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Posted on May 10, 2012October 2, 2013 by Sarah

Retro Dresser

Ok, please don’t hate me, but I forgot to take a before picture of this next piece. How could I do that?? I’m sorry!

So, it was all wood and it was in good shape, but just looked outdated. I have been wanted to do a retro dresser and this one was just asking for it.

To see the steps on how to repaint a dresser, see our post How to Repaint Furniture

For this piece, I used Benjamin Moore Low Luster Wood and Metal Black paint for the top and the top drawer. Then I used a metallic silver specialty paint for the bottom two drawers. I was inspired for the colors by the knobs I found at Hobby Lobby.

I wanted to leave some of the original wood on the mirror and the top of the drawer. I ended up taping off the section of wood on the drawer and just painting it twice. Then pulled the tape off after both coats had dried. I love having some of the original wood exposed.

Here he is all done!

If you are interested in purchasing this piece, please email me with any questions at sarah@funcycled.com.

Happy Redesigns,
Sarah

PS- If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

Posted on May 10, 2012August 4, 2014 by Sarah — 4 Comments

Elegant Black Dresser

This dresser was in really good shape to start with so it made for an easy makeover. To see the steps on how to paint furniture so our post How To Paint Furniture

We used Benjamin Moore Low Luster Wood and Metal Black paint.

This is the best black paint I’ve used so far and it gives the dresser a very elegant finish. When I sprayed it in my air sprayer, it came out in chunks (I think it wasn’t watered down enough). Because of that I had to go ahead and use a paint brush to paint the whole thing.

I liked the looks of the knobs, but I am not a brass lover. We spray painted each knob using Rustoleum’s hammered bronze spray paint on all of them. Then I lightly distressed the edges using 120 grit sand paper. Last step, I sealed it with Polycrylic .

Here are the after pictures for you!

Happy Redesigns,
Sarah

Posted on May 10, 2012May 10, 2012 by Sarah

Revitalizing an Antique Dining Room Set- Part 3

Some projects that we work on go quickly, some are tedious and some are just a huge pain in my booty! This dining room table was redone so many times, but it also shows that you shouldn’t settle for less than what you love. We could have stopped the first time we refinished it, but it just wasn’t the look we wanted.
I completely forgot to take a good before picture of this table. It was actually in really good shape, just didn’t have the look we were going for. Here’s a picture of it after the first sanding:

After sanding once using our electric sander and 120 grit paper, we wiped it down really well to remove all the dust particles. Next, we primed it and painted it three times with Behr Swiss Coffee satin paint. Then, I used a polyacrilic for the whole piece. Since a dining table gets a lot of wear and tear, I wanted to make sure it was well protected. When I did the first layer of polyacrilic, little dust particles and dirt kept dropping on top and every little thing showed! I tried to sand it and repaint it twice, but it would NOT sand down right. It was such a pain.

After looking at it and coming up with new design ideas, I decided that I wanted to keep the top wood and leave the legs white. So, we stripped the whole top down. Which took about 5-6 steps!

I used CitrusStrip and it worked really well, but we had painted it so many times it took alot of elbow grease. :) Here’s the first step of stripping. You have to let it set for 30 minutes at least, but I found the longer I left it, the easier the paint came off. Here’s the table after the first stripping.

Once we had it all stripped, we had to lightly sand it to make sure it was all ready to be stained. I wanted a dark stain to bring out the black in the Chair’s fabric.We went with Minwax Dark Ebony and then polyacrylic over it four more times to seal the top really well. You’ll want to use a very fine sanding block (320 grit) and hand sand between layers to ensure that it grips well. Then, let is set for a least a week before using it.

I also distressed the white to match the chair’s and give it more of an antiqued look.

See how the we did the rest of this set: Dining Room Chairs and Matching Red Hutch

Happy Redesigns,
Sarah

Posted on May 10, 2012May 8, 2013 by Sarah — 1 Comment

Oval Coffee Table Makeover

I liked the shape of this coffee table from the get go and wanted to buy it. John gave me a look in front of the guy selling it like, Are you kidding me! Then smiled and said, “If you like it and can picture it looking nice, we can get it”. Yay for a trusting hubby! :)

I wanted to keep the top wood, but it had so many imperfections! I started by using CitriStrip and I stripped the top down twice. Then it was time to start sanding. I sanded, and sanded, and thought it looked good and stained it. John came home and said it didn’t look good enough (insert annoyed look on my face here). I gladly… cough, cough, ok in an irritated way said that he would have to redo it if he thought it needed it. He sanded for probably a good 30-40 minutes. I’ve got to say, I’m so glad he did. The top came out PERFECT! We stained it with Minwax Red Mahogany and did a couple extra coats on the top with Polyacrilic just to be sure it was sealed well.

