Sign Redux

Continuing with another project with materials on hand...we've had this mass produced Beaujolais sign for a while that came over from my boyfriend's house when we moved.  Not so great looking, it provided a great base for something more personal to our family as it has routed edges and slot on the back for hanging.

These can sometimes be found in thrift stores or a scrap piece of lumber would work.  Using a paint and primer in one, it got two coats of white paint.  While the paint was still wet, I wiped off the edges with a damp paper towel to reveal the dark border of the original print.  Once dry I also lightly sanded the edges as well.  A bit of black, brown, and burnt sienna paint to the edges, applied with a damp paper towel, help further define the edges.

I painted 'No. 23' as 23 is a meaningful number for us.  It is my birth day, my nephew's birth day, Michael Jordan's number, the list goes on!  Once dry, I sanded the front to distress the newly painted black letters.

Super simple and I love it added to our eclectic wall in the kitchen!

Scrap Pile Stool

Itching to just make something this Mothers' Day, I pulled out some scraps and leftover materials that I always seem to hoard from projects.  I call this the Scrap Pile Stool as it is literally made entirely from scraps.  Even the paint is from the discount mis-tint shelf at the hardware store (quart of Benjamin Moore Aura in white for $5 - yes please)!

I've actually envisioned making a stool with these legs for a while.  These are the bottom parts of the legs we cut off a thrifted end table to make our ottoman (great tut here at Design Sponge) a few years ago.  You could also use wooden furniture legs that are sold at stores like Home Depot, or even metal hairpin legs.

After two coats of white paint, I sanded the legs with 150 grit sandpaper to give them a older, distressed look, sanding more paint off on parts of the curves that would have received the most wear.

Legs? Check!

The top of the stool is just a piece of scrap wood.  To be sure the legs were attached evenly to the top, I marked the center of each leg and drilled a pilot hole.  Then, I figured how close to each corner a leg should be, and marked that on the top.  Where the lines intersect, I drilled a pilot hole as well, then attached the legs with screws.

ta-da!

I wanted the padding on the stool to have a soft rounded appearance, so I first glued a narrow rectangle of foam to the wood top, then glued foam the same size as the top over that.  A thick layer of batting went over the top and stapled to the sides, not the bottom, of the top.  Stapling the batting to the sides reduces bulk when adding the fabric and provides a clean line.

Continuing with the theme of leftovers, I had just one large piece of drop cloth left from this project.  To make it more interesting, and to connect the stool with the drop cloth upholstered chairs, I added a row of blue stitching to mimic a vintage grain sack.

The crooked rows are charming!

This is really easy to do.  Fold the fabric in half so the fold is where the stitching row will go.  Iron the fold.  The crease will be the marker for the stitching.  I like sewing one row right down the middle, and then a row on either side.  Align the outside edge of the presser foot to the center row, and sew another row on either side.  These last two rows are 1/4 inch from the center.  There can be as many rows as suits your fancy and can be used to customize pillows, tea towels, napkins, etc.


To ensure evenly taunt upholstery, staple down the center of each side first and then work around the stool evenly.

To be sure the center stripe was even, I marked the center of the short sides and lined up the stripe to that mark.  Drop cloth also unravels easily so I folded the raw edges under.

 

Finally, a row of upholstery tacks completes the look.

 

 Not bad for a bunch of scraps and a couple hours!

Ciré Rempli Desk

I was given Christophe Pourny's new book, The Furniture Bible, as a Christmas gift (and I love it!).  One of the techniques I was most drawn to is ciré rempli, which involves rubbing a slurry of wax, pumice powder, and alcohol into the wood resulting in a finish that is rich but not too glossy.

I decided to try it out on our well worn and wobbly desk.  This little desk was a victim of a poor refinishing job.  Sections of finish were raised and bumpy like it was applied by sponge painting.

Orange-y color.

Bumpy and worn finish.

 The drawer, which admittedly we over filled, stuck and didn't slide smoothly.

Beat up drawer.

The first step was to strip the old finish off and sand until smooth, up to 220 grit sandpaper.  I also re-glued some loose joints.

Sanded and ready for stain.

Applying the water-based stain the ciré rempli technique calls for was tricky.  I suggest practicing on scrap wood if you've never worked with it.  I had only used oil-based stain previously, and I wish I'd practiced first.  It came out fine in the end, but I found the water-based stain didn't have as long of an open time as oil-based, and was less forgiving.  It took two coats, but was already looking better in its new mahogany color!

