No matter how fancy or detailed a piece of furniture appears to be it began as a simple one….. that the artist chose to build upon. Underneath every complicated and advanced piece of art…. is a simple beginning.
Today’s blog is focused on THE BEGINNING.…. the under-layer….. the layer that can serve as a foundation for MORE…… or the layer that can be seen as beautiful and enjoyed!
The beginner…… can try THE BEGINNING.…… and grow from there!
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Watch this week's Pink Nightstand YouTube video.
Before
So let’s step our way through this process with this piece here. I will list the necessary steps….
First Steps:
1. Mix one teaspoon of White Lightning with water in a spray bottle and shake until all crystals dissolve. Spray the nightstand really well and let sit for a few minutes. Wipe off all spray using a rag or paper towel (gloves are a good idea). You may need to scrub any carved areas with an old toothbrush or a scrubby pad.
2. Rinse the entire piece really well with plain water and wipe back until dry.
3. Determine if primer is needed: Did you notice stain on your rag as you cleaned? Do you smell nicotine? Is your piece wood with a deep stain? Does your piece have pine knots? Do you plan to paint a light color over a deep colored stain?
If you answered yes to any one of these you should prime with BOSS….. I prefer BOSS in gray. You can also do a test spot….. choose a small area and paint a swipe or two of paint and let dry. Then top coat with a top coat of choice in clear….. and see if you notice the color of the paint changing or staining. If so….. this is “bleed through” and you need to prime with BOSS as mentioned above.
4. This particular nightstand is a veneer that showed no signs of bleed through so I was able to move right into the painting process….. THE BEGINNING. I chose my paint color Tea Rose…. opened the jar….. stirred well….. and began to paint. I painted a single coat over the entire piece using my mister bottle to ensure an easy to spread and flawless first coat finish.
5. Once dry….. I painted a second coat.…. again using the mister bottle very lightly to ensure a smooth and flawless finish.
If you are a beginner…. this is that point where you step back and study your work and decide…. is this it? Am I happy with this? The look is fresh and clean and vastly different from the before.
Decisions, decisions..
Should you choose to go with this look for now, you can leave it as is and allow it to cure for 30 days prior to heavy use. DB paint does not require a top coat… however I highly recommend one! I recommend Top coat in Flat for first time users as it’s literally fail proof. It dries quick and doesn’t change the paint finish at all. Top Coat in Satin is my go-to and is also very user friendly and would be my second choice for beginners. It adds a satin sheen…. can be seen in the finish…. and you can tell if you’ve missed places when it’s dry. Apply one coat and let dry…. reapply a second coat. This also needs to cure for 30 days for heavy use…. but you can certainly work it into your day for light use after just a few days cure time.
I’ll be back next week with more advanced techniques on this same piece as I begin to build layers and add embellishments with paint and other products. Should you paint your piece….. top coat it…. and then later decide you’d like to add more to your finish…. you CAN! You just pick up where you left off and begin to build your masterpiece!
I hope you find the basics of THE BEGINNING to be very helpful! It’s important to me to empower everyone here….. and encourage every single one of you to give this furniture art thing a try!
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