A Classy Black and White Victorian Armoire. Yes, I painted it. Yes, I painted over that gorgeous wood.
If you are reading my blog you already know that painting furniture is what I do so hopefully you are not surprised.
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Watch this week's Classy Victorian Armoire YouTube video.
Please watch my YouTube video showing in more detail how I created this black & white Victorian whimsy style. And leave a comment telling me what you think!!
Victorian Armoire - Before
I purchased this piece from a seller that no longer wanted it and to be honest had no appreciation for it. I know the original finish is gorgeous but I simply cannot keep all the pieces and my buyers ask for painted furniture. So there....
You can never go wrong with a classic black and white design! You can see this armoire, with embellishments, that will play beautifully off of this finish. But for now we are going to drool over this interim look that we see here and I'll tell you exactly how I did it!
Prep for Paint
I removed the hardware and set aside for cleaning and brightening. I cleaned the hardware and the entire cabinet with White Lightning cleaner.
And if I'm being totally honest, Matt did the cleaning for me.... thank you honey! He was so impressed with the amount of dirt and grime and oils removed from this piece that he actually reported it to me! LOL!
Painting Classy Black & White Victorian Armoire
Base coat or no base coat? Let me explain!
I began by painting with Caviar black on the areas I knew would be black ONLY! You don't need to worry about bleed through with darker paints..... such as black, navy, dark purple, deep reds etc. This saves having to prime these areas.
I used the roller brush method to apply two coats of BOSS primer in gray to all areas that would have to be white. The residue removed while cleaning make it evident that I would experience bleed-through when painting - especially with as much white as I planned to use. So, always better to be safe than sorry.
Once all primed areas were dry, I used Fluff (my favorite white ever) to apply two coats of paint, again using the brush/roller method.
Adding Stripes
Once this was dry, I began taping off the arched top of the armoire to begin the stripe process.
PRO TIP: Don't forget to de-tack your paint before using it. You will thank me for this tip!!!
Pulling your tape back only to have paint pull off is very distressing!
I sealed the edges of my tape on this top arch with a clear base coat...... which I never do! I always use my chalk paint base coat which would have been Fluff. I wanted to try the clear coat method.... but won't again.
It was a failure for me. SOOOOOoooooo much bleed of black under my tape lines! This is what happened: I sealed with a clear coat. Let dry. And then painted my stripes with Caviar. When I pulled back my tape, I had SO many bleeds of black that had seeped under my tape. I had to go back with a tiny brush and cover each seepage with Fluff! There were probably more than fifty! I won't do that again!
The stripes are cleaned up and looking smart and sassy! I then painted the front paneled insets of the drawers as well as the two decorative framed areas with Fluff and let dry.
Next, I measured off small boxes in the small accent areas with a ruler and a sharpie marker and began the slow and tedious process of painting each tiny square with Caviar. Its a lot of work but always a nice detailed touch!!!
I wasn't quite sure I wanted to add stripes to the drawer fronts but after stepping back and looking at it for a few hours, I decided I did want to stripe. So I repeated the same steps as the arched top.... but this time I sealed my tape edges with Fluff and as always, it worked like a charm! I painted my Caviar stripes and removed my tape to reveal perfectly crisp edges!
A Touch of Gold!
Now for the finishing touch of Gold Gilding Wax!!! I used a small brush to apply it like paint to all the detailed filigree woodwork! It paints on with ease and has the most beautiful shimmer! It is usually dry to touch within a few hours. It does not require a top coat but should you choose to do so you should wait 72 hours for it to fully dry so it doesn't smear when you top coat over it. The hardware was freshened up with a quick brushing of Gold Gilding Wax and put back into place for the final classy look! It cures on its on and no top coat is required!
The Finished Look - Classy Black & White Armoire
And that is it...... for now!!! I pushed her against the wall and added a bit of greenery and a ginormous black and white bauble..... and she is photo ready! I did not top coat her yet.... and I will now take her design a step further..... see that HERE! But for now I felt her beauty was worth being shared even at this stage!
This piece will be available and listed in my shop section later if you are interested. Prices listed include shipping cost. If you'd prefer to do a local pick up, please email me for a discounted price.
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