We've got a new project going on (with Blueprint magazine). In a couple of months the January Jumpstart Contest will showcase your best small makeovers. To give you a head-start, here are a few tips for restoring thrift store finds...
What to Work On: When shopping for thrift store finds that need a little work, go for items that can be restored without ridiculous amounts of elbow grease. Detachable chair seats aren't hard to reupholster, but a tufted sofa is a huge job.
Paint Wood Furniture: Place furniture over a dropcloth. Remove any hardware. Sand wood furniture. If you're sanding off an old coat of paint, use rough grit. If you're working with a bare wood surface, use a finer grit. (If the piece has a lot of paint on it you may want to have it professionally stripped.) Clean sanded furniture with a damp sponge. Use a coat of primer. Apply 2-3 coats of paint (we usually use latex). Make sure you allow plenty of time for paint to dry in between coats.
Reupholster It: Depending on what you're reupholstering, there are a bunch of sources for instructions on the web. Here are a few: "Take a Seat" in the Readymade archives is a great resource for reupholstering different types of seat cushions, this post on AT:Chicago has some good general suggestions, and this post from AT:LA has some great links for reupholstering a vintage chair.
Switch Out the Hardware: Unscrew old drawer pulls and cabinet knobs and replace them with shiny new pieces. For drawer pulls, measure the space between mounting holes and match it to your new pulls. For cabinet knobs, find a diameter that's proportional to your old knobs. We like the selection at Cool Knobs and Pulls.
More from AT...
• How To: Paint Wooden Furniture
• Good Questions: How to Restore Metal Chairs?
• Good Questions: Is DIY Reupholstering Recommended?
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Recipe: Thai Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
I have a question regarding painting furniture with latex paint. My husband and I painted two dressers and two nightstands with latex paint and we are having the problem that they are tacky feeling and things are sticking to them. We sanded them, primed them, and painted two coats. We waited two weeks inbetween coats of paints. We tried a latex sealer on top (just on the areas where things would be placed) and it helped but there is still a level of tackiness is there. Any advice?
I have a question. Who painted that painting in the first picture on this post. I saw it in a fall color entry and fell in love with it. Where can I find it?
Another tip: I painted an old cheap desk I found at Goodwill. The hardware was an ugly, mottled brass color that didn't look good with the paint. I couldn't swap it out, though, because the handles had an odd size/spacing - nothing from the hardware store fit.
Frustrated, I took sandpaper to them and all the brass finish came off! Now they look like retro brushed steel or nickel handles, which is exactly what I wanted in the first place.
onion -- I instantly fell in love with the artwork too. I think someone mentioned the artist's name in the comments. It's J. Amundson and the site is http://www.jamundson.com/. And at least now we know where to buy a piece!
Signe,
What brand of paint are you using?
I don't know what to say about the latex paint and tackiness. I've painted all my wood pieces with acrylic latex and I've never experienced that problem. The only time I did was when I used oil. It accumulates dust like crazy. A dust cloth doesn't even work, you have to wet the cloth too!
Brands: I use 1-2 coats of Kilz latex primer; Benjamin Moore satin finish or RustOleum American Accents satin finish in two coats; and then until recently McCloskey Heirloom Crystal Clear Polyurethane, and now Minwax Polycrylic semi-gloss. Hopefully the McCloskey wasn't the save because I don't know where to find it now. Good luck!
Lisa, I used Semigloss Valspar Signature Color Paint from Lowes and the Valspar multi-purpose primer. I don't remember what the clear coat we used on the top of the dressers. We were afraid to use a polyurethane because we were told that it might change the color of the pieces. Have you noticed this? Thanks for your help!
Signe, sometimes with a semigloss paint you can get a bit of stickiness. Try taking the rough side of a damp sponge and scrubbing the dresser - that could create a little bit of roughness and help to clean it up a bit. If that doesn't work, you can try a very fine grit sandpaper and give the piece a once-over (don't rub too hard or you'll take off the whole finish). After you've sanded, wipe down the dresser with a damp sponge. (And wear a dust mask while you're sanding to avoid breathing in any paint.)
If you are looking to add classy touch with new hardware, I recommend the deals at dlawlesshardware.com. They have a large selection of quality glass knobs and pulls. They also have stainless steel, ceramic, and even cloisonne' knobs and pulls to select from. The price is pretty hard to beat as well and they offer free shipping on orders over $50.
Some of the best knobs and pulls I have found are online at Look In The Attic - online at http://www.LookInTheAttic.com - they have like 25,000 different styles. Some under $2. I have used them many times in refinishing cabinets and furniture.
degerkas:
Be assured you're not alone with this "tackiness" problem with the latex paints. That's their nature. In general, latex paints are not recommend for any kind of surface where any kind of object will be sitting on the surface. So, latex paints work great for walls, trim and molding, etc. Will work fine on the legs, drawer fronts, etc of pieces as well. Just not on the tops, where things will be sitting.
You have two options: use an oil-based enamel paint instead, or put a clear coat over the latex paint. For this purpose, I would recommend a water-based crystal-clear polyurethane, a clear enamel spray paint, or a clear lacquer spray paint. Other 'clear' finishes may in fact tend to lend a yellowish tone to the paint job.