Tuesday, November 2, 2010

DIY: Refinishing Furniture

Trash to treasure is one of our favorite things to do. So when we spotted this piece we knew it had to come home with us:



This piece was a little different than our usual let's spray paint it and done finished. These piece had a wood laminate top that was in pretty bad condition:



We didn't want to give up on the piece so we just started to peel it away:



When it started to peel off easily we were in heaven then the fun stopped. We needed to use a spatula/scraper and hammer to loosen up some of the pieces of laminate. By taking the spatula/scraper and placing it under a corner of the laminate you are then able to hammer the spatula and get in under the laminate and slowly start picking away at it.



Here is the top with all of the laminate removed:



Due to the removal of the laminate there were some spots of the top that now had nicks in due to the spatula/scraper. Not great, but again not a reason to give up on a project.

All you need is MH Ready Patch:



Just apply it in the problem spots in thin layers, let it dry in between coats (about 30 mins) and lightly sand with 180 grit:



The whole process took about 2 hours. Now the easy part! Spray Painting. Since we worked so hard on the prep work before hand we wanted to continue and paint it properly so the next step was primer:





Once that dried we did a light sanding with 200 grit sand paper and then finished up with a high gloss coat of black spray paint:






So with 1 can of primer and 2 cans of spray paint we were on our way to new piece. The drawers came next and with the help of left over grass cloth wallpaper and glue we were almost done.



Cut pieces of grasscloth about 2" larger all around and make sure to apply paste to the paper:


Also apply paste to the drawer front:



Smooth out bubbles:



You can then use a razor blade to trim off the excess and get a nice clean cut on your drawer:



All finished:



Due the nature of the grasscloth you need to take a couple of steps before you attach the handles.

First take a small screwdriver and place in the opening from the inside of the drawer to pierce the grasscloth:


Then take the screw from the handle and full pierce the opening from the front of the drawer:



Once that's done you can attach your hardware:


All done:



We spread this out into two weekends, but we estimate it took about 7 hours total from start to finish and about $12 on spray-painting cans the rest of the supplies we had at home.

Whew if you read all that bravo. Hope these steps come in handy at some point. :)

Labels:

37 Comments:

Blogger Heidi @ Decor & More said...

Love a good trash to treasure and this one's fabulous! Kudos and thanks for sharing all the steps. :)

November 2, 2010 at 8:33 AM  
Blogger Laurel-Dawn McBurney said...

This turned out beautifully! I LOVE the paper on the drawers... such a rich finish! Thanks for sharing!

abodelove.blogspot.com

November 2, 2010 at 8:37 AM  
Blogger Anne-Marie @ 10 Rooms said...

The finished product is gorgeous - all your hard work paid off! Thanks for the step by step, love seeing the process..

November 2, 2010 at 8:40 AM  
Blogger betsy cruikshank said...

Great post! Your hard work definitely paid off. Just read the post before this one and have to say I love the neon sign!

estateeclectic.blogspot.com

November 2, 2010 at 8:42 AM  
Blogger Kate said...

I love project like this - great job!

November 2, 2010 at 9:05 AM  
Blogger Stephanie said...

Amazing! Love your Blog...

November 2, 2010 at 9:15 AM  
Blogger Ms. Bright said...

Great project!! And bravo to you, for documenting all those steps! I always forget stuff!!!

November 2, 2010 at 9:20 AM  
Blogger Living It At Home said...

Cannot believe what you just did with that piece! Amazing work and it is completely transformed!

November 2, 2010 at 9:27 AM  
Blogger Danielle Oakey Interiors said...

wow, looks fantastic!

November 2, 2010 at 9:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It looks gorgeous!! I'm loving the color combination too. Great job!

November 2, 2010 at 9:49 AM  
Anonymous Ximena said...

Ahhhhmaaazzzinnggg!!! One of these days I'm going out on trash day with you guys! XO! Look great!

November 2, 2010 at 10:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

great tips for all of us who cant rent your hubs out for a project! turned out fab!

