Sam’s minor furniture forays
Discussion
Folks,
For a while now I’ve been tinkering with various items of furniture. I’m not a skilled craftsman but I enjoy improving small pieces. Partly it’s a hobby, but also since cash flow isn’t brilliant at the moment so I end up with rather more exciting furniture than the usual flat pack merchants.
Past project was this engineer’s drawers. Not really finished since I still need to replace a few drawer runners and find replacement handles (haven’t seen anything exact), but it’s a big improvement from its previous battered black self in my mums garage. There’s just a nice patina to them.
I’ve recently been looking for a pair of bedside cabinets. I loved the Inky Blue coloured ones from Cotswold, but costing nearly £400 a pair and with a long lead time it wasn’t an option.
(Similar to these)
So, with the old trusty Facebook marketplace I looked and found these locally, up for £50. Old Creamery, so decent quality, with a solid oak top.
Bingo! Bought for £45.
Ready to go…
Ready for paint…
I’m going to keep the handles as they are, and paint the fronts and sides in an inky blue colour. Probably will just clean up the insides of the drawers, and will get some funky lining paper.
Any suggestions on
1. Furniture paint. I want a nice smooth matt/silk finish but find that most of the paints tend to be quite chalky, any ideas?
2. The top. I’ve previously waxed oak with good results, but do you think I’ll be able to get a durable finish with a few coats, that’ll put up with coffee cups and the like?!
For a while now I’ve been tinkering with various items of furniture. I’m not a skilled craftsman but I enjoy improving small pieces. Partly it’s a hobby, but also since cash flow isn’t brilliant at the moment so I end up with rather more exciting furniture than the usual flat pack merchants.
Past project was this engineer’s drawers. Not really finished since I still need to replace a few drawer runners and find replacement handles (haven’t seen anything exact), but it’s a big improvement from its previous battered black self in my mums garage. There’s just a nice patina to them.
I’ve recently been looking for a pair of bedside cabinets. I loved the Inky Blue coloured ones from Cotswold, but costing nearly £400 a pair and with a long lead time it wasn’t an option.
(Similar to these)
So, with the old trusty Facebook marketplace I looked and found these locally, up for £50. Old Creamery, so decent quality, with a solid oak top.
Bingo! Bought for £45.
Ready to go…
Ready for paint…
I’m going to keep the handles as they are, and paint the fronts and sides in an inky blue colour. Probably will just clean up the insides of the drawers, and will get some funky lining paper.
Any suggestions on
1. Furniture paint. I want a nice smooth matt/silk finish but find that most of the paints tend to be quite chalky, any ideas?
2. The top. I’ve previously waxed oak with good results, but do you think I’ll be able to get a durable finish with a few coats, that’ll put up with coffee cups and the like?!
Finished! Thanks for all the tips. Bona Mega lacquer is lovely, really easy to apply. I’ve put 3 layers of that on the top, sanded between each, and it’s now got a lovely durable sheen. £20/litre
Found the exact shade of paint I wanted in the local DIY store, Johnstones furniture paint. 3 coats of that. Again, a nice silk finish. Didn’t want the chalky look. £12
Finished off with custom pewter handles from Etsy. £25.
Total spend is about £80. Happy with that
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff