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Rescued with Paint
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Rescued with Paint
(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JULY/AUGUST 2005)
We all know about the instant facelift rooms get from fresh paint. But have you ever resuscitated furnishings with a few bucks' worth of paint? You can quickly update tired items without taking out a loan at the furniture store. And it's easier than you may think. So grab your brushes and get inspired with our before and after ideas.
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
Paint revives "your tired and your poor" vintage furniture and redirects focus to the unique details of neglected, out-of-style older pieces.
PREPARE TO PAINT Estate and garage sales are loaded with forgotten items that are going cheap just because they're faded or out of fashion. When you find one with potential, such as fanciful carvings and interesting shapes, get started on its new look. Both previously painted or stained pieces are easy to transform. Preparing the surface is just a matter of cleaning the furniture, then lightly sanding it and wiping off the dust so the fresh primer and paint will stick. With some new primers, you don't even have to strip stained items before painting them.
EASY FACELIFTS One of our projects began with a table and a reproduction Chippendale chair with battered finishes. Fresh coats of white paint on the chair and green on the table cover rough pasts and give the signature curves a standout look. Bright hues like these also can transform vintage carved fireplace mantels, mirror frames or fancy chests from fussy holdovers to pieces designed to complement 21st-century homes.
CALL OUT DETAILS Painting details with contrasting colors is another way to add new character. Give a bookcase's interior and exterior different colors. Or add contrasting painted knobs to drawers. Feeling adventurous? Paint your stair risers, banisters, newel posts and moldings an unexpected color to create instant architectural detail.
