Hi crafty people, hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was pretty lazy, but I did get around to snapping some pics of a recent DIY-decor project.
In my never-ending quest to stash all my crap, I recently procured this plain-jane piece:
…and restylyed it into something snazzy:
Cute, right? I’m pretty happy with how this piece turned out. I was a little unsure about how to get a nice paint job on cheap pine wood, so here’s what I did, in case you’re curious:
1. Paint a coat of primer over entire piece of furniture. After it dries, you’ll notice that all the fine wood fibers have popped up due to the moisture, giving the surface of the wood a prickly feel. Lightly sand the entire piece with fine-grit sandpaper.
2. Cheap pine wood can be super porous, so you might want to add a second coat of primer. Sand again after second coat.
3. Paint the piece with your chosen color. I used two coats of high gloss paint – white on the outside, some leftover blue on the inside. After each coat, run your hands over the piece – if it’s at all bumpy or prickly, hit it again with a quick sanding. Taking the time to do even a quick sand makes a huge difference in the finished appearance of the piece.
4. I used wrapping paper to decoupage the door panels. Just cut the paper to size, coat the door with decoupage medium or watered-down white glue, and apply the paper. Brush more medium or glue over the surface of the paper. Repeat for a heavier coating. I’m thinking that if I ever get tired of this pattern, it will be super-easy to just apply a new paper over this one, which will be great for a little room facelift, if I ever feel the need.
5. Ditch the cheesy door pulls and add something cute from Anthropolgie, or where ever.
UPDATE: Folks have been asking where the bird paper came from. I bought it on a trip to San Francisco at a crafts store in the Haight about a year ago… but, I later noticed it at a NYC art store, so it must be from a company that has national distribution. Check your local fancy art store, and good luck!
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
this turned out really well! i never would’ve dreamed that plain paper would decoupage so nicely!
BEAUTIFUL!!
Saw this on Ikea Hacker. LOVE it! So much nicer than the plain jane version. Where did you find that paper? It’s so pretty!
Please, PLEASE say where you got that beautiful paper from!
hi all, thanks for the nice comments. I got the paper at an indie art store in San Francisco, then later spotted it at a small art store in NYC. Check your local art store… sorry I don’t have a more specific lead!
Hi! I came to this post via Ikea Hacker.
This is amazing!
Where do you find the space to paint something large like this? (I guess I’m making the presumption that if you’re in Manhattan, your living space must be small). I’d love any tips that you have, as I always have the urge to paint furniture, but live in a small city apartment.
I love that paper pattern. For the other commenters wondering where the paper came from: This designer has similar patterns that would be just as lovely:
Barbara Schriber Designs.
The wrap is from Cavallini & Co. They don't sell direct to the public and their website is very limited. Search for Cavallini Decortive Wrap birds and cages and you should come up with it.
They have lots of other vintage type papers.
Kira, I do indeed live in a very small space, so I guess the way I manage to paint furniture is: very carefully! For this piece, I didn’t attach the doors till after it was all painted. I draped plastic drop cloths over all the surrounding floor, other furniture, etc, since it would have been easy to drip paint in such a small area. Then, I just slowly make my way through the whole piece, shifting everything (paint trays, cans, doors, armoire, myself) as I go. I guess it makes things a little slower but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! :)
I really love your wardrobe upgrade. Do you think it would be possible to remove the upper panels in the door and put in glass? Or would that be too difficult?
I love it.
Great idea
Thanks for the tips for painting on pine furniture. I will surely try it on my pine wardrobe to make it look better as it requires a repaint.
Yes, that is a cute design you have chosen for your wardrobe!
By the way, I'm a new blogger with a blog on furniture related topics as well. I thought it be beneficial for both of us to do a blogroll link exchange. Please email me at baddyswing@gmail.com if you are interested.
Thanks!
Lee
I found the paper at touchofeurope.net . It's product number 15694. It's also available in a different colorway, product 15695.