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

Don Ray, Reclamation

      Sis and I went to an estate sale recently, and I found an Don Ray pen and ink drawing. Don Ray was a Texas artist that was noted for painting western themes and landscapes, who passed away in 2006.
     This was not a purchase; it was a rescue. I found the drawing neglected and grimy with a healthy colony of black mold growing behind the glass. Originally, the drawing was framed in a simple black picture frame under glass with a white mat.Very pretty it must have been; but now, the drawing has yellowed and foxing had occurred. I still would like to display the piece. My cleaning amounted to throwing away the mat and cardboard backing and dabbing the picture with alcohol.

     Using the materials that I already have on hand, I cut a new mat and covered it with fabric making sure that I used a color close to the yellowed drawing.

     After sanding the picture frame, I took it outside and sprayed it with brown Rust-Oleum. And just as the paint began to tack up, I burnished the frame with crumpled gold foil. You can, also, let the paint dry then size the frame and add your foil for a more even look. But I wanted a more sketchy look, so I skipped a step. 

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     1) I would like to create a weathered wood look to the frame, so I applied plaster around the inset of the molding. 

     2) After the plaster dried, I sanded back until I was satisfied with it leaving a little of the gold, cowboy-glam background peeking through. Then I sealed it with Polycrylic.

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     3) After the sealer dried, I stained the molding with a water based stain. 
     4) Then, I wiped the stain back to where I felt happy with it. 

And here is the outcome...rustic. 

And here is what it looks like finished. 

     Actually, the picture and frame looked nice at the rustic stage, but I couldn't resist adding some knots and some wood texture to the frame.

     I think Don Ray would approve. I asked, but I only heard from someone named Houdini.

  

Painted Cedar Chest, Completed

Drum roll, please........ 

  To view the before pictures, please go here. 

Yes, finished, but the major steps in getting here were:

Finishing the shield

Glazing the body of the chest

      We used Metal Glow's Pirates Gold as a base coat. Then we mixed Mixol pigments (Rehbraun #3, and Umbra #2) in Perfetto glaze for the translucency of color, and we built up the color in two passes after letting the first pass dry completely. 

 Sealing the chest

     We chose to seal the chest with Faux Effects' Varnish Plus in a satin finish. Although very durable, it is not necessarily a better product than other acrylic topcoats. However, when dry it has a very satiny-tactile feel to it that many others do not have. 

     If you choose to use this product for the first time on one of your projects that has hand painting or glazing done in latex or acrylic, you must first seal your art work before you topcoat with Varnish Plus because VP will cut right through your work, and you will end up with mess on your hands. Although you can brush this top coat on and lightly sand between coats, it is a lot easier to spray.

     This was a fun project....We hate to see it come to an end. You know what would be really pretty for a more feminine feel: do the embossing of the crocodile stencil as an all-over-stencil design; paint the piece pure white with little or no glazing; and add faux straps with pewter or bronze nail heads.....Now, that I'm thinking about it, Michelle Delgado from Wonder Faux carries some really pretty nail heads.......humm. 

Painted Cedar Chest, Cont., Continued

   Did I mention that there was a heraldic shield going on the top of the chest?  With a few minor changes, this is the progress; or for me, more fun stuff. 

Transferring image to the top of primed chest. 

Blocking in color.

Adding metallic gold and silver paint.  

A few more brush strokes.

Almost done.

Painted Cedar Chest, continued

        We have the chest primed and ready.....now, for the fun stuff. After samples were made and a drawing of the family shield was finished, and since the guys in the family were the primary users of the chest, the client wanted a more masculine design. It was decided that the top of the chest will have the family shield painted on a background of solid chocolate. While the belly of the chest will have an embossed alligator finish.

 We are using a stencil (Faux Effects International, Crocodile stencil) and a plaster (Faux Effects,Venetian Gem). The stencil has register marks, so we simply match up the registration marks while blading the plaster evenly through the stencil.....And Ta da, the embossed section of the chest is finished. The tape is removed, and the plaster is left to set up for a few days....Then comes more fun.
 

Painted Cedar Chest

     This is a fun project that Sis and I are working on. A client wants a cedar chest painted. None of us are quite sure how old it may be, but we are guessing that it was made around the thirties or forties. It has a few issues: peeling veneer, flecking shellac and numerous dings. But aside from that, it is in pretty good shape. 

     However, before the fun stuff can begin, we need to prepare the piece for painting. We felt that the bottom molding of the piece needed updating to take away the Art Deco feel, so we elected to replace it with simple 1"x4"s, which we routed the top edge with an ogee design and will cut a simple curve on the bottom. In the picture above, we have already installed a nailer piece on the bottom of the chest to accept the new molding.

 MITERING JOINTS

     In this project, it is not important to save the veneer; and where the veneer is peeling, we cut it out or chip the entire sheet off.

Now all that is left to do is the sanding......

                      and priming.

Shimek's Garden

     Nell and Harvey Shimek live in Alvin, Texas. Although they grow a multitude of plants, they are known for hybridizing and showing daylilies. Each spring at the height of the daylily bloom, they open their garden to the public. Last weekend, the Shimeks had at least an acre of daylilies that were in full bloom.        

     When most people think of daylilies, they think of the old-fashion  butter yellow ones. However, one glance at Shimek's garden, will quickly change your mind. Last weekend, you could find pale apricots, pretty pinks, and brilliant reds; single to triple blooms; and plants from dwarfs to tall spiders. Here is a quick glimpse......

    One of the best things about Shimek's open garden tour is that some of these plants can be yours. Because the Shimeks not only let you view their garden, you can buy plants too. They have people with shovels in hand waiting to help you. With an acre in bloom, the hardest part is picking out which ones you want to take home.

     The Shimeks have a passion for gardening and a willingness to share their knowledge. Their garden shows me what can be possible, not that I want two acres of daylilies. Although they have, no doubt, given away and sold daylilies far and wide, I think of the influence that they have had when I see daylilies putting on a show in the gardens around our area. I think that we are the fortunate ones.   ~Sandy~  

Shimek's Garden

3122 County Road 237

Alvin, TX 77511-8690

 281-331-4395

http://www.cityscope.net/~neshimek/