First coat of stain.

The rest of the ciré rempli technique involves working in layers of wax, pumice stone, and alcohol.  Ultimately, I am really happy with how the finish turned out, but I don't think I did it completely correctly.  I used too little of the wax, and so in some areas I rubbed through it with the alcohol dampened pad.  But, the best part about this technique is that it is easily fixed and doesn't require removal of the first application.  In fact, its whole point is to build up layers of wax.

The final result is wonderful!  Almost glass-like to the touch, it has a much more subtle sheen than a polyurethane finish.  Antique pulls complete the look.  They are mismatched but I like that, for now.

To solve the issues with the drawer, I rubbed a block of beeswax on the underside of the drawer that comes in contact with the guides on the inside of the desk.  It certainly helps and can be reapplied as needed.  To help corral our clutter, I added balsa wood dividers.  These aren't glued in, just cut to be snug, so this is reversible.  The bottom of the drawer is lined with a pretty fabric.

Ahhh...organization!

New (old) hardware.

Latest thrift score - brass task lamp.

One more look at the before...

Finished!

This is a project I am so excited to share and its a long post!  We found this pair of chairs at a tag sale not long after moving to California.  I hadn't yet restored anything really and David thought I was crazy.  These chairs had been stored in a basement and were covered in cat hair, the upholstery was shredded, and there were cat scratches and bite marks on the arm details.  However, they were also a steal because of the damage.

 

We brought them home and got to work removing the old fabric and foam.  We were finding staples in our living room for months!  That was the easy part.  The finish on the show wood was flaking and did not showcase the wood or the intricate carvings.  Despite its poor condition, the finish was so difficult to remove requiring multiple applications of heavy duty stripper, AND we had to use toothpicks to get in the carvings. I stained it in a darker tone and finished with polyurethane.

Because I was new at this, I decided to restore one chair entirely before moving onto the second.  I upholstered it in a green brocade fabric but I was not thrilled that I couldn't get the interior of the back smooth.  I found the stripping and upholstery so trying that I needed a break before tackling the second. 

Six years later...I decided it was time to complete this project.  But, my aesthetic had changed and I wanted to replicate the look of french hemp linen or a vintage grain sack, which I use elsewhere in my living room.  I adapted the instructions from Miss Mustard Seed and bleached two large cotton/poly blend drop cloths from Home Depot.  Although some people report that they can come out blotchy, mine lightened to a lovely ecru. 

My first challenge was to figure out how to get rid of the wrinkles and gathers of the inside of the back.  I eventually reconfigured how the foam sits within the back and used three panels of fabric.  This allowed me to add two vertical rows of double welting.

Another advantage to using such inexpensive and readily available fabric was that I could be really generous with my cuts.  I stapled on oversized panels of the fabric, and then used a rotary cutter to cut it precisely to the staple line.  It ruined the rotary blade, but hey, they are replaceable!  It was much easier to stretch and mold the fabric around the curves with so much excess.

Making double welted piping is about the easiest thing to do on a sewing machine with a double welt sewing foot.  I prefer it over gimp.  It is adhered with hot glue. 

The final detail, which I love, is the row of blue stitching on the back reminiscent of those vintage grain sacks that inspired these chairs.

 

From this...

 to this...

A perfectly imperfect chair...

This chair was another side of the road find.  Although it was in sad, sad condition (ugh that seat) it is so solidly built with joinery that still in perfect shape.  This chair did not deserve to go to a landfill, it just needed a makeover!

Lousy cell phone pic - but it really looked this bad!

At one time, it had been painted and it had been mostly stripped of its paint by someone.  Thank goodness as I'm not sure I would have had patience for those spindles.  There was damage to the top of the back where the center had broken away.  Because the top of the back was a mirror image of the bottom back, I was able to make a template and cut a new piece of wood that is joined and glued to the top back.

Patching the damaged seat back - masking tape can made a great "clamp" for difficult spots.

After a thorough sanding that removed the last residual paint and some discoloration, this chair was stained with a gel stain in hickory, and finished with two coats of a satin wipe-on polyurethane.  It now has a subtle glow and hand rubbed finished. 

The gross layers of previous upholstery were removed, and a thick seat pad was added over the original seat.  The fabric is from Nate Berkus's home decor line. I like the rustic farmhouse quality of the chair paired with the clean modernism of the fabric.  

This is a piece that shows its age but in the best possible way - it is perfectly imperfect as only aged, rustic, and solidly built furniture can be!