Bold and Beautiful

This little buffet was part of a set.  Both pieces have great bones with a bit of detail [the details make the piece].  The factory finish on the set was in dire need of an update.  The partner piece was a longer 3 drawer sideboard.  A customer fell in love with it, so it was transformed into a fabulous farmhouse piece for her TV.  You can check out that makeover here.

This buffet needed something bold.  Yes, I traditionally lean towards neutral colors.  I just love soft muted greens and blues, but I was in the mood for something really fun for this piece.

I used to carry Fusion Mineral Paint at my brick and mortar store, Loverly Cottage in Lake Bluff [before the move/fire]. There are so many beautiful colors. One of the colors that caught my eye as soon as we opened our shipment was Renfrew Blue.

More green than blue, like the ocean in the Bahamas. I knew this was the PERFECT bright bold color for this piece. To give the piece a bit more character, the top will remain wood stained. The warm brown wood will tone down the bold color.

Now that we have a design plan, lets get started!

When working on ANY furniture make over, PREP IS KEY. What type of prep depends on the project.

The buffet just needed a bit of sanding with a 120 grit sandpaper to knock down the shine and provide a bit of texture to give the paint something to grab on to. Check out Sandpaper Basics to help you pick the right sand paper for your project.

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The top was little uneven, it had some scratches and chipped finish. Since I wanted it to be smooth, it needed a bit more sanding. Time to break out my trusty palm sander to make easy work of it.

SAFETY NOTE: Please wear a mask when sanding. The dust particles can really mess with your sinuses [she says from experience – AHHHCHOOO]. Seriously though, stay safe, loverlies!

Now that the top is smooth, it is time to clean up all that dust. I recommend cleaning with TSP or a vinegar and water solution.

It is finally time to paint. Fusion Mineral Paint can be a bit fussy to work with. To get a smooth finish, keep a water mister and lightly spray your brush to keep it slightly damp. It will help keep brush strokes at bay.

Another tip for working with Fusion Mineral Paint is to not work the paint to much. Use light strokes and let the paint dry for a few hours before applying another coat.

Renfrew Blue is an transparent color. I recommend using it over a darker base. If the item you are painting is a light color, give it a base coat of a dark brown, grey or black. Otherwise, you will require 4 or more coats of Renfrew Blue to get solid coverage.

Since I am painting over dark brown, it only needed 2 full coats with a couple spots needing a touch up.

I loved the contrast of the warm wood top, so I brought it back to life with a good rubdown with hemp oil.

The brass hardware looked beautiful against the paint, so I decided to keep the original hardware.

Are you ready for the reveal?

Just stunning. One of the benefits of Fusion Mineral Paint is that is does not require a top coat. Once the paint cures [21 to 30 days] it creates a durable finish. Some items are best with a top coat you can read more about top coats over here.
As for this bold beauty, WOW. What a difference a bit of paint makes.

I cant wait to find another project to use this beautiful color.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you are working on? I would love to hear about them.

Check out some of my other furniture transformations.

a biento – Juliet