You’ve seen pictures of this stuck-in-the-70s-orange piece that serves as our bar.

It’s been around for at least 2 years, but I finally bit the bullet and painted it. I’m not quite sure what the hold up was…I guess because even though I hated the color, the finish was fairly decent so it just took the back burner while I tackled more “I need help RIGHT NOW” projects. Of course I considered all my standby colors for this piece like white and oil rubbed bronze, but in the end I decided to go a little crazy and used a color I’ve been dying to try.

A sophisticated purple.

This is Sherwin Williams Plum Brown. I swear I haven’t lost my head or ignored my own advice about neutral furniture. I figured, it’s easy to repaint later on if I get tired of it…unlike a red sofa. Here’s a little secret I’ve just discovered: The $5 color tester quarts at Sherwin Williams are a great deal to do a piece of furniture :)

I lightly sanded the buffet, then applied two coats of Kilz waterbased primer followed by 3 coats of paint. After some light distressing, here’s what she looked like:

Then I applied a glaze using Minwax Dark Walnut (the same color I used on my paper bag floors). Using a foam brush, I brushed on the stain then quickly wiped it off with a rag. On a paint color this dark, it basically just warms it up a bit. After it dried, I went back with some medium grit sandpaper over the edges.

To finish it off, I tried a product I’d never used before but it’s quickly climbing the list of things I’m obsessed with.

You basically rub it on with a rag, wait 10 minutes for it to dry, then buff it off with a clean rag. It yields a wonderfully hand rubbed satiny sheen that is completely different than any poly I’ve used. I LOVE IT. I might be waxing everything in my house. Well, the furniture at least. Before I reveal the finished look, let’s check out a before shot.


Wow, that’s blinding! Alright, now the fresh and funky after:

It’s hard to see the character of the distressing in the photos, so here’s a closer shot.

I gave it new knobs (well, recycled from the downstairs bathroom vanity and painted oil rubbed bronze).

So what’s the verdict? Too crazy? Just right? Have you ever used a risky color on a piece of furniture?

 

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14 Responses

  1. Kim

    I think it looks amazing! That purple color is really pretty and adds a great bit of color without being too bright and in your face. I think it was a great choice for this redo. Well done!

    Reply
  2. Jaclyn

    I think the color is great! It has just enough brown it it not not be bam purple! And another thing that I noticed that I love! How you store your coffee for your coffeepot! A little drawer right underneath it! They fit perfectly and have such a pretty display!

    Reply
    • Lovely Crafty Home

      Jaclyn- we LOVE that drawer (although I have moved the keurig to the kitchen counter). My mother-in=law bought it for us for Christmas and it’s AWESOME! They are hard to find, but I think she got it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

      Reply
  3. Tanya @ Make The Best Of What's Around

    That turned out fabulous! I’m gonna have to try some of your tips! I’m planning on doing a kitchen table makeover. What would you suggest for a finish over a stained table? By the way, I love that purple. Not overpowering, yet colorful :)

    Reply
    • Lovely Crafty Home

      Tanya- I just did my table also (you’ll see that this week too!) and I used the paste wax on it as well. Miss Mustard Seed has some great info on furniture refinishing, do you know of her blog? http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/. She uses wax all the time, which is what prompted me to try it. I have used poly on a table before (my old set, seen here: http://www.lovelycraftyhome.com/2010/07/02/fresh-faced/). You just have to be careful with brush marks and of course the drying time is WAY longer than wax. For my new table, I wanted more of a rustic look, so I opted for the low gloss sheen of the wax. I find even satin poly is much more shiny than the wax. But it’s all personal preference! Good luck with your set!

      Reply
  7. Amy @ this DIY life

    Love it! It looks fabulous. I totally agree that paint can *always* be changed!
    Arent’ those S-W testers the best too? I have a closet shelf full of them (and a problem with collecting paint evidently). We used one to paint an entire bathroom (https://thisdiylife.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/surpise-surprise/). Granted it’s a teeny tiny bathroom and it doesn’t have a topcoat but it really gave us the full picture for painting when we were deciding on a color. Maybe in the next year we’ll get the real paint put on the walls.

    Reply
  8. heymudda

    You are amazing as always. Purple – who would have thunk it! The color and the instructions are “user friendly” for any one who is new to the world of refinsihing furniture. Love your site and Miss Mustard Seed too!

    Reply
  11. pat

    I really like hour your buffet turned out. Really pretty sheen to it. I will have to find something to try the wax on.

    Pat

    Reply

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