Recycling is the Way to Go!

Hello and welcome to Flipz by Sooze, my little spot on the internet where I hope to share my adventures in the world of furniture refinishing and flipping!

Recycling, refinishing, revamping or in some cases upcycling furniture – whatever you choose to call it –  isn’t new. It’s been going on for generations! You, your parents, grandparents and generations before that may have passed on unwanted pieces to friends or family, especially those setting up their first home. Most of us have received a table, chair, sofa, etc from mum and dad on moving into our own place – and very grateful for it we were! 

Nowadays we are all more aware of the need to address the problem of overflowing landfill sites and recycling is the perfect solution. Why throw out an old chest of drawers just because it’s looking a bit scruffy and worn? With some hard work, paints, waxes and lacquers that old piece of furniture can be brought back to life and last for many years to come. 

When I first started painting furniture, many many years ago, it was out of necessity. I loved going to charity shops and coming home with a beat up desk or chest of drawers and giving it a new lease of life. Not only did it save money, I was able to customise the pieces to suit my home. These days I still do it for the same reasons but also just because I enjoy the creative process. I’ve found that people seem to like my pieces, hence Flipz by Sooze was born!

I hope you’ll join me in my furniture refinishing adventures where I’ll describe the processes I use and share some techniques, hints and tips. 

Sooze

Prep is Everything!

I have learned through trial and error (despite some paint manufacturers’ claims) that when it comes to refinishing a piece of furniture preparation is probably the most important step in achieving a perfect and long lasting finish.

In this post I’ll be showing you the steps I took when painting a vintage side table. Many beginners have lots of questions and I hope this post will answer at least some of them! For those more experienced painters, you may want to comment with different methods you use.

This pretty little side table was in sound condition but quite badly scuffed and scratched, so a makeover was definitely in order. I started by cleaning with sugar soap and warm water. Sugar soap acts as a great degreaser and will remove sticky deposits and general dirt. Once dry, I sanded the top, sides and shelf with an electric sander...the barley twist legs had to be done by hand. For hand sanding I recommend starting with 80 grit sandpaper followed by 120 grit. Remember, with sandpaper the higher the number the finer the grit...and the finer the grit the smoother the finish you’ll end up with.

Following the sanding I washed the whole piece with sugar soap and warm water again. This helps to remove the dust caused by sanding as well as any residual grease. Once I was happy that the top was clean and smooth I gave it three coats of dark walnut wood stain, using a foam brush  and allowing each coat to dry completely before adding the next. I also like to sand very lightly with a fine grit sandpaper between coats to ensure a smooth finish.

 Next step was to apply a primer coat. I don’t use a specialist primer paint...just any light coloured matt emulsion I have to hand...and I do a very light coat.

That’s the prep all done! Now on with some colour. In this case I chose a pale green chalk paint and gave it two coats, with a very light sanding between coats.

I wanted to add a little texture to give it some interest, so with some white paint I did a little dry brushing to create a cross-hatch effect.

I usually leave the paint to throughly dry overnight before going in with the wax. I love the effects a coat of wax can bring to a piece. For this little table I applied a coat of clear wax first, left it to dry for an hour then buffed lightly. White wax was then applied to corners, edges and the barley twist legs as well as a little dark brown wax in some areas. The table top was given two coats of brown wax to enhance the dark wood.

Again, I left the wax to dry...this time overnight...before buffing it well. And with that final step we now have a fully refinished side table that would look good in any home!

I hope this post has answered some questions that beginners may have had about the process of refinishing a piece of vintage furniture. If there is anything you’d like to ask please either leave a comment on this post or use the contact form.

Next time I’ll be talking about stencilling on an old pine bookcase. Please join me by subscribing.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sooze

Chalk Paint - Yay or Nay?

I was scrolling through my Facebook wall one day early last year - laughing at jokes, admiring friends’ photos and watching the odd music video when something else caught my eye. It was an ad for  Frenchic, a new(ish) brand of chalk paint based here in the UK. After reading all the blurb - and remembering how much I used to enjoy furniture painting - I joined the Frenchic group and was awed by the photos of their work that group members had posted. Of course, I just had to go to the Frenchic website and put in an order.

As hubby and I were about to begin redecorating our living room, I decided that my first chalk paint project should be the fireplace tiles and mantelpiece. We planned on a much lighter colour scheme so the dark mantle had to go...and I didn’t like the tiles.

Happy with those results I decided to paint our dining chairs and the table pedestal. Again, I was pleased with the way they turned out once I had reupholstered the chair pads.

I did both of these projects according to the manufacturer instructions i.e. no sanding, no priming required. Has the finish lasted? To a point, yes, but the tiles on the fireplace have chipped in several places and there is a small chip on one of the dining chairs. I need to say that I loved working with this paint and now that I’ve used it (and other brands) on numerous pieces I would always recommend sanding and priming as I think prep is everything!

Since then I have painted many items and with proper preparation - and finishing with at least two coats of protective wax - have found that the results are much better. Thorough prep, in my opinion, is absolutely essential to achieving a perfect and long lasting finish.

So, do I use chalk paint on all my pieces? Nope. I do use it on some pieces but not all. Sometimes it just comes down to the finish I want to achieve or the higher price of chalk paint. Quite often nowadays I will make my own chalk paint from matt emulsion (more about that in another post).

I have two pieces of furniture in my craft room that I painted in the spring of 2010 that look as good now as the day they were painted...they were both done in an eggshell finish paint without any protective finishing coats.

Would I recommend chalk paint for furniture? Yes I would, but I think any good quality paint can give excellent results if you take the time to do a proper job. My next post will outline the steps I take when painting a piece of furniture, so please subscribe and come back soon!

Too Many Hobbies - Not Enough Time!

I have too many hobbies! I love paper crafting (card making and scrapbooking mainly), sewing and knitting occasionally, photography and bits and bobs of other crafts as I discover them.

A scrapbook layout of hubby and I soaking up the sun on a holiday to Spain

One of my cards

Something I never really thought of as a hobby has recently pushed its way into my crafting life again. I’ve always enjoyed revamping old furniture – partly through necessity when I was young and money was tight and later on when I wanted to bring a nice piece of old furniture back to life. 

An old and unloved bureau, now revamped and looking smart in navy

I hadn’t upcycled a piece of furniture for several years when I recently decided to give chalk paint a go….and  I was hooked! Since getting back into this satisfying “craft” I’ve decided that this is where my heart lies in terms of being creative and working with colour and, hopefully, the start of a small business which will take me into retirement. I’m enjoying learning new techniques, such as blending and distressing and hope to share my learning journey with you as I go.

I’ll be sharing my projects here on the blog – successes and failures! I’d love to hear your feedback, see your photos of  your favourite crafting  projects and share some hints and tips. 

Thanks for visiting and please come back soon!

Sooze