Checking into Rehab Featuring Rockler and DecoArt

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
Project Image

After as many items I have added and un-added to my Monster Mash’s room, I am likely going to have to check into rehab ‘in real life’ for obsessive compulsive decorating disorder! No doubt! I am sure they have a rehab for that, they do for every thing else… however this post is not so much about that as it is my amazing furniture rehab! yay! I shared one of the first decorating projects I did in this room with you guys here, and since then I have been spinning my wheels like a madwoman! I have been on a donating kick for the last several months (not very successfully) and when I have a load ready to take to Goodwill, I make it a point to stroll the aisles for a quick spin, to see what they might have in need of a new home and perhaps a makeover too! I have only been successful once and the fruits of my labor include this fabulous low coffee table just begging to be painted and take the place of my little guy’s crib turned daybed couch which he no longer uses (for sometime now).

I had quite the experience taking it down and storing his baby things away, but that is a whole weepy post on it’s own account! On to bigger better things, am I right? Behold my trashy treasure:

Fabulous bones, solid wood and no veneer! Can it be possible? Apparently, but who knew people actually donated wooden pieces…not me! My Rockler Bench Cookies and Cones were going to come in handy on this project! The perfect piece to use my DecoArt Americana Satin Enamel in Evening Blue! It’s only one of the most gorgeous colors and the creamiest dreamiest paint consistency!

The cones are a fabulous accessory to the Rockler Bench Cookies that allow you to use your no-slip grippers for painting and raise your piece up on it’s legs so you can reach those tricky areas around the base or legs! Fabulous invention if I do say so …

Simply place one cone on one bench cookie and away you go!

Isn’t this exciting! I see lot’s of refinishing in my future and a lot less cleanup since I do quite a bit of painting in my Family Room! Eek…

Just marvel at that… those tricky edges, difficult areas to reach, are all no longer an issue!

Since my MM (Monster Mash) has blue in his room already of a more turquoise persuasion, I thought adding a bit of Americana Acrylic Paint in Snow (Titanium) White would ensure the blues weren’t too different by lightening the DecoArt Americana Satin Enamel in Evening Blue color up just a bit. This piece as you can see in the image above had a nice stain at one time, but no glossy finish or sealant remains and the stain is extremely faded itself so I didn’t expect to worry about it penetrating the color (as can occasionally happen given the nature of stain) and planned accordingly to simply enjoy it, if it should in fact occur! I didn’t bother to prime or even sand it to scuff it a bit, since to be perfectly frank, that is where I gain most of my unevenness, brush strokes, and drips. In fact I tend to avoid primer as often as possible unless I am attempting to cover something that needs the ‘tooth’ primer provides or if I am trying to cover something terrible looking (shhh, don’t tell anyone that!).

I took this one outside since I knew I didn’t have to worry about drips on the ground (paint cleans up from hardwood floors more easily than concrete!) thanks to my Rockler Bench Cookies and cone combo! I have something of an old pro when it comes to painting, and except for the rare accident or splattering from a crazed paint roller (or my monster mash) I hardly ever get drips or spills on the floor. This is generally because I am a big proponent of several thin coats of paint with an ultra fine foam roller. There is quite frankly nothing on earth that will give you a smoother finish (except perhaps a sprayer, and even then not always). I rolled a total of 2 coats and it was perfection. I typically do 3 coats the first of which I roll in the direction of the grain, the second is opposite the grain and the 3rd to smooth out and perfect in the same direction as the grain. This piece really didn’t require much and the paint coverage with the DecoArt Americana Satin Enamel is superb so I started in the direction opposite the grain and then did my second in the direction of the grain. Hard to show so you will have to take my word for it! I also gave it 2 good rub downs with Minwax Wipe-On Poly to hard coat it and protect it from the dance parties I know my MM will be having on this baby! 3 hours later this fine new addition was dry, and ready to move into it’s new home. It might have been ready before that, but I forgot about it and it sat outside all alone for longer than I had planned! Good thing I remembered before the rain came!

You can see it, in it’s new home, all happy and contented with a very big boy (and not so great mom provided) meal of toast and a pink lollypop! The big boy room is starting to take shape though I still have a few more fun projects to share with you all! Stay tuned for more progress of MM’s big boy room makeover! See you soon, hope you enjoyed my ramblings as much as I enjoyed sharing with you all!

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