Salvaged Driftwood Dresser

I had a client come to me in search of a masculine dresser for her son’s room that I could redo with a driftwood flair. I knew I needed to search for a piece with clean, modern lines.

It seems I walk past pieces like this on a daily basis when I’m out junkin’ and never give them a second glance.

BEFORE

She showed me a picture to work off of for inspiration and I immediately had a vision, that eventually turned into this….

I am so in love with how this dresser transformation turned out that I think my Nikolas now needs one in his room too!

I can’t wait to see it in his new room! Thanks for a super fun project this week, Heather!

Practice Makes Perfect…Especially with Driftwood!

I was pretty excited when I first figured out how to “paint” a driftwood finish, giving pieces the weathered look that’s so in right now.
My first attempts were decent but I think I’ve finally tweaked the process enough now to give a truly realistic finish with some subtle wood grain.
This is a dining set I found and refinished this week for a super cool family here in Frisco.

They could see past the maroon, vinyl seats and chipped up tabletop to the beautiful French look we were going for.

I’m loving how the colors of the table contrast so well against their dark hardwood floors.
 
Thanks Carrie and Jeb! You guys rock!

I guess its just like the ole’ saying…practice makes perfect.
If you’d like me to find your perfect piece of furniture and give it a weathered, driftwood look, give me a shout!baylorkls@aol.com

Weathered Wood Buffet Transformation

After a week in the Texas Hill Country (and another week trying to get back on track with life!), I’ve taken on some more painting projects. I timed it perfectly to coincide with the record-breaking 110 degree heat wave! One of these days, I’ll spring for a portable AC Unit, but until then, it’s late nights and early mornings!
Here’s a piece I finished for a client last week. I love the way the driftwood finish compliments the lines of this stately piece. It changes the entire look and brings it into modern day!

(of course, it will look so much better in the room, accessorized and out of my garage!)
 
If you have a piece you would like refinished, send me an email with a picture of the piece and some idea of what you’d like done to it. I’ll send you a quote back shortly!
And….just for fun…thought I’d share some pictures of our incredible stay at the J.W. Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio. It was so beautiful and peaceful that it was hard to come back! (also very eco-friendly…so impressed!)



 


 

Updating Sentimental Pieces

I have a pair of leather chairs in my front sitting room that I can’t part with. These were my dad’s chairs and having them in my house makes me feel a little closer to him now that he’s gone. The only problem is that, while I love having them with me, they don’t blend so well with my furniture.
So, after a lot of internal struggle I decided to go for it! They got a little make-under I guess you could say.
Before: I covered and taped off the distressed leather before tackling the wood.

With some paint and glaze, they look much more like the French Provincial look I have going on in this room and not so dark and heavy anymore.
After
 
I was really nervous to refinish these chairs or any of his furniture I’ve inherited because of the sentiment they hold for me… but I absolutely love the results. It was kind of a therapeutic moment for me…keeping the memory of my dad alive but also making them my own in a way.

Driftwood Finish Tutorial…Part 2!

Finally! I know, I know! This was promised weeks ago!


I had BIG ideas for this post…I wanted to show you this great technique and not just write about it, BUT since I couldn’t get my four-year-old to hold the camera still while I set up a video workshop….this will just have to do! (Just kidding about the child labor comment BTW)
Okay, so you’ve gathered all of your materials. Let’s say you’re painting a tabletop, but you could really do this treatment on anything I guess!


Step 1: Scratch the heck out of your tabletop! I know, you think I’m Mad, but for real…rough that sucker up! Just make sure that you go WITH the grain of the wood, while you’re getting your aggression out. Use something you have…get creative…a kitchen utensil or wire brush for the grill will do the job. I happen to have a wire paint eater brush that I run across the table. This will help raise the grain of the wood, knocking off the old finish a little, and give it a “salvaged ” look.



Step 2: Prime It! Spray a light coat, you don’t have to go overboard.



Step 3: Paint your tabletop in 2 coats of the lovely 1980’s Peach Flat Paint. Again, make sure you go with the grain.  Let it dry until it’s no longer tacky to the touch…about 45 minutes should do.



Here’s a picture of my driftwood chairs after the Peach Paint. If you have chairs or lots of area to cover, it’s okay to use the Sprayer for the first coat in Peach. Unfortunately, the next steps come out a lot better using a brush.



Step 4: In a bowl, water down your Gray Flat Paint. Dip your graining tool in the bowl and mimic the lines of real wood along the tabletop by gently pressing and dragging down the table.
This is the hardest part. If this is your first time using a graining tool, like me, you may want to practice on a piece of scrap wood or cardboard first. It can take some time to figure out the pattern that looks most realistic. Take your time on this step, as it will be crucial to the end result! Let it dry to the touch before moving on to the next step.

 
  

Step 5: Mix equal parts Glaze to the Honey Mustard Flat Paint. A little goes a long way, so I just mix mine in plastic cups. Paint a layer over your tabletop. I like to take the graining tool and swipe through each brush stroke so that the colors underneath really come through. Let this layer dry.

 

Step 6: Rub the tabletop with Steel Wool firmly. This really helps to bring out the gray and blend everything together well.

 

Step 7: Repeat Step 5 substituting the Saddle Brown Flat Paint. Let dry. Repeat Step 6.

 

This is what my table looked like at this point in the process. You can stop here if you like the way it looks. I wanted a lighter finish to mine, so I added the last step with the Cream Glaze, but this looks great too and lends itself to a subtle Weathered effect, much like Restoration Hardware.



Step 8: Mix equal parts of Glaze, Water, and the Cream Flat Paint. Use your Graining Tool to layer on the last coat of paint. I like this layer to go on lightly. Then rub the entire table again with the Steel Wool.



At this point use your own judgment to determine if the effect looks the way you want it to. You can always go back over the top with fine grit sandpaper to soften the effect.


 

This table set was such a labor of love! I’m so elated by how it turned out and even happier that it went to such an awesome newlywed couple! Thanks Bo and Britney!

 


I totally forgot to give a shout out to Lucianna Samu who wrote a great post on Living In Color about her paint techniques for the Weathered Wood Finish. Check it out as she lists exact colors from Benjamin Moore for this technique.


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