Buffet Makeover

Since I've been on a roll with furniture makeovers, I figured it was probably time to attack the buffet that's been sitting in my garage since April, and previously in our storage shed at Denny's parents' house. Behold, the big brown buffet that was in GREAT shape but was sadly lacking in the style I was looking for in our new home:

Sad buffet in sad Craigslist photo

Yugoslavia doesn't even exist anymore!

I had been trolling Craiglist for weeks trying to find a buffet in decent condition, but everyone wanted $100+ for theirs. What's up with that, Craigslist users? You're all crazy. If they weren't overpriced, then they were just too far away. I only just recently started testing the Craigslist waters, so I didn't feel comfortable driving too far for a piece I might not even like or bring home. 

Then, finally, I found one being sold in the next town over for...

...wait for it....

FORTY BUCKS.

The photo looked nice, and shockingly, the listing was still live after almost two weeks of being posted. So I crossed my fingers and emailed the owner who said come and get it.

So I did. It was a little dirty and covered in cobwebs, but it had potential.

And then my buffet sat for months while I figured out what to do with it.

I started sanding it. 

Originally I was going to sand it down to bare wood because I wanted to stain the top and paint the rest. But then, I thought to myself, 'Self, #AINTNOBODYGOTTIMEFORTHAT' (yes, sometimes I think in hashtags). So I just sanded just enough to give the paint something to hold onto.

Once I was done sanding, here's what I used:

• Kilz Oil-Based Primer (1 quart)
• Martha Stewart Living Salt Glaze by Glidden (1 quart in an eggshell finish. I wanted gloss but forgot to tell dear husband and got distracted by the fun stuff at Home Depot so he ordered the paint for me. And I could only find the link to the sample, sorry!)
• 4" Foam rollers
• Paint trays
• Martha Stewart Faux Finishing Glaze (leftover from my End Table Makeover and tinted black with regular old craft paint)
• Foam Brushes
• Minwax Polycrylic (also left over from the end tables)

If you'll remember, I spray painted the end tables. This time I decided to try my hand with just latex paint. To be honest, I like the convenience of spray paint for smaller projects, but using latex interior paint is so much better for bigger projects like this one.

And remember: 

Oil-based primer + oil-based paint = yes. 

Oil-based primer + latex paint = yes. 

Latex primer + latex paint = yes.

Latex primer + Oil-based paint = nooooooooooo. Just don't do it.

I use oil-based primers because I like them, but prefer latex paint with low VOCs because I can't take too much of the oil-based paint smell and fumes, low VOCs or not.

Here she is after primer, using the roller for the larger parts, and the foam brush for the insets on the doors and drawers:

Doors and drawers not pictured here, unfortunately,
but you can peep out the end tables hiding behind the buffet!

Here she is after one coat of paint:

Not her best look, given this was at almost 9 PM
and hubster installed some CRAZY bright LED lights in the garage.

Spray paint or regular paint, thin and even coats are key. This buffet used three coats of paint on top of one coat of primer. I probably could have done two coats of primer and two of paint, but...well...I didn't. 

Once everything was dry, I REALLY glazed the buffet. For the end table makeover, I really only wanted glaze in some of the details of the furniture. With the buffet, I wanted dirty and old looking. I basically used the same process as before:

• Brush on...really get it on there (this time I brushed over the whole thing, in parts, of course)
• Wipe off as much as you want to/need to with a damp cloth.
• Let her dry!

An example of the doors in all their glazed glory

Once everything was dry and had cured for a couple days, I put the drawers back in and the doors back on, and put two coats of polycrylic on the top.

Here she is, all finished up:

Hello, gorgeous.

I have big plans for this buffet (and it's NOT going in my dining room!). I can't wait to show it to you all spiffed up for the 4th of July! UPDATE: Psssst...click here for the 4th of July vignette!

Linking up to:
Coastal Charm, Cozy Little House, Kammy's Korner, Artsy Chicks Rule, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Home Stories A to Z, Domestically Speaking, The Trendy Treehouse, Savvy Southern Style, The Style Sisters, Creations by Kara, Someday Crafts, SNAP!, The Blissful Bee, Ella Claire Inspired, Ashley's Dandelion Wishes, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Brambleberry Cottage, The Thrifty Home, The Crafty Blog Stalker, House of Hepworths, 4 You With Love, Start at Home, French Country Cottage, Blissful and Domestic, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots and Jello,, House of Rose, The Happy Housie, Confessions of a Serial DIYer, The Hankful House, Just a Girl and Her Blog, House by Hoff