Pretty right? Yeah, yeah, he’s right. I know! :) Time to work on the bottom half. I wanted to use a bright aqua/teal color on the bottom. After it was painted – see How to Paint Furniture – I distressed it heavily using 60 grit sand paper.

I learned that you can use stain as a glaze so I thought I would try that out on this piece, too. I used the same stain that we did the top on the bottom and then quickly wiped it off to create the effect I was looking for. The only main difference is that it’s more messy and it dries MUCH faster. I don’t mind that though and am very happy with the results.

Another small detail that I also added was replacing the handle with an antique handle I already had on hand. I had been waiting for the right piece to use it on and this one definitely worked well with it!

Here she is all done!

Happy Redesigns,

Sarah

Posted on May 7, 2012May 7, 2012 by Sarah — 4 Comments

Vera’s Reading Corner Bookshelf

This little book case was given to us by a man we met right near our house who was throwing out a dresser. My dad saw it and asked if we could come get it. We started talking to him and he showed John his wood working pieces. He mostly builds wood cabinets, but has made some pieces for his house and John said it was AMAZING! I sat in the car with the kids. ;) I wish I had his name because I would pass his info along.

My friend, Lydia, saw this book shelf and loved it. She asked me to give it a make over for her daughter (due in June). Here’s the before shot.

We both agreed that the railing had to go. There were screws on both sides, I unscrewed those and all of the spindles just popped out. To see how to paint furniture, check out our post How to Paint Furniture.

After popping the railing off, I filled all of the holes with wood filler and sanded them down a couple times.
I hand painted this one with a quart of Benjamin Moore paint that Lydia had picked out and a Purdy paint brush. I had to do three coats to get it even. Then I distressed it using 80 grit sand paper and added a tree to match the tree that she’s going to be putting on the main wall of Vera’s room. I used an Acrylic pen to paint the branches and a brush for the pink and blue flowers.

Here’s the finished product!

Enjoy every day to the fullest!

If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

Sarah

Posted on April 24, 2012October 2, 2013 by Sarah

Roaring Like a Lion

I fell in love with the design of this dresser. I know you can’t tell from this picture, but even the handles of the middle drawer are lion heads. I wanted to give this a distressed look. If you want to see the step by step on how to we paint furniture see this page: How to Paint Furniture

When we painted the first coat, I used an Oops paint that I thought was sage, but it ended up coming out mustard.

I added some green that I had to make it a nice, light sage color and sprayed it a second time.

When I went to distress the dresser, it came out with a really nice two tone look that I really like. I will definitely be doing this technique again. Sometimes mistakes can teach me something! :)
Here’s some of the after pictures. (My little guy took this picture and I think it came out great!)

Here’s the master himself!

More (click to enlarge)

If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest!

Happy Redesigns!

Sarah

Posted on April 20, 2012October 2, 2013 by Sarah

Yellow Dresser Makeover

Here’s the before picture of this monster! It was in pretty rough shape, sitting at the end of the road, waiting to be junked. It was right down the road from our house and John and I were on the way to pick up a different dresser on craigslist. We (of course) had to stop and get this one first. One problem… it was so big we couldn’t fit it in the van with the kids. We left them on the side of the road in their car seats and brought it home quickly. Just kidding! I crack myself up. For true, we had to drive home with the back of the van open and it dangling out about a foot. Funny site, tis true! :)

After a lot of tender care, we filled all the holes, fixed the drawers, cleaned out the pair of men’s whitey tidies in one of the drawers, and got our painting on. I’ve been wanting to do something yellow for a while so here’s my chance!

For step by step painting directions, see this post: How To Paint Furniture
Here’s some of the along the way shots.

Filled the middle drawers with wood filler because I thought that the original handles were too much!

