Hello AT,
Is there a wallpaper or paint (ideas about how to paint it?) that can turn this old Levitz white enamel armoire into something that either looks like wood or would fit into a more traditional room with wood floors?
It's an old piece in a friend's basement that she wants to use to conceal her TV.
Thanks, Valerie
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White enamel is a hard thing to deal with. You can rough it up (and smooth it back out) with sandpaper, but it's time consuming and the dust is SO hard to get out of things.
You can also use an acid etch, but I recommend you use it only on an area that isn't going to die (not carpet, grass, etc) to rought it up.
Either way, the paint has to have something to stick to before you can paint it. Check with your local Home Depot, too - they may have some good ideas!
rustoleum sticks to everything..... check out their website.
that said, nothing looks faker then fake wood next to real wood. i would paint it black or white and put some nice nickle hardware on it.... i have had great luck painting furniture glossy black.
I can't see the detailing, so I'm not sure this would work, but what about doing a découpage treatment (a pale, almost tone-on-tone brocade) on the flat surfaces, and gold or other metal leafing, abraded to be more subtle, on the raised surfaces? Sanding and Kilz primer will allow almost anything to stick. You can use a really fine wallpaper for the découpage.
It's a nice piece with good bones!
Be careful with this one. I would stay away from wall paper/fabric unless you want it to look like some crazy college art project.
Like Kristan I would paint it glossy black, if that doesn't work with the color scheme then chinese enameled red or a blue.
Another option would be to just get rid of it. It's going to look cheap no matter what you do.
Why update? This thing is so groovy!
my first idea was to add high turned legs to the base to give more of a high-boy feeling. if you're good with the paint, or know an artist, you could do a faux malachite finish, or cover in a funky toile fabric. i think you should go with more of an obvious transformation than to try to fool anyone. if people see that it's a purposeful re-do, they will appreciate the piece more.
Valerie -
If you click on my name you'll see different "sets" of photos of various ones of my own arty little projects, including the one that's the most pertinent here, which would be "oak laminate to faux wenge" (or something like that), where I started with something basically identical to what you have except that it was a faux-oak laminate instead of white enamel.
Basically, I think you'll agree that the result is pretty good. It looks very Bo Concept or West Elm or something. In fact the pulls that bought on eBay for that little project were very inexpensive and are indistinguishable from the West Elm ones.
So, it kind of takes 25 years off the style of it.
DAYUM, Curtis!
Nice work. I have some techline melomine crap in the bathroom that might need a makeover...
Andy I love what you did to the brownstone in regards to the booksshelves. I to have tons of books and would like a look like that could you give me some pointers?
What about stencils?
Susan
I agree with adding LEGS to the cabinet.
My suggestion is to find a nice neutral lineny slubby fabric to cover the doors and frame each door some painted slim (1 inch or less) wood/picture-moldings.
You'd probably upholster the doors first, then cut and paint the moldings, and then nail over the fabric.
You could funk it up by using some bold patterned fabric for the sides of the cabinet - or keep it all uniform.
Personally I don't think the paint route will look that great.
This is a re-iteration of the Rustoleum idea suggested earlier.
Had a similar problem warming up the look of a large metal cabinet with some colour and texture. Was quite pleased by the effect of red hammerite paint with a hammered finish. The only colour chart I could find was on . Go to Producten|Metallak and scroll to the bottom of the page for the hammered finishes.
linked didn't make it through. That would be www.hammerite.nl
Thanks to all for the suggestions and information
on how to actually do these things.
Curtis, I am amazed by the oak-laminate
transformation. I also like JenPDX's fabric/frame idea and adding legs.
Where can we find Kilz primer?
Kilz primer is pretty much everywhere. But if you're looking for the Kilz one-coat primer/paint that I used, it is, alas and alack, only available (as far as I know) at WalMart, so you'll have to make nice to a suburbanite with a car who can schlep you there, and help you flag down one of the VERY few employees there that will admit to having the ability to mix paint.
If you go the fabric route - using some thin poly batting under the fabric might help keep the fabric looking smooth.
Heck - maybe you could even use some fabric covered buttons and go for a tufted look???
One other idea in addition to the other great ideas that have been offered, use sheets of real wood veneer, you can get them at home stores like Home Depot, you may need special adhesive for this cabinet, but it is real wood and looks good. Then, you can use real wood trim to trim it out.
Another thought, bamboo. You can buy bamboo mats from Pearl River Mart and cut them (hard to cut, use garden shears) to fit the doors and drawers glue them up and then trim them out with 1/2 round or even flat trim, or even a nice gimp or ribbon. The bamboo and wood can be primed and painted, if you like, or even stained and varnished with my favorite product, Minwax One-Step Stains and Finishes.