Hey paint enthusiasts! Greetings from The Jersey Shore!  Thanks for reading my very first blog, I am so excited!  My name is Joni Germain and I have been a decorative painter for over ten years.  I have been wanting to share some of my tips, trick, hacks and help for a long time and now I am finally doing it! Hope you enjoy!

Question for you: How many times have your driven past a piece of furniture dumped on the side of the road?  A chair, a table, even a dresser, that is just so sad-looking.  So you ask yourself... Should I stop? Should I turn around and pick it up? 

The answer is YES!  Don't let what could be a little diamond in the rough pass you by.  Don't be intimidated by the thought of what other people might think because you picked someone else's trash off the side of the road.  They aren't you and they don't have the creative spark that you do.

I stop and pick up pieces whenever I know I have the space to house them until I can breathe new life into them.  Not too long ago I found a small table and mirror laying on the side of the road.  Luckily it had not rained recently, so there was no water damage to remedy.  These pieces were solid wood.  All they needed was a little TLC and I was just the one to give it to them.

This cute little combo was left on the side of the road.  How could I leave it behind?  I couldn't, so home with me it came.

Everyone has their own approach to refinishing furniture.  I am going to share with you what I did with this particular side table and mirror.  I also refinished a coffee table in the same manner.  All three pieces now live together happily in an apartment in Philadelphia.

Supplies List:

• Medium and Fine Grit sandpaper or sanding sponge

• Degreaser or mild detergent that is safe for wood

• Tack Cloth

• Chip Brushes

• Primer

• Paint

• Painters Tape

• Masking Paper

• Gloves

• Paint Brush

• HVLP Sprayer (Optional)

• Protective Topcoat

Most of the supplies above are linked to Amazon and ship with Amazon Prime.  If you don't already use Amazon Prime, you are missing out!  I use it all the time. 

Step One:

Prep and Prep some more!

Although this piece was in really good shape, I always do thorough inspection looking for gouges, loose joints or any other damage that may effect to finished product.  Luckily, all was right with these pieces of furniture.  I removed the hardware and placed in a labeled Ziploc bag.  You don't want to be searching for missing hardware when it's time to put it back together.  I then removed the drawers and placed them aside to work on separately.  Finally, I taped the mirror off along the edges and masked it with paper to protect it while I sprayed and washed everything down with a mild cleanser.

Step Two:

Sanding! 

After everything dried, it is time to hit all the surfaces with a medium grit sand paper.  180-220 grit works well.  With that, I removed as much of the topcoat as I could.  By doing so, I gave the primer a good surface to grip onto.  I used a sanding sponge to get into any little crevices and detail areas.  I dusted all of the surfaces using a chip brush, then used a tack cloth to remove specks of dust and debris.

Step Three:

Prime Time!

Now it's time to PRIME!  There weren't any areas that needed a stain blocking primer, but I have a tendency to use one just in case something wants to bleed through to the surface.  I use a shellac based primer which is available in a aerosol can. (BIN Shellac) I sprayed some smaller parts, but I brushed the larger body of the piece.  After the primer dried, I took a finer grit sandpaper to smooth out any brush marks or spray marks.  Keep in mind, I sand between every coat of paint to get professional finish.

STEPS 1-3 WERE REPEATED FOR THE DRAWERS

Step Four:

Time to Paint!

This particular piece I wanted simple and elegant, so I used Behr Marquee tinted to Limousine Leather.  I had used it on another project and I felt that it leveled nicely to a smooth, velvety finish.

When spraying, I always follow the instructions on the sprayer and make sure the area I'm working in is properly ventilated.  I like to thin my paint before using it with my sprayer, because it will flow through the sprayer with ease and give you a nice smooth finish.  The label on the paint will have thinning instructions and a maximum percentage of thinner.  I always do a test run with my sprayer for every project by spraying on a piece of spare wood or cardboard to get a feel for the flow.  I use an Earlex Spray Station.  I love this machine, it saves me a so much time. 

I took a tack cloth to the piece and wiped it down again to make sure all the dust was completely removed.  Then I flipped the switch and started spraying, my favorite part of the whole process.  I started with the body of the furniture first, moving back and forth slightly to overlap the sprayed areas, then moved to the top, finishing with the drawers.  When everything was coated once, I turned off the sprayer and walked away.  When you spray your project, don't be tempted by the urge to spray it a little bit more.  After the coat dried, guess what? That's right, I sanded and cleared away the dust again, then repeated the spray steps and let the piece dry for over 24 hours before top coating.

Step Five:

Protective Topcoat!

I like using water based products for easy clean up and for the environmental safety factor.  After stirring the topcoat, because shaking causes bubbles, I took a high quality nylon bristle brush and brushed a protective coat only on the top surface of the side table and the frame of mirror.  Personally, I like to take the brush and run it across my cheek to see how soft it feels before starting.  Weird, I know.  After the first coat dried, I lightly sanded again with 300 grit, then cleaned all the dust away and applied another coat.

Step Six:

I cleaned and put all the hardware back where it belonged.

Finished!

Tip:

Sometimes old drawers stick. One way to help alleviate that issue is to rub a candle stick along the edge of the runners. It really helps and you can repeat it over and over.

If you have an questions is reference to this post, please ask away. I will get back to you as soon as possible. Also, please Like, Share and Subscribe!

Thanks for sticking around!

Joni Germain