It’s been a while, but I’m back with another painted furniture makeover. This time it’s a cute little sideboard, although the before is definitely not cute at all. It was covered in black paint, chipped all over and in need of some love. See the photos below.
If you’re wondering why there haven’t been as many painted furniture makeovers lately, it’s because I just can’t find anything. I only makeover projects that are free or almost free and are worth painting. I only paint particle board or plywood, never real wood or quality veneers, unless it’s beyond repair or cheap wood. Also, I can only fit a certain size in my car, so that tends to hold things back a bit, that’s okay though, most people in the city don’t want large pieces of furniture anyway.
So, like I said, this sideboard was a hot mess that black paint had to go! Here’s some ugly before photos so you can see just how bad it was.
I’m pretty sure a cat had gotten to it, there were scratches on every single inch of it.
I put on a mask and lightly sanded the entire surface by hand just to scuff it up and remove any major imperfections. This process is also so the primer and paint can have something to grip onto. Once it was sanded and cleaned, I applied a thin coat of primer. I like to use Zinsser 123, it literally covers any surface, blocks stains, smells and dark colours.
After a couple of coats of Zinsser primer, I was all set to go with the top coat. I used Fusion Mineral paint in Laurentien and Casement. It goes on so smooth, there’s no need for a roller, just use a quality brush in smooth motions, apply liberally and allow to dry overnight between coats. I found that the white took a few coats to fully cover but the colour was pretty much good to go after 1-2 coats. The more coats you do with Fusion, the more durable your piece will be, just be sure to dry completely between coats.
This inside also got cleaned, sanded, primed and painted, I didn’t like the dirty appearance of the old plywood inside, I wanted it to look fresh when you opened it up.
I replaced the dated broken hardware with new stainless steel pulls that I picked up at my local Habitat for Humanity Restore and spray painted the little finger pulls on the sliding doors with Rustoleum metallic silver.
The legs were super scuffed, so Andrew helped by sanding them down and finishing with a coat of beeswax for a natural finish.
The touch of natural wood legs and the clean lines of the new stainless steel pulls really bring this piece together.
Got any painted furniture questions? Feel free to comment below or find me over on Instagram, I’m happy to help!
Nicole, you certainly have vision! We’re on the same page with Zinzer primer and Fusion Mineral paint; I use them both. And I hear you about how limiting car-cargo capacity can be.
Thanks Heidi, isn’t Fusion so great? I only started using it in the last year, before that I was so loyal to Benjamin Moore, but now I’m never going back!