pennies compared to the new pieces you find in retail stores. Do you pass them by? “Jillian” The Nightstand She was ugly. She was dirty. She was smelly and sitting in a garage stuffed with junk. All she needed was someone to take her home. For those of you who know our DD, Jillian, this piece was named after her because we were together when we found her, and we painted this one together…not because they looked or smelled similar. VBG Supplies (Affiliate Links for Your Convenience) Krud Kutter Zinsser’s Spray Primer Rustoleum 2x Painter’s Touch spray paint Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan Polyvine Dead Flat Wax Varnish 3M Sanding Sponge Her Steps Toward Beauty 1. Clean her up – she needed a good scrubbing. We sat her outside to air out … Read more

Accent Table Turns a New Paige – Pure and Original Fresco Lime Paint

#Sponsored Post They all were just passing her by… We named her “Paige”. Here she is in her original home before she became mine. She was one of many at an estate sale: Paige was pretty scratched up and worn out, but she had good bones. We snatched her up and packed her in with all the other pieces we found that day and took her home. She was an after thought. Why not? She had potential. After flipping her over, we could tell she had been handcrafted by the pencil marks that were still visible. Materials List (Affiliate Links) Soy Gel Metal Putty Knife Wallprim Fresco Lime Paint Rigid Hand Sander HomeRight Finish Max Sprayer Dead Flat Eco Sealer Java Gel Wipe On Poly FolkArt Mandalla Stencil Since we had just started using (afflink) Soy Gel to strip some pieces, my DH threw her in the mix. Strip off … Read more

End Tables Ava & Elsa Restyled by P&O Inspiration Collection 2017

#sponsored post The Story of Ava & Elsa Ava & Elsa were not wanted. Ava & Elsa sat out in a driveway thinking there was no hope. Ava & Elsa were wobbly and scratched up pieces with a $10 tag for BOTH of them. Ava & Elsa though they were worth more but needed someone to find them and make them beautiful again. I was that someone… AVA “BEFORE” Finding Your Inner Artist It does take practice, but the more you hunt and take home projects, the more you practice different techniques and experiment with different paints, the more you will gain a new perspective on our craft and gain your own style and develop a vision for redesign. Don’t tell yourself you don’t have the talent or tell me that you could never do what I do.  I learned how to transform old unwanted out-dated pieces of furniture and … Read more

Serving Cart Goes Fresco – A Lime Paint Transformation

#sponsored An Uncommon Surprise I know I say this a lot – so forgive my repetitiveness, but this transformation snuck up and surprised me more than I could have ever expected. (afflinks) Pure and Original offered to let me try out their Fresco lime paint on a piece of furniture. Typically one would use the Fresco Lime Paint on walls, but I wanted to try it on my furniture. BEFORE This serving cart sat in my house, slowly becoming outdated over the years – as have many pieces in my home and probably yours too. Before and After At one time this was modern and trendy. But no more. When I look at it now, I just see “old & boring”. Normally I’d not show the “after” so soon but I just couldn’t resist. This one threw me for a loop. The (afflink) lime paint finish is extraordinary. AFTER Here … Read more

Refinished End Tables Pair Up to Become Cora & Nora

#sponsored Estate sales are a great way to find matched sets. Twin end tables are rare and are highly sought after in the furniture rehab world. We found Cora & Nora, along with their matching coffee table, last summer at an estate sale in Stevens Point. The finish was “OK” but I like my furniture to be more than “OK”. “OK” is good enough for boring people. True that? So how do we “un-boring” it? Stuck on the Old-World Look. You could call it shabby chic, distressed, farmstyle, etc. but basically the “imperfect” has become the new “perfect.” Smooth, consistent, and coordinating have been replaced with chipped, shaded and contrasting. It is what it is, and most like it. There’s something about the worn, aged look that is appealing and millions around the world are in agreement. The Process and The Fail I first planned to use a new product, … Read more

Studio Art Rack {Love My DIY Home}

Bakers Rack Repurposed as Paint Studio Storage

Sometimes You Don’t Want to Paint Did I just say that out loud? Most of the time we look for projects to paint but occasionally we decide to keep it as is, just spiff it up a bit by adding detail or simply cleaning it up. We found this bakers rack on a weekend getaway to Door County at a sweet little consignment shop for just $35. It may have been an impulse buy, but it was one of the best so far. I Dragged it Out of Our Barn to Paint it for My New Studio I decided I liked it as is and cleaned it with water, a scrubbie and (afflinks) Krud Kutter. Sometimes Krud Kutter works better than you want and it took off a bit of the grunge that I thought was part of its charm, mainly, the water ring. BUT, sometimes a snafu can lead … Read more

Coffee Table Update OFMP {Love My DIY Home}

Coffee Table Comes Alive – An OFMP Update

Since I wanted to try out the two OFMP greens, Lexington and Tavern, layering seemed the best way to go. The first layer was Lexington. I added Extra Bond after a bit of research, since stain came off onto my sponge when I was cleaning in preparation for painting and I didn’t want to use shellac. The supposition is that the Extra Bond would seal in the stain if I mixed it into my first layer of OFMP. It covered well with not a hint on the dark stain bleeding through. So far so good.

Love My DIY Home