Another before:

During (Sparky taking a break, probably with his addiction, Candy Crush):

After....many pics, some with different lighting, so looks a bit different.

Painted diamonds on doors:

This post was edited by Miz_M on Sat, Jul 27, 13 at 9:21

Another after (staged):

Very light gray body, mid gray interior, black trim.

Detailing:

More after....my messages keep getting rejected ...

Up close--

Last one, thank you for looking!!

Love it!

Wow! Beautiful. I wish I had your talent! I have one or two pieces that I could use but they don't go with my new house.

That story is funny and sad about the hutch. It is so surprising how easily people lie. They carried on with their plans for their hutch knowing that they weren't going to do any of it.

Thanks, you two!

I saw that the guy kept lowering the price, and changed the part about it being perfect. He probably had a few people not happy once they saw it. ;)

I've also had people pick up things from me from cl that I either gave away or sold cheaply as I was moving fast. They would then show up a few days later for sale on cl. But it is what it is and we all just want the stuff gone anyhow, so it works :)

Love your redo!

Thanks, rafor!

We'll keep giving things away, too, we really do have a great Craigslist here. We've met the nicest people, one couple invited us to stay at their lake house! (Not WITH them, no funny stuff). :-D

This post was edited by Miz_M on Sat, Jul 27, 13 at 9:42

I'm impressed with every single project you post. How I wish I had your talent. Very nice.

Thank you, katlan!

This was really a very simple project. Light sanding/cleaning, painting, sealer (we used poly on top, waxed the rest), and that's it. :)

Wow! You are GOOD!!!! I would never have thought that console could look good until I saw your after. I wished I could do that.

Thanks, aktillery! These are so common around here, and I hate seeing them going to a dump. It did have that funky 70s smell, but cleaning, painting, and waxing took care of it. :-D

I can't believe that no one has mentioned Sparky's legs - they are VERY nice Tell him they've been admired all the way up in Maine! :-)

GREAT vision, Miz M! That plastic-y finish stuff is just awful in it's before image, and I am grateful that I didn't grow up with any or have any now, but you've never know that's what it started out as.

A few people in Maine are starting to re-do stuff they find and post them on CL. One paints everything white, and I think they need to do more than that. I CAN picture the 'before' on this piece linked, as it's 'just painted', not transformed. It doesn't say 'cottage chic' to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Painted Oak End Cabinet Cottage Chic

Omigosh, that's a great transformation. Glad someone you liked took it home.

My3dogs, someone in my area does the same thing only s/he paints everthing black. I can only hope it looks better than the original, but it definitely isn't great looking the way she uses the black.

My3dogs, LOL!! You gave me a great laugh, and I'm on the couch sick today, so thank you! :-D He's working today, can't wait to tell him ... would you believe, he always wonders why I tell him he's such a hunk? He's so modest! :)

Here, too: CL is full of chalk painter ads now. I agree about the one you posted, well said about it just looking painted, rather than transformed.

I have a lot to learn, but my goal is for each piece to not just look painted. I want it to look like it was made that way first, a one-of-a-kind classic look, that hopefully won't look dated or faddish in the future. I don't always succeed, and have had my share of mistakes (I should post a little animal print table I did, everyone laughs at it, meanies), but I learn something new with each piece. :)

This post was edited by Miz_M on Sat, Jul 27, 13 at 12:27

Thank you, olychick! (We were posting at the same time). :)

I love the two tones. I am planning to paint some furniture myself this winter, but I didn't have the vision to do things with black and lighter color. DERRRRR... You're SO inspiring!

Add me to the list of CL 'transformations'. But here they're painting the stuff gadawful colors-hot pink or like a hot turquoise. Lots of black, but at least those are a little better-but yeah, just painted, not transformed. I've seen one piece, however, that the gal did an amazing job on, it's so not in my decor scheme, but it was so incredibly done that I had to email her my admiration. Got a sweet email back, and I think she's sold the piece now too.

That looks great! Couple of questions: Is just a light sanding enough to get the paint to stick? What kind of paint did you use? How did you get the distressed look? Thanks! I have a couple of pieces here that need work.

Pesky, thank you! And that is such a sweet thing to do (e-mailing compliments), I'll bet you made her week. :)

I'm not a fan of the Skittles colors, either, except in context, such as a child's room. I'm in Texas, so turquoise jewelry, colors, etc, are a beautiful mainstay, but some of it I've seen on furniture here ... whew. It's just very, well ... bright. I'll share one that I love, though, I just think it's stunning, and saved it a while back.

Inspiration piece:

Thanks, jab!

I use a Plaster of Paris recipe for chalk paint, so no sanding is required ... although on very slick surfaces, I like to sand lightly.

For the distressing, it's my paint technique, similar to a dry brush technique. I rarely go back and sand over my paint later, I get the distressing I want during painting.

My recipe for paint:

2 cups latex paint (eggshell or satin)
5 tbsp Plaster of Paris
2 tbsp warm water

Mix plaster and water until creamy and no lumps. Add to paint and mix well. A little goes a long way, but will keep well in a tight container. I wax or use poly to finish.

My other method is the usual way: sand, clean, primer, latex, poly.

The chalk painting method works so well for distressing, and I love the finish. Creamy and smooth, without feeling rubbery.

Good luck. :)

Thanks for the recipe. I have used poly on a project but never wax. Can you give more information on that process and product?

Very impressed by your after pics.

Thanks, Natesgram!

I use Johnson's paste wax, clear, and apply a small amount, in small areas, with either a T shirt or very soft brush. I massage it in, and lightly rub off any excess as I go along. Once I've done the whole piece, I buff it all to a soft shine. It will feel silky smooth when you're done, and provides good protection.

I would love to hear others' techniques, hope they chime in! I know a lot of people who use Annie Sloan products, and her clear and dark wax, both, but I never have.