Guest Post - Thrifty Inspirations - Furniture Makeovers

Please welcome Rachel from Thrifty Inspirations to DIYbyDesign!

Hey DIY by Designers! I'm Rachel from Thrifty Inspirations and I am so happy to be here today!

I love reading Judy's blog and seeing all of her fabulous decorating tips. Her home is so beautiful and fresh and inspiring! I love all of the curves and shapes of her furniture so when she wanted guest bloggers for her vacation this week I knew the perfect project to share!

I scored some awesome french antique tables at a local thrift store. I saw the set had been marked down and I decided to take the plunge :)

Aren't they adorable?!

I've been loving the frenchy stuff that's floating around the blogosphere (you can catch glimpses all over Judy's Home Tour) and had been dying to get my hands on a piece or two (or three!) for a while.

I hit the jackpot with these little gals.

They're all in excellent condition aside from having a few minor dings and some discoloration on the inlays. They are actually leather inlays. I had expected them to be paper of some kind but a small spot was a little rough so I started to sand it and it got fuzzy! Not papery fuzzy, leathery fuzzy!

I started these like I do most projects I intend to paint and used a fine grade brillo pad to scrub off the crud. There wasn't a lot of crud, but it helps to buff up the finish too.

Don't forget to wipe with water after!

Then I flipped everyone over and spray primed them upside down first.

The reason I do them upside down is I find it very difficult to paint the legs thoroughly while crouched and trying to see upside down. Thus, the flip.

Once the bottom had gotten two coats of primer, I flipped them all upright and did the tops.

By the way, I always prime old pieces of furniture because they tend to have the most problems with stain bleed through.

The primer, paint, and sprayer I had on hand so the only $$ invested in these was their initial purchase price, which was a total bargain!

After two coats the bleed through from the first coat was not visible so I felt it was safe to paint.

I chose Behr - Cottage White. It's the perfect warm white.

Not too yellow, not too pink, not too grey.

Perfect!

Right in the middle of my project the sun decided to retire in lieu of grey clouds, so I apologize for the sudden dip in color quality of the photos :(

I didn't want to lose the character of the leather inlays so I taped them off.

And gave them a quick 1, 2, with an oops paint that I believe is Behr - Contemplation.

It's blue, but green, but grey.

It's a wonderfully neutral color.

Peel the tape before the paint dries and you are finished.

I chose to add a little distressing to play up all the curves.

Using a 180grit sanding block I just applied light pressure along the curves until the wood started to poke through giving that nice shabby distressed looked.

Did I mention I love my paint sprayer?

Besides the cleanup, it's pretty much the best thing since sliced bread.

Do you love them? I love them :)

Fabulous! These could really be used just about anywhere.

Master bedroom, guest bedroom, children's bedroom, living room, office, den, the list goes on and on.

Thank you so much Judy for having me over this week.

I hope you are having a fabulous vacation.

I hope you all will stop by and visit me at Thrifty Inspirations sometime!

Have a great day!

XOXO,

Rachel

Thanks so much Rachel!

-Judy