Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Corners of my home ~

This is a hutch that I painted several years back and it holds my set of antique Limoges china that my husband gave me for Christmas one year. This china is so very thin that you can see through it so easily! The hutch is two separate pieces I found in a used furniture store, the top is a new piece found in the back of the store and it had a hole punched in the back and the bottom is an old piece found in the front, but by painting them the same, they marry!!

I have a collection of white/ivory pottery on top with accents of birds nests and dried hydrangea blooms ~ don't you just love the colors in the dried blooms?










Martha has asked me how I go about getting this finish. It's really quite simple, just a little time consuming.

  • First: Make sure your surface is not shiny or glossy at all. It must be sanded and primed if it is. If it has a dull finish I would still prime it as it won't take as many coats of your base color to cover up dark wood.

  • Second: Coat entire piece with good ol' flat latex paint. Believe it or not, Wal-mart's Colorplace is excellent paint. I used a cream color. Just make sure it's coated well.

  • Third: I bought a small bottle of acrylic paint in the shade of soft green I loved and bought a small bottle of glaze also. I mixed them together to the transparency that I liked and painted lightly on the raised areas of my piece. Sometimes I even used my finger! I didn't want it to look too perfect.

  • Fourth: I sanded here and there where it would be worn naturally over time. I use an electric hand sander like the mouse, also small pieces of sandpaper too. Sometimes I will get something from my "junk" drawer that is metal and drop it on it to make small areas of distress. The key is restraint. A little of this goes a long way and of course over time, your piece will naturally get nicked and it will just look like part of the plan!

  • Fifth: I mix up a solution of water and antiquing paint (little bottle of dk brown at Michaels) I make it pretty thin and have a damp rag nearby. I just brush on a small area and dab and wipe it away so the brown is in the cracks and shows the detail. You have to be brave to do this but believe me if you mess up, you can paint the base right back over and try again . . .

  • Sixth: After this dries, I roll on with a small sponge roller (which is what I use for this whole process except for the details and antiquing) a top coat of matte or satin water-based clear sealer. You can usually find it at Lowes in their specialty effects paint section. It's non-yellowing unlike polyurethane and other poly products.

Honestly though, you could use a satin base paint and use a wood stain over top to antique the whole piece and save several steps. I would test on a small piece of would to see if it's the look you want.

Well, that's my painted furniture tutorial, I hope you haven't fallen asleep! xxoo, Dawn

19 comments:

Becky said...

Simply Beautiful!
Becky

Becky said...

Thanks Dawn. It does feel like I know you through your blog. Jeannene from Love conquers all and I say the same thing all the time.
Hope your having a lovely day friend.
Becky

Deb said...

Dawn, your cupboard is absolutely gorgeous! Your collections are wonderful ~ and I love your little bird nests & eggs tucked among your dishes. The hydrangea blooms are amazing!

martha said...

Very, very, VERY lovely. Could you tell us how you got such a nice color/finish on the cupboard? Thanks.

~Red Tin Heart~ said...

Dawn, This is very pretty. I have a hutch similiar to this, and after seeing how you did yours I think I'll paint mine. So pretty. Nita

Heather ~ Pretty Petals said...

Dawn... it looks so pretty! I love your china, love love Limoges. Your collection of pottery looks so perfect up on the top too. I just finished painting a cupboard in my dining room that holds my china..I hope to post it on my blog soon. It was so nice to see yours and I love the finish.

Heather

Amy said...

Oh so pretty. I could look at it all day and the next!
It's so fun to peek into one another's homes don't you think?
I'll keep stopping by. You're welcome to stop by at my site 8 days a week!!!!
Amy

Anonymous said...

Oh Dawn your hutch and collections are just lovely...almost dreamy. I also love the large jar with that bird nest and cute little bird! Thank you for sharing all your info on how you painted the hutch. Hmm it gets me thinking of other places this tech. could be used in other unexpected places.
Thanks again.
Best,
Kathy

Kathleen Grace said...

Not sleep inducing at all! I love to redo furniture and any tips are always welcome. Your hutch is beautiful and because you put rescued pieces together, it is one of a kind. That is my kind of decorating. I prefer it to what everyone else has from the furniture store. Thanks again for the tips :>)

Anonymous said...

Absolutely gorgeous - thank you for sharing your painting technique!

Adrienne said...

Beautiful hutch - exquisite dishes. You do such a nice job decorating. Thanks for the info on your finishing method. I'm going to work on several pieces of furniture that are lined up waiting for paint and antiquing.

Lena said...

It's a beautiful display. I love the color and the texture of your flowers with all the cream and white.
Thank you for taking the time to share your tutorial. I appreciate it very much.

Mrs. Jones said...

Thanks for the tutorial! You really did a beautiful job.

Cindy said...

That is so beautiful! I've been looking for a hutch or china cabinet with glass doors...I can never decide which one I really want. Now that I've seen yours...I really want a hutch!

QuiltMom said...

HI Dawn,
I loved your buffet but I especially loved your dishes. About 20 years ago a friend of mine had a set of Limoges Bridal Wreath dishes that were her grandmothers. She decided to sell them and so I bought them and they have graced our buffet ever since. We use them at holiday times and they are beautiful.

Thanks for the Mexicorn recipe- I am looking forward to trying it.

Regards from a Western Canadian Quilter,
Anna

Tina Leavy said...

so very pretty. I like the little bird items also. the cupboard is lovely, and the dishes displayed within are pretty also. very nice.

Vintage Papers said...

Dawn
you have given me some much needed inspiration for a piece that I have wanted to do for YEARS!
thank you so much!!!! GORGEOUS!

PEA said...

Dawn,
Oh thank you so much for telling us how you do it! I am thrilled and excited to get a chance to do a project or two.
Blessings,Pea

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this tutorial!


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