Sideboard Makeover - It's A Steal!

A few weeks ago, I finished a fantastic sideboard (or the bottom half of a hutch, really) for a friend.  She bought it at the local Sally Anne for $45 and commissioned me to refurbish it. 

It needed a little love...one of the doors needed regluing and the drawers needed some extra attention, not to mention the whole thing needed a facelift - it was looking a little too 'wooden.'  Ha!



I had great bones to work with so the first step was to give the whole thing a once over with TSP to remove the ancient grime.   I turned it upside down because I knew I would be stripping the top and turning it on it's head made painting the legs easier.

I removed all the knobs from the two upper drawers and the two doors.  These were painted, distressed and waxed and reattached in the final stages. 

I painted the lower half with homemade chalk paint and used my Wagner paint sprayer to quickly apply two coats - I finally got the right viscosity!  Worked like a charm this time.  When it was dry, I finished it with MinWax Finishing Paste. 
 

I stripped the top using a low VOC, water-based stripper that I love and can get readily and inexpesively at Home Hardware.  When using stripper, save yourself and WAIT for the product to work for you (that's the hardest part!).  Waiting is honestly the best thing you can do and makes the stripping process [almost] enjoyable. 

Once I removed all the stripper (using a scraper, water, steel wool and an old cloth) I let the top dry overnight.  Then I sanded it down using medium-grit sandpaper and a final sanding with 320 grit to get it nice and smooth.  Before applying my finish, I always wipe down with a tack cloth!  This is a sticky cloth that attracts and removes small particles and dust that can ruin the finish.  I've started using floor finish recently and love it!  It brushes on easily, dries hard and durable, and won't yellow.  Love! 

 

This piece looks fantastic and I was sad to see her go...

but know she'll have a fabulous new 'second' life.