by THAT Painter Lady on Sunday, August 3, 2008
I have a veneer grandfather clock that I want to paint to match my dining rm furniture. The DR furn is black and cherry wood. The chairs are in black and have a worn look and you see a red color where it is worn. How can I do that to my clock? ~Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Sounds like a fun project, and definitely do-able. Here are the steps you will need to follow:
1. Sand – Lightly sand the areas on the clock that you will be painting. Use a fine grit sanding sponge. This scuffs up the surface, so the paint has something to adhere to.
2. Tape – Tape off the areas that you do not want to get paint on, such as the clock face, glass, etc. Use a low-tack painter’s tape.
3. Prime – Prime the surface of the clock with a good primer / sealer. Be sure to look at the can to find out the proper dry time, usually it dries between 1 & 3 hours.
4. Base coat – Base coat your clock the red color that is showing through on your furniture. Two coats should be sufficient. I would use a small 6″ roller called a weiny roller. This will give the surface a nice smooth finish and the roller is small enough to get into the areas that are hard to reach. You can also use an artist’s brush to get in the tiny cracks and crevices, if there are any.
5. Wax – Grab a plain white unscented candle and rub the edges pf the clock with it, where you want the red to show through.
6. Top coat – Paint the clock black. It is your decision on what sheen you would like the paint to be – satin, semi-gloss, or high gloss. Be sure to use at least 2 coats and roll it on with the weiny roller. It is important to get this top coat as smooth as possible. If you use a brush, you will most likely see the brush stroke and we want to try and avoid that.
7. Rub – Once the top coat is dry, rub the edges with a fine steel wool or extra fine sanding pad. The black paint should come off pretty easily because of the wax underneath.
8. Seal – I would suggest sealing the clock with a water based varnish. You should wait about 3 – 4 days before doing this, so the paint has time to fully cure.
So, that’s it. Follow these simple steps and you should have a wonderful brand new clock. Don’t forget to take before and after pictures!
Hope all goes well, That Painter Lady, DAWN
photo credit: Svadilfari
by THAT Painter Lady on Friday, July 25, 2008
This great question form Donna – a newsletter subscriber – I am happy to share the limelight with Guest Painting Expert – Tawn….
I am wanting to get a distressed look on the center isle in my kitchen. It is real wood and was stained in a medium to dark finish when we built the home.
I want it to be a different color from my cabinets and thought of a distressed or old world look in a lighter color on top of the already stained wood. Can this be accomplished?
This is my first time doing this particular faux process. I assume there will be sanding involved. I just did not know if this is something I should try myself or if I should hire it out. ~Dave & Donna
Hi Donna -
What a great idea and fun, too! Easy to do as well.
If you want your center isle in your kitchen to look like it is a different piece of furniture, older, well loved, with many transformations, then here are a few steps for you to follow:
1. Sand – lightly sand the isle (this scuffs the surface so that the paint will have something to adhere to without chipping off later on).
2. Add Dabs of Color – paint a dab of turquoise here and some hot pink/red there and some bright sunny yellow over there.
3. Candle Wax Rub – go back over the dabs of color with a rub of wax. Take a candle (a taper or emergency candle works well – white – no color) and rub it on a portion of the color you painted and some on the edge of the dark stain.
4. Paint – you can paint over the entire thing with a creamy ivory color (2 coats)
5. Distress – when the paint dries take your sand paper and lightly run it over the areas you know you rubbed on the candle wax. It will take off the paint exposing the color(s) underneath (your dab of turquoise here and pink there and avocado green there and yellow here). Rub the sandpaper along some of the edges exposing the darker stain underneath and even go deeper here and there exposing just the wood.
6. Antique – to age the piece I would take a light stain or brown paint watered down and rub it all over the piece following the grain of the wood. Then seal it with Polycrylic Satin.
Guest Painting Expert – TAWN
Here are a few great resources on (do it yourself) distressed finishies. Click on the pictures to read about each resource.
Period Finishes & Effects
50 Ways to Paint Furniture: The Easy, Step-by-Step Way to Decorator Looks
The Art of the Painted Finish for Furniture & Decoration: Antiquing, Lacquering, Gilding & The Great Impersonators
One stroke furniture accents: 9 painted furniture pieces coordinated with wallpaper
by THAT Painter Lady on Thursday, July 17, 2008
Hi Debra,
I have been redoing my kitchen since before Christmas. I have completely striped off all paint to bare wood and I can not find a finish that I really like.
Me and my husband like the old warn out look but we would like the wood grain to show to and we just can not get the right look.
I have had help from a paint store and trying to help me with showing me on a board that is the same wood as my cabinets.
And yes, color… that is another thing – you should see my walls all different color samples everywhere.
My new floor is like rock or stone so you would think picking a color would be easy (WRONG) not for me. It is either to dark, to light, to something.
I am about ready to give it up. PLEASE HELP Thanks Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I completely understand your dilemma. This is what we are here for.
It would be so much easier to help you with colors and finish if you could email us a few pictures. But if not, have you thought about doing a white wash finish on your cabinets?
This is a great look that would allow the natural wood grain to show through, but lighten up the look a bit.
What colors are you leaning towards for your walls? That Painter Lady, DAWN
Hi Dawn,
Yes I have tried the white wash pickling stain on some of my wood but to me it was chalky looking. But yes I did like the way the grain showed.
I think we would like something like that but more distressed and maybe not so white.
I have not picked a color for my walls yet. I was told to do the cabinets first. I have tried several different colors on my walls and have not found one yet I really like that much. Thanks Lisa
Hi Again Lisa,
There are many different color stains available that you can use on your cabinets. This would be a great option for the natural woodgrain to show through.
You can then distress them by sanding the edges and then adding a darker glaze in the recessed areas of the cabinets. Use an artist brush to get in there, rub the color in and rub off the excess with a rag.
THAT Painter Lady – Dawn
Click here for more information about White washing real wood paneling
Click Here To See MODERN MASTERS PATINA AGING SOLUTION.
