THE INQUISITOR, HER ASSISTANT, AND THE UPHOLSTER'S WIFE - chocolate slab coffee table

The first project the workshop ladies tackled was to learn how I

use stain over my signature white paint.

and then how to finish the wood top with the same stain.

The table was finished in a typical medium wood color with a glossy finish.

(NO BEFORE PHOTO)

I started with showing them how to degloss the wood legs and apron to accept

primer and eventually paint.

The questions flowed easily for everyone especially Danielle.

Her good friend Nikki was so eager to get supplies at the end of the day

she was ready to drive off and leave Danielle behind.

We went over mixing and straining primer and paint thru for the sprayer.

Everyone got a chance to hold the spray gun and give it a try.

My experience running crews of 20 workers all the way down to a single

assistant is quite extensive however I've never come across a group that

meshed so quickly and used each other so supportively.

They got to feel how wax can help move the stain around once it starts to set.

Kelley got right in where I left off doing a fabulous job.

A few ladies even tried the belt sander when we first started to strip the table top.

We still had to get to a drawer repair, changing out hardware, including spray painting it

and using wood filler so we had to keep moving on so I would get to finish this coffee table later.

That evening I sanded the edge of the top and stained it.

I started applying the wipe on poly the next day.

Sanding with 400 grit between many many coats.

This is how it look when you sand with 400 grit.

A very white chalky dust.

Once I got the thickness I wanted one last sanding before waxing.

The final coat of wax adds a soft warm feel to the finish.

A NEWBIE, A MOM WITH MAD SKILLS, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER - beach cottage tables

This is the first glimpse at several posts I'll be writing this week about the workshop

I had at our home on Sunday.

Two of the furniture pieces we worked on were a pair of provincial tables

that George purchased at a local community yard sale.

Here you can see a few of my wonderful ladies caught on camera by

Sonja the sweetest girl and a fabulous photographer.

She only had her IPhone to shoot this but go check out her work:

http://www.sonjaspaetzel.com/#/Portfolio/Editorial/1

These tables were in great shape so all they needed was some TLC and a new look.

They were also perfect candidates to show the ladies

how fun and quick chalk paint and wax can update pieces. 

I wanted to show how I try to work with pieces rather than against them

so I asked the ladies to mask the tops off  with newspaper.

European Paint Finishes a great inspirational blog for me and others,

had just did a posting that morning of the perfect color combination

that would accent the pretty blondish wood surface we had on this pair of tables.

So I tinted the chalk paint to achieve a soft grayish blue

and the tables bases were sprayed with it.

The ladies got to see how quickly the paint dries and how nicely it applies with a sprayer.

Between my 6 girls I had complete newbies (as Stephanie confessed quite quickly)

some girls with a bit of experience,

and I had Lisa (I'd hire her any day of the week) a mom with mad skills.

All the distressing on these tables were done with wet sponges,

thanks to George lending us his extras from the kitchen so everyone could get in there.

Once they were done giving them a great aged look I showed them

how to apply wax and how to buff the wax after it was dry.

The surface of the side table did have some marks and staining which I sanded out

before showing them how to apply the wipe on poly to refinish.

I think the ladies did a remarkable job.

I'd love it if you would also let them know how

you think they did by leaving a comment below ...

Next time we'll have

THE INQUISITOR, HER ASSISTANT, AND THE UPHOLSTER'S WIFE

and I'll show you how this coffee table turned out.

MORE FURNITURE 4 SIS - regency dining table

 

There was nothing really nasty about the regnecy table we found a few weeks back,

so no before photo was taken.

 

I did have to glue and clamp some parts of the base that had loosened over time,

and replace some of the nails holding the decorative metal claw feet in place.

The table top was almost void of the original finish so hand sanding just took time. 

I restained the top and both pedestals with my new favorite stain, Varathane's KONA.

This color called KONA is so rich and dark looking I can't get enough of it.

Several coats of wipe on poly were applied before a final waxing to soften the feel.

AND FINALLY ....

I thought I would share a pic of some crazy little worker bees I had visit me yesterday.

The workshop we had here yesterday was soooo much fun and the diversity of ladies made

conversation amazing.

I know everyone wants to see what they worked on and hear them dish all about me

but I have to get some things finished and sort out pics first. 

SO STAY TUNED ...

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Stop into FIRSTFINDS HARDWARE STORE to see

if we have any vintage hardware for your next project.

   

CLICK EACH PHOTO FOR MORE INFORMATION

    

CLICK EACH PHOTO FOR MORE INFORMATION

  

PUNCH BUGGY, YOU'RE IT - sis's volkswagen desk

READ MORE >>

BLACK MILK PAINT - on a vintage chest of drawers

 

BE-CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

I wanted to working with milk paint more to see if I liked it. I had only dabbled a bit with it to this point. I decided to jump head first in to do a big black chest of drawers. Black is also a very tricky finish to get right but I tried.

READ MORE >>

DIFFERENT LOOKS - euro tall dresser

This post is all about different finishes and how they change the look.

These 4 highboys are all the same dresser. Each of them look good but offer a different feel.

The Original French Provincial gold and white of the 60's

Beautiful soft aqua blue

Country Antiqued Finish

Antiqued Finish with dark accents

See how the darker wood and the dark hardware change the look significantly

Painted hardware given an aged look

 

Semi Gloss Black vs. Distressed

(This is also a sneak peak at tomorrows post)