Endeavour

     Many, who live around the Houston or Clear Lake, Texas area, had a chance today to change their screen saver picture to a shot of the shuttle, Endeavour, which is on its way to Los Angeles, CA. Although we all knew that the shuttle program was coming to an end, watching the Endeavour take its final flight brings home the reality that it is an end of an era, which is bitter sweet. Sometimes you wish you could tempt change.

 

''Gimme one reason to stay here
and I'll turn'er back around''.....Tracy Chapman

Painted Orphan Chairs

   Orphaned chairs, most are lone survivors of bygone times that have a beauty all their own. Besides being functional, they make a great addition to any room.

      Usually, Sis and I prefer the painted finish on these chairs to look slightly distressed. One way we have found to achieve this look is by wet sanding. 

     There are a lot of variations of this finish that you can do, but I will use the finished Eastlake chair in the picture on the right hand side of the screen as an example. 

     First, we cleaned and sanded it well, and then we gave it two full-coverage coats of red latex paint. Next, we mixed up a lighter shade of the same red for the third coat. 

     In the picture below, the original paint color is on the right hand side of the sample, while a lighter shade of red is to the left. 

 

     When dry, we carefully wet sanded back the finish letting the bottom, darker-shade of paint show through.

     I enjoy this part. By using waterproof sand paper; clean dry rags; a spray bottle filled with water; and a pail of clean water to rinse out the sand paper...you can achieve any amount of distressing you want. Below is a closeup picture of the finish on the chair after being wet sanded.

     The finish is really very pretty. From a distance, it looks like a simple red chair; but on a close inspection, there is a variation in paint color. This finish could be very dramatic by choosing different colors of paint with a glaze/stain added on top; or like this example, be a very minimal finish. Lastly, we sealed the finish with a clear acrylic. 


NOTES on this finish:     
     1) We used acrylic paint for this example, but this finish really works well with oil paint. With acrylic, you will find that your sand paper will gum up a lot; hence, you will use more sandpaper.
     2) We used 600 grit waterproof sand paper in this example. As an aside on your topcoat, by using increasingly finer sand paper (2000+ grit can be found at an automotive center), you can create a mirror like finish if that is what you wish (creating a glossy finish is easier with oil).
     3) With your spray bottle, spray water sparingly on the furniture, keep your sandpaper wet, and dry off any excess water.
     4) Go slow and check your finish often while wet sanding.
     5) Before you begin, first do a sample of the finish that you have in mind, so you will have some practice and your color variations worked out.     
                ~ Sandy