Restore, by Habitat for Humanity is on my list of favorites for finding items to upcycle. Recently while shopping there with my daughter, we found an over-sized, cream-colored chair that wore a finish that had seen better days. The price tag read $20.00. My daughter negotiated it down to $15.00. Below find a tutorial that will help you easily turn plain into fabulous with a little primer, a little paint and a sponge.
BEFORE
TUTORIAL
Materials needed:
Zinsser Coat 2 (or other brand) Water based primer & sealer
Wide-weave or sea sponge
Water based Interior Paint ~ For first projects begin with any pale shade, but not white.
1) SAND ~ Sand only if the original surface paint is raised or uneven. Otherwise, skip the sanding (Yay!), a coat of primer/sealer will suffice.
2) CLEAN ~ Wipe with damp cloth to assure that surface is free of dust, oil, etc.
3) PREP ~ Cut sponge with scissors into a circular or oval shape. The curves will prevent straight lines from appearing on the surface of your project.
4) PRIME ~ Dip sponge in primer. Remove excess primer from sponge. I applied the primer with the sponge over the surface of the chair, leaving parts of the original paint showing. In doing this, I created depth and texture. If the original paint color is not to your liking, go ahead and lightly prime the entire surface. Allow primer to dry.
Zinsser Prime Coat 2, Primer & Sealer, Water Base, Interior
5) PAINT ~ I used Martha Stewart Living Specialty Finish Metallic Paint (from Home Depot) ~ Color: Polished Silver.
Paint the joints, under-surfaces, edges and if your project includes spindles, (like mine did), move your sponge in straight horizontal lines across the spindles, sponging the paint to cover these surfaces completely.
Continuing to make sure to remove excess paint, apply paint with sponge to remainder of surfaces, making sure you change the direction of the sponge each time you press down. Don’t press hard ~ just a touch to the surface is all the pressure that is required. I leave plenty of unpainted surface space each time I press, because when I go back to fill in the spaces I am able to balance the paint application. I chose to leave a fair amount of the original, creamy paint color and the white primer to show through for this project. I don’t worry if the sponge marks are a little thicker with paint in some places more than others ~this adds texture and interest.
AFTER
Metallic Silver Sponge-painted Chair
Now available for purchase for $52.00 at Pickers Paradise Mercantile & Auction House, Medford, OR
I did it! You can too!
~Gerean
Comments, questions and sharing are welcome!
GEREANNA'S 