Used a wood plainer to smooth out the warped top.

Filled in all of the damaged area with wood filler. Sanded it down.

First coat of yellow.

Painted the old larger nobs with a glossy black, added new smaller knobs that I bought from Hobby Lobby.

Taped it off and added a black strip across the top.

Glazed the edged with Martha Stewart’s chocolate glaze. Coated it with Polycrilic.

All done!

Posted on April 16, 2012November 21, 2022 by Sarah — 18 Comments

How To Paint Furniture Like a Pro

Hi FunCycled Friends!!

Are you stopping by to see how to transform your furniture? We’re here to help you repurpose your furniture piece! Since painting has the same steps no matter what the piece, we’ve created this page to help everyone!

The steps that we take to repurpose furniture with a professional finish are below. If you’re looking to do it as a business or get a fine finish, we recommend getting a high end paint sprayer because that makes a huge difference in the finish.

If you’re looking to paint your own piece without making a business out of it, here are step by step instruction for you! ;)

Step 1 – Prep the Surface
The best paint job starts with the right prep work! Although there are some products designed to paint plastic, laminate, etc, the easiest to work with is solid wood or a wood veneer pieces. The others can be a bit tricky to paint. If the wood is glossy, you’ll want to sand it with 100-120 grit sand paper. We prefer to use an electric sander on all top surfaces and hand sand using a sanding block on the detailing. If it’s unfinished wood, ignore that step and head to step 2.

Step 2 – Repair
Fill in any holes, scratches, etc, using wood filler and a putty knife. We use Gorilla All Purpose wood filler.

Let it completely dry (the dry time depends on the size of the holes). Sand the spots with the wood filler smooth. Also, remember if you are going to be replacing the knobs, take them out now and fill in the original holes so that you can drill new holes that are the correct size (unless they match exactly). If you have hardware on the piece that you like the look of but not the color, leave it on the piece and prime that, too. After it’s primed, remove it and use spray paint to paint it the color of your choice. Using the same hardware will save you a ton of money!

Step 3 – Clean It Well
Clean, clean, clean. Most likely if it’s been sitting around long enough to need a paint job, it needs a good cleaning. If you don’t clean the surface well, the paint won’t stick properly and you won’t get a nice smooth finish. There are plenty of different products out there and I am not married to just one. At the moment, I am using a vinegar and water mixture because I like things all natural as much as possible. I breath in enough chemicals as it is, thank you very much. :)

Step 4 – Bonding Primer
Time to prime! We use a water based primer and try to stick with Zinsser 1-2-3 Primer. You’ll want to look for the gallon that says it sticks to all surfaces without sanding.

We use this for a couple reason. It is less toxic than oil based primers and it is easier to clean up. Not to mention, it does an awesome job!!

You can apply all of your product with a brush, a foam roller, or an air sprayer. If you are doing this as a one time job, just use a foam brush and foam roller brush. I think it applies better than using a regular bristle brush. We use a commercial air sprayer which is a huge investment (it took us 4 years to buy the one we use). If you use an air sprayer to paint using latex paint, you will need to water it down to have it work correctly and not get spitting. See the user manual for your sprayer to find out the exact mixture needed.

Here’s a list of my favorites:
Brush
Roller Set
Foam Brush

Step 5 – Paint
Time to paint with the color of your choice.The same brush choice applies as in Step 4. We prefer Clark and Kensington or Benjamin Moore paint. As a tip – check out the “oops” section of your local hardware store to see if they have paint that has been returned. This will save you money if you can find the right color. As you begin to paint, make sure you do thin coats of paint so you don’t get dripping and uneven coverage. Always watch for drips. Drips love me and want to ruin my life! If you catch them quick, it’s much easier to fix.

Step 6
If you are going to be painting something that will be getting a lot of use (table top, dresser top), you will want to add a sealer to protect it. We have used Varathane Water Basic Clear Coat.

Step 7

This may feel like the hardest part! Wait, wait, wait. It’s best not to use a piece for 5-7 days and can take up to 30 days to completely cure. I know, I have cheated and put it in place earlier than that but it’s risky business. If you want to put it in the room and not touch it or put anything on it, that should be ok. Just enjoy it from a distance for a week, ok?

