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Saturday, October 1, 2011

Shelf Makeover

Just in case you missed my What I Know post over at Southern Lovely here it is! I have this little shelf unit in my entry and I've been wanting to give it a makeover to match and flow with the rest of the pieces in my home. Here's what I did to make it beautiful!



1. Clean with soap and warm water.


 2. Primer is the key to no sanding! Apply an EVEN and generous coat of primer. I use and prefer KILZ primer. There are a couple things to think about when choosing a spray primer or primer by the gallon.
  • If the piece has a lot of detail or rounded edges in it I would use the spray. It will be a little more expensive, but so worth it!
  • If the piece has flat edges I would choose primer by the gallon and invest in a good roller.
Before you move to the next step please please please make sure the entire piece has an even and generous coat of primer.

3. Once the primer is completely dry apply paint. I prefer Krylon, Rustoleum or Valspar spray paint. You will want a good quality spray paint. In my opinion I think spray paint gives the piece a more finished look. It is quick and you don't have to worry about brush or roller marks. One day I hope to own a paint sprayer and then I will use paint by the gallon, but until then spray paint is my best friend!

When spray painting hold the can upright at all times possible and spray in even strokes from one side to the next. For this piece I started on the side at the top left corner; sprayed in one stroke to the right corner and moved back and forth. It will look streaky. Don't spray another coat on until the previous coat is dry. If you do it to soon you will get drip marks and have to sand them out. For each coat I also flip my furniture if possible. For example on this piece I sprayed the first coat with it standing up and the second coat with it on it's side. This will help to eliminate streaks.

Keep applying coats until desired color is reached. For this piece I used Krylon Ivory in a glossy finish and applied 4 coats. I didn't spray the inside and you'll see why below.


4. Next comes the glaze. I use Behr faux finishing glaze tinted black. There are two types of glazing that I'm aware of.
  • Clean glazing - when the glaze is only in the indents, cracks or corners.
  • Dirty glazing - when glaze is applied randomly allover.
Here is a photo of the side while I was glazing. The far right indent has no glaze, middle is how it looks right after I apply the glaze and the far left is what it looks like when the excess is wiped off.


A little glaze goes a long way. Use a foam brush and dip the tip in the glaze and dab into indent making sure to cover it completely with glaze. Using a damp cloth wrapped around your index finger wipe excess glaze off leaving glaze only in the indent. Repeat the steps if needed.

5. For this project I wanted a design on the inside. I've seen many different options such as wall paper and stencils, but I opted for a very inexpensive and less time consuming version and used wrapping paper.
  • Measure and attach the back piece first. Add a 1/2 inch to the width of the measurement and wrap around onto the sides when gluing it in place. This will ensure that you don't have any gaps that will show through at the corners. 
  • Measure and cut the sides. I added 1/4 inch to the width so I could wrap it around on the front inside that will not be seen.
Here's how it turned out.


Much better don't you think? I love it! Enjoy!

40 comments:

Unknown said...

came out fantastic. love the choice of paper you used for the inside. looks like a very high end piece!

Biljana said...

Great job, it looks beautiful:-))

Rachael said...

I love it. It turned out great. Thanks for telling us about your glazing technique :-)

Unknown said...

Great painting tips... and I love the idea of using wrapping paper. Beautiful choice for your cute shelf.

Jana said...

Looks great! Thanks for linking up at GGG!

Amber *SaltTree Creative* said...

looks lovely! love the pattern.

Margo said...

Oh I love the idea of using wrapping paper to dress up a shelf! The paper you chose is gorgeous also! Good job!

Amanda said...

Looks wonderful, a fantastic idea to use paper on the inside.

Anonymous said...

It looks gorgeous, nice work!

Anonymous said...

This turned out so pretty! Great idea to use wrapping paper inside!

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Very nice. I like the wrapping paper pattern, and the glazing looks great.

Hinna said...

You made this look so easy!!

Deborah March said...

BEAUTIFULLY done...must make you smile every time you see it!

Deborah ♥♥ (visiting happily from http://upcyclingmylife.blogspot.com/...hope you might stop by and say hi!)

Sarah Yoder said...

This is just beautiful! I have been wanting to use wall paper or fabric to cover the inside back of our hutch that is in my dining room for awhile now...thanks for the added inspiration!

Tigriswillreign said...

This is so uber-amazing!!! I love it so much!!

Erin said...

It looks classy!

South Bay Studio said...

Very creative, using wrapping paper. I love your choice of papers. I have a similar piece of furniture and you have given me some good ideas. Thanks so much,
Kathi

Robin Johnson said...

It turned out so nice. Well done.

Dyna said...

I love the gold in the paper, great job!

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Love how it came out- would love for you to come share this at Feathered Nest Friday sometime! :)

Artsy VaVa said...

Great makeover. It turned out beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Kathryn Ferguson Griffin said...

You did such a great job making her pretty! Found you via Bear Rabbit Bear. Toodles, Kathryn http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2011/10/chest.html

Kelly Innes said...

Definitely much better: I love it!

The mum of all trades said...

fabulous! you have inspired me to do up an old unit I have sitting around.

Melanie @ bear rabbit bear said...

This turned out so nice. Thanks for linking to Things I've Done Thursday.

Melanie
bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com

Diane said...

I love it! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Incredible transformation. I have a bookshelf yelling for his type of fix. Thanks for the inspiration!

~ Meredith From A Mother Seeking Come find me on my blog, A Mother Seeking...

Lizette said...

Hi! This is beautiful! I'm visiting from Tatertots and Jello and am so glad I did!

Courtney said...

It turned out AMAZING! I love the print you chose for the inside. Wow. I totally want one. Beautiful job!

Lauryn Ashli said...

this is sooo cute! i would love for you to link this post up to flashback fridays, a link party i have going on where bloggers can link up any post that reminds them of the word flashback! here is the link:
http://lovenotesbylauryn.blogspot.com/2011/10/flashback-friday-5-and-my-new-favorite.html
i would love to see you there!
{love} lauryn @ lovenotesbylauryn.blogspot.com

Diane said...

You inspired me so much that I did a makeover on a shelf too. Here's the link if you wanna take a peek! I linked back to you.
http://dianewingpurses.blogspot.com/2011/10/bookshelf-makeover.html

Nikki Monet said...

This is really very beautiful!! Newest follower stopping by from http://everything-underthemoon.blogspot.com Come by and give us a some time :)

Have a great weekend!!

Delightful Order said...

Hey there!
Just wanted to let you know you have been featured today.

http://delightfulorder.blogspot.com/2011/10/featuring-you-top-ten-from-100511.html

Stop by and grab a button for your blog.

DaNita

Decor & Harmony said...

Nice transformation I love the wrapping paper it really looks great!

Heather said...

That is way cool. Thanks for your comment on my soup.=) bellesbazaar-heather.blogspot.com

Vivienne @ the V Spot said...

That is super! A really nice re-do!
Here from Show Me What Ya Got.

Suffia said...

Wow! I absolutely love this. Great job!

Life With Lucy said...

You did such a great job! I love it! Thanks for sharing!

Krafty Max Originals said...

I wish I was that handy!!

Hop'n by from 'Creative Bloggers Party & Hop'. I'm following your blog now, wont you please come and follow me back?? ~KM

Krafty Max Originals

Sanghamitra Bhattacherjee(Mukherjee) said...

Fantastic post!It turned out great. You did a lovely job. Thanks for sharing.
Hope to see you on my blog:)

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