bdhomesf | Painted Furniture Transformations #2 Saving Something Sentimental

Because the piece was old and had some sun damage, the client was concerned that the finish wouldn't be smooth. I reminded her it wouldn't look like a brand new piece, and that's the beauty of these repurposed pieces—their texture and grain. It's the best part about transforming furniture with paint, their sense of time past, given a fresh look, that gives uniqueness and character. Without it, this piece wouldn't be remarkable.

Our painter had to do some careful sanding to get the crinkles out of the surface without compromising the wood, and fortunately the piece didn't have any major dings. Sanding and priming went smoothly and was done in one day. I could really see it coming together, but my client was still unconvinced. She was out of town now and her husband sent her the photo posted here. I can certainly see why she was nervous!

Painting day arrived and I held my breath as the first coat went on. It's always a surprise to to see the paint color going up for real; the light and reflection can be very different than on the test sheets, no matter how large they are. This time the surprise was a very pleasant one. I could see immediately that the color was spot-on. A light, warm gray, slightly deeper than the wall. Perfect.

All that was left to do was let it dry, reassemble it and get the hardware on before my client returned from out of town.