Refinished Stool

My neighbor recently moved to Texas. She was unable to fit everything,so I got lucky and she gave me this awesome stool. I thought it would be perfect for my sister in law. She just moved into her first apartment and her room needed some color. 

In this tutorial I will be giving tips on refinishing furniture. My husband has been working in carpentry for  years. It's nice having a professional hanging around the house when doing this stuff :) 

I used two colors of paint. It adds more definition when you go to do a rub thru. I used spray paint for the first color and chalk paint for the top color. I will include a reciepe for chalk paint.

Step One

Scuff your project.

Tips

Scuffing is vital. It opens up the wood to receive the paint. Without scuffing your paint will peel off! Scuffing can only be done 24 hours before painting, otherwise the wood will close. 

For scuffing you can use steel wool, a scotch brite pad, or sandpaper.. I prefer sandpaper. Use a grit of 180. 

Step Two

Wipe off any debris that accumulated while scuffing.

Step Three

Apply first color of paint.

 

Tips

I used spray paint for this.  If you spray paint, start spraying off to the side of your project then spray in a linear motion (do not do circles)  across your project. Every time you cross your project stop spraying. Repeat this process till project is covered.

 This is my favorite spray paint:

Step Four

Let paint dry for hours.

Step Five

Buff your paint till smooth.

Tips

Use a scotch pad or 220 grit sandpaper. The sandpaper works better if attached to the sander and if your project is mostly flat surfaces. The stool had more rounded edges, so I used a scotch brite pad.

Step  Six

Wipe off any debris from buffing.

Step Seven

Apply second color.

Tips

You can use spray paint, chalk paint, or lacquer based paint.  Do not use latex paint unless you make it into chalk paint.  I used chalk paint.  The reciepe is below. I applied it using a bristle brush.

Plaster of Paris Recipe

3 parts Paint

1 part Plaster of Paris

Water to mix

Step Eight

Buff second color.

Step Nine

Antique your project.

Tips

This can be accomplished with sanding and using an antiquing glaze. I like Valspar Antiquing Glaze. If you over do the glaze (been there done that) you can use a spong brush and lightly brush your second color to cover up your mistakes.

Step Ten

Spray on top coat to protect your paint. I used :

Step Eleven 

Measure and cut your fabric.

Step Twelve

Fold and staple fabric to cushion.

Yeah you're done !!