Buffet Re-Do

Well, I've made it just over the half way point of the hubs being gone for this trip.  I miss him a lot.  But, at least I've got my hairy dog to keep me company! And, I've been working - like.crazy.! I don't know about those of you out there that sale your furniture, but this month is going amazing here in the panhandle of Florida...like so amazing I can barely get furniture finished fast enough!  Great problem to have!

Today I'm sharing a quick tutorial for this little chest/buffet that I finished for a customer recently.  She called me about a dresser that was listed on Craigslist and when she came, she ended up buying the dresser and a nightstand I had just finished.  She also saw this piece (in it's totally nasty unfinished before state) and was asking me about it.  I told her some options for refinishing, and she decided she wanted it too.  I worked on it and she came back over the weekend to pick it up.

Here's what it turned out looking like (however, just know that is actually a very gorgeous aqua/turquoise color...my phone camera REFUSES to pick this color up correctly on my pictures):

 Here's the hot-mess of a beginning we started with.

 This customer wanted me to put some custom hardware on it, so she looked through my stockpile and picked out some I had on hand.  We decided to replace the handles with knobs, so I needed to fill the original handle holes.  I just did this with a wood filler.  It was one of the first things I did so that it could be drying and really setting up while I got to work on the rest of the piece.

 I stripped, the top of the piece of furniture that is.  I used my orbital sander with a 120 grit paper to do this.  I always wear ear protection because of how often I'm using this tool...just want to protect myself for down the road.  It depends on how stubborn the finish is as to what sandpaper grit I use.  For those just starting out, the higher the number on your sandpaper, the finer it will sand.  For a really rough sand, you will want a lower grit number.  After sanding the original finish off (which takes a good amount of elbow grease), I followed it with a 220-grit, to smooth it up before staining and to remove any sandpaper marks the rougher grit left behind.

I don't have pictures of the next part, but I wiped down the top with a damp rag to remove the dust particles.  I then used an old rag (wearing gloves) and rubbed on Minwax stain in Dark Walnut (found at Lowe's, Wal-Mart, etc.).  Once it was wiped on, in the direction of the grain, I then wiped back over it with a clean portion of my rag (old t-shirt) to remove the excess.  I let that sit for 24 hours, so that it could soak in adequately.

In the meantime, I sanded the body and drawers with a 120-grit to give them a slightly roughed up surface for the paint to adhere to.  I also wiped this all down with a damp rag prior to painting.  The piece got one coat of Smart Prime by Benjamin Moore (tinted to match Benjamin Moore's Mill Springs Blue paint).  I followed that with two coats of Mill Springs Blue.

 And my assistant decided to "help" me paint too...see his ear.  His ears, sides, and tail pretty much always have some type of paint residue on them.  He just can't help getting in on the painting action with his Mommy!

 Next, I drilled holes in the drawers that had handles originally so that I could put the knobs on.

 Oh, and here's the happy assistant modeling a pose for us.

 Next up, the entire piece (drawers and base) got a light distressing with the orbital sander and a 220-grit paper.  One more light sanding, and finished it off with a coat of Minwax Paste Wax in Natural.  Just rubbed it on and then buffed.

 Such a fun, cottage style, piece that was just begging for an update.

 And, here's a picture my customer sent me with this piece in her entryway!  Just love it!!!

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