I also checked out your website from the link on the neotrad..LOVE IT!

November 2, 2010 at 10:33 AM  
Blogger Evie said...

There is nothing that I love more than finding something trashy and turning it into something wonderful, you have a great eye!

November 2, 2010 at 11:19 AM  
Blogger autumn said...

love the grasscloth on the drawers. and the finished dresser is so stylish!

November 2, 2010 at 11:45 AM  
Blogger Lissa Pierce said...

Amazing transformation and what an incredible find! I love the bowed front. Great tips on removing the veneer too!

November 2, 2010 at 1:01 PM  
Blogger LindsB said...

ok, where is this beauty going in your house?

November 2, 2010 at 2:10 PM  
Anonymous Bailey@ peppermintbliss said...

Just saved this to my "DIY" bookmark folder for the next time I do battle with some old furniture...this time I will be armed and ready!

November 2, 2010 at 2:15 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

A gorgeous transformation and I love the grasscloth drawers. xo

November 2, 2010 at 2:26 PM  
Anonymous Heidi said...

Hi! I'm sorry this comment doesn't have much to do with the post but I follow your blog on my RSS feeder and saw your new site. I LOVE it. I was clicking around and saw the "What inspires us" page. There is an orange dress on there and I was curious as to if you knew who made that dress. Thanks!

November 2, 2010 at 2:57 PM  
Blogger SHERRY HART said...

Beautilichious!!!! I LOVE that piece!

November 2, 2010 at 3:00 PM  
Blogger Averill said...

Great step-by-step, Camila -- love it!

November 2, 2010 at 3:25 PM  
Blogger MFAMB said...

amaze. since i am the lone furniture re-doer over here i would never have done that whole hammering spackling bizness. so i probs would have abandoned it.
you are to me applauded for your tenacity.

November 2, 2010 at 3:28 PM  
Blogger Karen said...

Now that isn't just a makeover, that's a miracle if I ever saw one.

November 2, 2010 at 4:31 PM  
Blogger Bri@Meyouandawiener said...

I love furniture makeovers.

November 2, 2010 at 5:14 PM  
Blogger Rhiannon said...

LOOKS FAB!!
I love a good furniture redo

November 2, 2010 at 6:00 PM  
Blogger stylewannabee said...

another awesome job

November 2, 2010 at 6:55 PM  
Blogger kayce hughes said...

Stunning!

November 2, 2010 at 9:28 PM  
Anonymous Home Theater Fanatic said...

There is no better words to describe this piece of furniture, as mentioned in the Post truly it is Trash to Treasure.

November 3, 2010 at 7:31 AM  
Anonymous Robyn said...

Love this transformation! Great job! Thanks for sharing.

November 3, 2010 at 5:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This turned out AMAZING! I love that your husband helps with your projects - I would get so much more done if mine would help!

November 4, 2010 at 5:16 PM  
Blogger dyerjuano said...

amazing you start with basic and create a fabulous cabinet. It's looking outstanding for my Furniture for living roomliving room furniture

November 6, 2010 at 1:34 AM  
Blogger ReInventing Lolli said...

This turned out amazing, I love grasscloth, and black paint finishes! Makes any piece of furniture look classy!

March 31, 2013 at 3:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great job, I always wanted stylish furniture. But mostly the designs become too common in the market. It is good to know that many online furniture stores in Australia are looking for a change.
bedroom furniture erina

January 16, 2014 at 6:01 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

These articles and blogs are certainly sufficient for me personally for a day.
furniture hanover

February 26, 2014 at 3:12 AM  
Anonymous Lazy Boy Furniture said...

Saving an old furniture piece and giving it new life seems to make you feel so wonderful. Thanks for posting.

July 9, 2014 at 10:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I constantly emailed this site post page to all my friends, because if prefer to read it then my all friends will too.
www.thefunkychair.co.uk

October 16, 2014 at 6:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I even have been getting a lot of helpful and informative material in your web site.home page

October 10, 2015 at 8:47 AM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home