stool re-do

I don’t even know how to start this post… there is a story, you see, but it is a little complicated. Then again, everything in my life is a little complicated these days... Being a ‘decorator’, I told my friend she needed to paint a few pieces of her furniture to get the fun and funky vibe she was going for. I organized a couple of our friends and a painting party to help her out with my furniture painting expertise… oh, wait, had I even painted a piece of furniture before? Oh well, full steam ahead! Long story short: I listened to the Paint Counter Guy instead of going with my instincts and the whole thing went horribly wrong. She ended up with a questionable primed stool that looked like it was going to peel, a primed coffee table that sucked and she ended up giving away in the yard with a free sign, and a little side table that we did get painted later, which turned out cute.

Well, Kristel, I did stool makeover take-two, and it worked out this time!

The color looks a little greenish sitting on my slate tile, but it is a straight sunshine yellow in real life, and will compliment her living room quite nicely!

I inspected and scratch-tested that first coat of primer, and it was actually sticking okay so I just hit it with two coats of yellow spray paint.

I'll tell you more about the painting process I like to use when I do my own stools soon and don't listen to the Paint Counter Guy! Has anyone else been messed up by the Paint Counter People!? I have a couple times. I find that they are pretty knowledgeable when it comes to basics like what sheen to use on which room and which roller is the best quality for value. But when it comes to less common things like painting wood furniture, I feel like all 17 Paint Counter People at the big-box stores have their own opinion and if something doesn't work maybe that same person is not there when the customer comes back and says "Your advice ruined my dresser!!!" So they are all spewing out advice without knowing really what gets the best result. So, my humble advice is listen to the big-box store Paint Counter People for the basics but for less common situations, I prefer a good 'ole hometown hardware store. I find the Paint Counter Ladies at our local McDaniel's Do-It Center to be right on every time! Two of the three Ladies are there at any given time and they know their customers and have done most every project in their own home, and if one of the Ladies mess you up, chances are, that Lady will be there or you will rant to the other Ladies and they will tell the Lady who messed you up! But that hasn't happened to me there yet! Rant finished!

Anyway, I let the spray paint dry and then painted the 8 with craft paint…

You know I like adding numbers to things. For this, I printed an 8, the number Kristel requested, on my inkjet printer in Algerian font, and then turned it over (since 8’s are reversible) and scribbled over the paper on the backside of the 8, which transferred the inkjet image lightly onto the stool. Then I just filled it in with paint.

Note: if your inkjet image won’t transfer and/or if you are working with a number that is not reversible: Print out the number. Tape the paper wrong side facing you, onto a window so you can see the image from the other side, and outline it carefully in pencil. Then place the paper right side facing you (pencil side down) on the surface to be numbered and trace the number again, on the right side. The pressure of the pencil on the right side will transfer the underside tracing onto the surface and you will have a non-backwards outline of your number!

For the distressing I wrapped sandpaper around a wood block (helps focus sanding and speed it up because I am impatient) and rubbed it lightly over the flat surfaces and especially focused on areas that would have naturally been worn, like the edges of the seat, corners and bottoms of the legs, and the places on the rails where feet would rest…

Then I coated the whole thing with a matte finish clear coat to protect the distressed finish. Haha. I'm weird like that.

I am happy with it and I hope Kristel is happy she was feeling brave the other day when I said, “Can I take this and paint it for you?” and, in a moment of unclear thinking she said “Sure!”

Speaking of being brave, look at this little Diva standing in the front doorway (afraid to death of crossing the threshold by herself), telling off my horse…

Tra la-la, la-la….

Wha--

WHAT THE---

Ahhhhh!!!!

I told her!

Those expressions! And that sass! She doesn’t get that drama from me!

PS: what you see in the background there is an entry way makeover half-finished! See the ugly first coat on the door jam? I hope to bring you the reveal soon!