You can do it and if you try and can’t finish, shoot me an email I’ll try to help!
Here’s some of our favorite before and afters for you to enjoy:

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.

Did you decide you’d like us to paint your furniture for you? Contact Us today!

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We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

Posted on April 12, 2012October 2, 2013 by Sarah — 5 Comments

Revitalizing an Antique Maple Dining Room Set- Part 2

So, this dining room set was purchased from a man on craigslist who was moving into a smaller house. He and his wife wouldn’t have room for this set and their loss was our gain. I believe he told me it was his wife’s grandmothers and about 100 years old. Here’s the before shot.

Since this was going to be part of a dining room set, we went back and forth on the color. I didn’t want to be same ole same ole and do red like I’ve already done, but I thought red would look really nice and tie in well with the chairs and table we are already working on. So, red it is! First, clean all parts of the hutch really well with a cleaner. Then, use a primer that doesn’t require sanding. Ok, sprayed it with a grey primer.

Before I primed everything, I put duct tape around each drawer so I could leave it in place and paint it.

When I was getting everything cleaned out, I found that they had left the original handles to the piece. I was almost as excited as on Christmas morning! I had bought new hardware for the hutch, but these were AMAZING. All I had to do was spray paint them black.

While we were carrying the top piece from the barn, the bottom section broke off. John quickly laughed and said, “Glad we’re fixing that”. I am sure our neighbor Tom must laugh at us as he watches us lug everything around. I know he laughed at John with that comment. Anyway, he had to glue the parts together with wood glue and clamp it back together.

Ok, now time to paint it all that beautiful Behr California Poppy Red! Two coats please.

After that, John painted the inside of the hutch a Swiss Coffee White Behr paint. We actually had to do three coats of white to get it to look smooth.

Let it dry for a couple days and then time to apply the Martha Stewart glazing that I love so much! I put it all over the detailing on the wood, waited 10 minutes, and rubbed it off with a damp rag until it had the look I wanted.

Are you ready for the finished product? Here it is… exquisite!

The before and after!

Thank you for featuring us on your blog, Heather!

Posted on April 6, 2012October 2, 2013 by Sarah

How to Update Your Dining Room Chairs

Do you have an old dining room set that you would like to replace? Think about repainting it instead. This is step 1 of 3 in our redesign project – revitalizing an antique maple dining room set. The table is taking us longer than we expected and the hutch is almost done so we decided to break this up into 3 posts.

First, the chairs had a nice design about them, but we didn’t like the color of the wood. Also, we thought glazing would bring out the intricacy in the detailing. We lightly sanded each piece, primed and painted them using our air sprayer. Be careful, because it will drip easily. We had to touch them up quite a few times.

Love, love!

Next, we headed to Hobby Lobby and picked out new fabric for the seats. We brought it home and didn’t like it. Back I went with both little ones determined to pick the right thing. We ended up going with this beautiful fabric. I am breaking the news about the hutch, but I decided to do it red so this fabric should hopefully tie everything together.

There were two layers of fabric already, a green that we removed and this original gold color.

Here are the tools you’ll need:

Fabric scissors would work better, but I couldn’t find mine. You’ll want to flip the seat cushion up side down and then pull out all of the staples. Then cut the fabric leaving about 1-2 inches extra on all sides. The tough part about this pattern is that you have to keep it in a straight line. We carefully made sure that each pattern was lined up the same way for all four chairs, too. After the fabric is cut, lay the cushion upside down on the table and staple about one inch from all the edges and make the staples about 3-4 inches apart.

Bunch the corners like so and staple quite a few times to make sure they are secure. When you get to the last side to staple, make sure you pull tightly so their is no loose fabric.

Then trim the excess fabric to give it a clean look.

Then I sanded the corners of the chairs for an antiqued look. Last but not least… glazing. I rubbed it all over the detailed wood and waited about 5 minutes. After that I rubbed most of it off using a damp rag.

Pretty, right?

Up next, spray it with a Polycrilic to seal all of the exposed wood and keep it from being easily scratched. Last but not least, attach the seats with the screws that were originally attached. Here’s the finished product!

Remember to stay posted to see the rest of this dining room set makeover. See the hutch behind the chair?? That’s tutorial is coming next. If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest!

Happy Redesigns!

Sarah

Sarah Trop