WTM Decorating
Dear WTMs,
I have been decorating, the white trash mom way, for my older daughter's room. She is in the "I am 12-I need to make my room a place my friends and I can hang out in- phase" and since she still has the furniture that she had in her nursery, I can't really blame her too much.
Okay---so I have been painting furniture and prepping walls the last few days. I did all the crap that HGTV said would make my painting experience a good one. I purchased all the products and paint that was supposed to make the project look great.
Yet the furniture looks like "ca-ca". I did everything that I was supposed to do yet it looks BAD. Not the "Charming-Shabby Chic" type of bad. I mean BAD. Like a toddler took a brush and smeared it all over the furniture. REALLY LOUSY.
I have been trying to patch up my mistakes yet it still looks awful. As much as I bag on "Pottery Barn Kids" and the like, their furniture looks great------how in the HELL to they do it?
Anyone? Bueller? I await the advice of my WTM network for answers!
posted by queen of wt at 7/08/2006 11:04:00 AM
16 Comments:
Have you tried Target? I got my youngest daughter a GORGEOUS rug that looks like it is straight from Pottery Barn Kids for probably half the price of what it would have been. Also Overstock.com and Ebay might be a good place to look. Good luck! I love the PBK look but refuse to pay their prices!
Did you strip the furniture first? Or at least sand it a little to give it a little grip before you laid paint on? Sometimes you also need to prime first.
I guess I'm assuming "looks like crap" means the paint isn't sticking.
Ikea always has really neat pillows and lamps
I've always had the best results using one of those soft rollers on any surface that needs a smooth finish.
I also paint thin layers and let the paint dry. And then repeat. Its completely anal retentive but the results come out super nice and clean.
To fix the paiting you did: I'm not sure what it's called but there's a paint stripper that's the consistency of frosting that you can smear on, let it sit overnight (outside preferably) and then just scrape the gunk & old paint right off nicely. I know you can get it via QVC; maybe at Lowe's & the like.
It could be the paint itself. I think you need a high gloss or at least a semi-gloss for furniture. Then yes, sanding (a palm sander or mouse sander is cheap & comes in handy), thin layers, etc. And make sure to stay ahead of any drips.
Go to Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. for your paint and ask the paint pros for their tips for painting furniture. Tell them it all went pear-shaped on the first try & they'll probably give you some good advice. :)
pictures please...maybe it is no really so bad...
I like how I somehow missed the fact when I first read this that you are actually asking for painting advice! DOH! Everyone sounds like they are giving fine advice except for me. ;)
I have no clue. Wish I did though. And Target is a great place for cheap furniture that looks cute.
Wallpaper or shelf paper unless the lumps will show?
Is the kid artsy? If so and you'd like a fun project together, redo the flat top surfaces with mosaic. Broken crockery from garage sales is great. Glue it down and then fill with grout and put on a sealing layer. Oh, put on a wooden edging strip first and then paint the other surfaces with the dominant colors. And yes, you'll likely have to strip the stuff first now that it is glopped up with paint.
HI, just ran across your blog and when I saw your reference to Aldi's and then the pic of the big ketchup bottle I knew it had to be my old stomping grounds. Just move from there recently and I even miss the horrid hot summer humidy! ;o) LOVE YOUR BLOG. And the Muffia Gang is everyyyyyyyywhere!!
I can relate. I'm just starting to finish refinishing a big piece of furniture myself. I've spent the past two days just sanding....and that is with an electric hand sander...What are you trying to paint? What material is it made out of..metal, plastic or wood-makes a difference! Best of luck and may the force be with you!
I've painted a lot of garage-sale furniture. First, sand it. Not to strip all the paint off, but you need to rough it up sufficiently for the paint to stick. Wear a mask! Protect your lungs.
Next, use a good primer, like Zinsser (sp?). Next, paint. I use a mix of spray paint and roll-on paint. The spray paint is for stuff that's hard to roll, like round table legs.
The lower the gloss, the less mistakes will show, so use no more than a semigloss.
Regarding color, everything looks good in black or a creamy white (try Frazee Swiss Coffee). Finally, sand the edges to make it look more rustic.
Accessories: Target, Ikea, more garage sales.
I have re-done SEVERAL pieces of furniture, mostly hand-me-downs from my family and extended family.
If it's wood, strip and sand first, starting with a rougher-grade sandpaper and moving then to a fine sandpaper (that way you won't see the sanding marks). Then a good primer (someone mentioned Zinsser which is fantastic) and some semi-gloss paint. Any lower gloss will really show fingerprints and any high gloss will show errors.
Another choice would be to ignore the primer and stain it a nice, rich colour (Minwax is a good brand of wood stain).
If the furniture is metal, use a ROUGH sand paper and spray paint the furniture. If there are any rust spots, sand them off and use a rust-proof paint.
For accessories, I have had really good results with Ikea, Fabricland (not sure if that is only in Canada though) decorating centres, and Homesense.
decoupage...
On the mosaic tip (what a frickin' great idea!) - you won't have to grout after laying down the mosaic IF you get pourable clear plastic (art stores or internet) and flood the top. Be sure you have that edging in place! Makes a great smooth finish. Also works as a finish for bas-relief/shadowbox stuff: glue everything down (with glitter, perhaps??) and then, once dry, flood with aforementioned plastic. Fun!!!
I am currently restoring an old wood kitchen table and 4 matching chairs. I'm going for a white, shabby chic look and am really struggling with the choice of paint sheen. I was told to use a high gloss paint for high traffic surfaces because it is washable. I've done one chair so far and it looks pretty good. I'd like to sand the edges for a vintage effect, but I'm not sure if that will fit with a high gloss surface. Any suggestions? I'm on the brink of purchasing the same paint in an eggshell sheen, and just switching to that. Help!
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