Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Upcycling Pine Furniture...

37 replies

CuddyMum · 21/04/2013 15:06

Now, because I am moving to a Victorian house and will be leaving my shiny gloss lifestyle (and fitted wardrobes) behind, I have a romantic notion that involves buying second hand pine or wooden furniture (wardrobes, dressing tables, desk etc) and transforming them with Annie Sloan type paint and new knobs. Am I mental? Will this be a good look? Has anyone done this? Tips and advice welcomed.

OP posts:

al88 · 21/04/2013 15:19

I've done quite a few things - a wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside table, a couple of dining chairs.
I find you need to do a fair bit of sanding to get rid of as much of the old varnish as possible. Do several thin coats of paint as this gives a better finish than thick coats. Make sure its really clean before you get the paint out. Accept that it will never look perfect but will be unique and fab.
You've reminded me I've got an old desk in the garage that I've been thinking about doing for ages. I might get started on this later!

fussychica · 21/04/2013 18:43

I've got quite a bit of old pine - I've sanded it and waxed it but not painted it. I know some people hate it but I still love it. As long as the design is fairly simple I think it looks great waxed or painted.

JazzAnnNonMouse · 21/04/2013 18:48

Think it can look great

ChippingInLovesSpring · 21/04/2013 18:50

Annie Sloan paint is definitely your friend :) You don't need to do a thing to the furniture before you paint it (other than remove the dust), you certainly don't need to sand the varnish or give it many thin coats :)

Al88 you need to try Annie Sloan paint - then you can do away with all that faffing about

MadBusLady · 21/04/2013 18:56

It can look great if you don't overdo it - mix it with unpainted wood. Also, don't scorn the modern stuff. I got a hideous mahogany veneered chipboard coffee table from a junk shop for twenty quid - probably MFI or something. But it had a perfect shape - oval top, curved legs, and looks amazing now it's painted (and yes AS is brilliant and faff-free). If the shape is right, I'd rather paint something newish and not particularly special than a lovely piece of older wood.

al88 · 21/04/2013 19:01

Off to google Annie Sloan.....

JazzAnnNonMouse · 21/04/2013 19:08

There are some great ideas on Pinterest too

InLoveWithDavidTennant · 21/04/2013 19:11

not pine related but im in the middle of doing my dressing table. i have had it for 23 years now and painted it black when i got it (went through my "black stage" at 8). i have painted 1 drawer white so far (due to weather) and it probably looks crap but blimey... it looks incredible compared to whats left now!

am quite proud

i plan to do a lot more. am also off to google that paint!

HeyYoniYoni · 21/04/2013 19:17

I found the waxing after painting with Annie Sloan as much of a faff as sanding of priming would've been

I'd say you should get a good electric sander and use primer, that's what I've done with lots of things and they've all worn well

Barbabeau · 21/04/2013 20:36

I did my daughter's chest of drawers recently. I used Habitat paint (who knew they did paint?) and added some new knobs. It looks really nice. I've also painted her Ikea step stool and will be customising it further with some wrapping paper to be stuck on with Mod Podge.

Both were boring pine and now they look really lovely.

I'm not sure how well the paint will wear so I may need to varnish over the top if it starts chipping.

overmydeadbody · 21/04/2013 20:40

I do this all the time and the results are lovely, I think.

Ebay is a great place to find nice knobs to update your painted furniture too.

Original poster

CuddyMum · 21/04/2013 20:45

Thank you everybody - so what wax do I use on top of the Annie Sloan paint?

OP posts:

HeavenlyYoni · 21/04/2013 20:59

Shamelessly joining to find out about the wax paint!

MadBusLady · 21/04/2013 21:09

Annie Sloan do their own wax. I just rub it on with a duster, then polish off the excess with the clean side. I am totally cackhanded and this seems to work fine. Table is getting a few marks now so I might try and strip the wax off and redo it - it's two years old.

Original poster

CuddyMum · 21/04/2013 21:13

Just thinking of surfaces that teenagers could destroy like bedside cabinets (wet circles from drinks and sticky stains from chocolate yoghurt) and of course make up on dressing tables. Is the wax sufficient or would I need a varnish?

OP posts:

ChippingInLovesSpring · 21/04/2013 21:13

Annie Sloan clear wax.

I'm not sure why you found it a faff HeyYoniYoni?

All you do is use a soft cloth to apply it (if it's cold when you are doing it and the wax is 'heavy' you can warm it (on the cloth) with a hairdryer and it goes on lovely). Then you wipe over it with a clean cloth to remove the excess then when it's dry, if you want to, you buff it to the level of shine you want? How could it be any easier?

ChippingInLovesSpring · 21/04/2013 21:14

Mad you don't need to take the wax off, you just put a coat over it :)

HeavenlyYoni · 21/04/2013 21:15

Has anyone ever used wax on Farrow & Ball paint? And why is it good to put it on?

HeavenlyYoni · 21/04/2013 21:15

Sorry OP, bit hi-jacky there!

ChippingInLovesSpring · 21/04/2013 21:15

Cuddy you can use a varnish/laquer if you want but if you do 3 layers of wax (letting it really harden between coats) then you get a pretty good surface :)

awkwardsis · 21/04/2013 21:17

I've done some great chests of drawers similarly, and a beautiful Art Deco dressing table. All were from junk shops and in far too dark a wood for my small home. You need to sand them really well, then a coat or two of primer, then whichever paint you choose. I didn't bother to wax or varnish as I liked the finish from just the paint. You can pick up certain things very very cheaply as darker, larger pieces have fallen out of fashion. Look at the shape though, rather than the finish. I adore my bedroom furniture and the whole lot cost far far less than even Ikea flatpacks and it looks lovely.

Original poster

CuddyMum · 21/04/2013 21:19

Hey, no problem Heavenly :)

I feel a new obsession coming on!

OP posts:

mrspaddy · 21/04/2013 21:20

Hi there.. I sanded and sanded and sanded ... a pine dresser. Cleaned with white spirits and simply painted in a duck egg blue (eggshell) Farrow and Ball paint. Really happy with it.. two years on - easy to clean. Must try out the Annie stuff though.

HeyYoniYoni · 21/04/2013 21:28

I'm not sure why you found it a faff HeyYoniYoni?

All the rubbing

Whether you're rubbing with sandpaper or rubbing with a cloth, rubbing is rubbing. At least you can buy a machine that sands

ChippingInLovesSpring · 21/04/2013 21:32

But it's not really 'rubbing' it's just lightly buffing, it doesn't take anywhere near the effort that (manual) sanding does... each to their own :)

Flip

1 2