The old chair flip!

The chair flip - I found sold old wooden chair at a local thrift store. I was in the neighborhood and decided to check it out on a whim. What a find and for only $5. And best of all it fit in my trunk. The chair is heavy and sold but was loose in a few places. After doing some online research, I pulled apart and re-glued it. I had some longer clamps that worked on the back and used some tie-downs I had on hand to hold the base together. The rest when rather smoothly. I painted with two coats of Annie Sloan's Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint, did some light sanding to smooth out the paint and give it the distressed look, and then applied wax. I applied a couple of coats of the clear wax and used an old, small brush and steel wool to apply the dark wax, another technique I learned online. I like how it turned out. Anyone want a chair? It's for sale (much to Kristy's dismay).

Its off to grandma's house we go!

With my new found enthusiasm and wanting to test out my "Paint Your Piece!" idea, I went in search of my first victim. I soon found her: my mother-in-law. She agreed to allow me to paint an old china hutch from the 1950's - my uneducated guess - that belonged to her mother. The whole thing was done in her dinning area where the hutch had been sitting. It took less than a day and was indeed transformed. The success built my cobfidence in the Paint Your Piece! concept. Here are the before, during, and after photos. 

What did I learn? First, that a one-day flip is possible, even though it took most of the day. Second, that flipping a piece in place is also do able.  And third, it's totally fun. What would I do differently?  I like how it turned out but I may have over - distressed a bit. 

It starts!

Welcome to Adventures in Furniture Painting!

I suppose that is a fitting start to my blog. I have been dabbling in building and refinishing furniture for a while now. There is something special about creating an object of value that you and others can use and enjoy. My problem, however, has always been that I'm great at coming up with project ideas and even really good at starting some of those projects - but I'm not the best at finishing.  But then I found chalk paint and things changed for me.

My daughter recently married and my wife  and I (ok, mostly my wife) took on the enormous challenge of a DIY wedding reception. We ended up having only a few months to pull it off and frantically began collecting old doors, windows, picture frames, and other antiques for the reception. My wife suggested we paint an old side table that had been collecting dust in our garage for years. This is when I tried chalk paint for the first time - again my wife's idea. I loved the look I was able to achieve and the quickness and versatility of the product. I regret not taking a before picture of the side table but below are pics of how it turned out.

After that I was hooked. I did a few more smaller tables, changed the look of the doors we were using as a backdrop to make them look even more vintage,  and began looking around the house at what else I could transform. And then I started noticing other people's stuff. I liked the idea more and more of giving old stuff new a life, and being able to do it quickly and come up with an amazing result.

And so an idea was born. Why not turn my new-found passion, the evolution of my long time interest, into more than a hobby. Why not turn it into a business.

"Paint Your Piece!" is the name that came to me almost immediately. My vision is to find, transform, and sell my own peices; do custom work for others wanting to transform pieces they already own; and teach others how to do their own work using simple how-to guides and videos. 

I have a lot to learn about refinishing furniture and stsrting a business. I will use this blog to document my pogress. I am excited and looking forward to what is to come. I hope you enjoy the ride as well.