rescuing damaged furniture Archives - The Weekend Country Girl

Behr Paint with Primer, Coldspring, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture, rescuing damaged furniture, vintage style

1940’s Chest of Drawers

June 11, 2020June 11, 2020 Karen

Waaay back on December 30th Mr. Math and I headed off to collect a chest of drawers, vanity, and mirror. Somehow along the way I also picked up a lime green claw foot tub but that is a story for another day.

The furniture belonged to my friend’s grandparents and had been in a garage for 20 years and was showing what humidity can do to furniture over time. The veneer was coming off and the drawers were warped. The mirror is going to really need some attention down the road but it is a beauty. I had no idea when I picked up these pieces that shortly I would temporarily go back to work. As a principal. Then there was a pandemic. Then online learning, zoom meetings, virtual everything. The bedroom furniture got put on the back burner. I have been busy people. I promise. So the furniture moved from one garage to another.

I honestly thought that the chest of drawers would be too much work to save but that original folk art factory stenciling kept staring at me. I knew I would have to give saving at least some of it a try. I got busy stripping the veneer off. I had to get a steamer after parts of it but it came off and got sanded. I bought water based polyurethane hoping I could seal the drawers after cleaning them. The first coat was a disaster. The old varnish under the poly started bubbling up. I stopped after one coat thinking that this was all getting primed and painted. I went to bed thinking about that darn chest of drawers. The next morning I decided to try going over the bubbly varnish with steel wool and to my surprise it wasn’t horrible. It took four coats to get them looking decent. They still aren’t perfect but I am glad they were preserved. The top was totally stripped and sanded by my husband including all those wiggly grooves around the top drawer. I stained it all dark walnut

I am keeping this set for my guest room. The base of the chest of drawers was painted a warm white called cinnamon bun. I liked the original hardware patina so I kept the as is but will be spraying them with a sealer soon. I convinced my husband to stop moving it inside to take some pictures, but I still have some touch ups. I love how it turned out and look forward to having it in my home.

glazing, rescuing damaged furniture, Roadside Rescue, vintage style

Using the Restoration Hardware Finish to Fix a Problem

April 11, 2017April 11, 2017 Karen

A pile of tables were given to me. I know. I am so very lucky.

The table I worked on this weekend was the one at the back in this picture. I know I should have taken a better picture of the table, but in true form I just got in the mood to paint and jumped in. It is how I operate when a lot is going on. Paint first, think later.
The tables had been in a vacant house left by previous renters and this one was in pretty rough shape.
I fell in love with particular table because I have an identical one that is in great shape from my mom. My table is a family piece that I would get grounded if I painted. This one I am free to do what I want to.

I spray painted the legs with chalk spray paint I picked up at Walmart. I liked the paint but frankly it wasn’t worth the extra cost for the chalk finish. I should have just purchased flat white paint.

This table at one point sat under a leak and had water stains along with a water ring that just wouldn’t come out, even with sanding the finish off. I tried my darkest stain, Minwax Jacobean, and the stain still showed through. Bummer.

I knew I wanted the top of the table to be stained with the bottom painted, so I knew I needed a solution to my water problem. The solution was my Restoration Hardware Weathered Oak Finish for the top.

I figured out this finish through trial and error and have used it several times like here on the bathroom vanity in our suburban house

and here on the top and sides of the Funky Dresser

It is a finish that covers a lot of flaws and is almost foolproof. This finish is the most popular post on my blog, so I guess I am not alone in using the simple process.

Pickling Stain on top of the stained wood then wipe off in the direction of the wood grain almost immediately.

It always looks a little nasty at this point and every time I second guess my decision.

The next step is to apply a coat of Jacobean stain over the top.

Wipe off the excess stain with the grain and voila- the water rings disappear.

I sanded the paint slightly on the legs and will ne adding a clear protective finish to the top of the table once I am sure the stain has dried completely.

It turned out great and gave me the satisfaction of getting one project done this past weekend.

I don’t know where this table will end up, but I really think it is pretty.

I hope you were productive this last weekend,

Blessings,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, Country Style, Lake Livingston, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture, Repurposed Furniture, rescuing damaged furniture

A Bench From Bits and Parts

February 19, 2015February 19, 2015 Karen

Well operation trash to treasure went well this weekend. A year ago I bought four sets of headboards/ footboards for $12.00. One of them ended up on my front porch. One ended up as a gift for a friend.

The one that ended up being mine is partially assembled here. The others are in the background.

The last two have been hanging around the garage ever since. The double bed one was a mid century teak veneer headboard that had a broken leg and the twin set was mostly that not real wood, you know the stuff…sawdust and glue with contact paper on top covering it all, except the four bedposts which were cannon ball style solid wood spindles. It was the grossest piece of junk in the garage. Mold was even growing on the swollen wood like substance. Mr. Math has seriously asked to get rid of that particular set more than any other piece in the garage. I just kept thinking inspiration would strike.

Finally, it came to me…marry the best of both sets to make one bench.

The bench is going on our lake house front porch . It is going to be a functional seat to put on or take off shoes. No bells, no whistles, no arms… Just painted wood with stained slats for seats.

I came up with the idea of using the bed posts in the moldy set upside down as the legs of the mid century set. The curvy legs add to the straight lines and cutting the footboard in half horizontally allowed more of them to show.

I decided to do slats for two reasons; I like the way the stained slats look and leaving little gaps between them will allow for rain and dirt to fall through. Here they are all cut, sanded and ready for stain. Minwax Jacobean stain is my go-to stain for a dark color.

After staining this collection of mismatched boards from the scrap pile looks more uniform.

If you know me, then you know the steps to getting paint on a piece. Sand the flat places, use liquid deglosser on the curves and gooves, prime it all with Zinser primer.

I feel like I say this a lot lately but seriously, the weather is just not my friend right now. Here are photos of the 90% completed bench. I SOOOO very much wanted it to be out on the porch when the realtor showed up, but alas, no luck with the weather allowing me to finish.

Here are the photos of the bench all put together. There are two boards that need painting and it needs a good coat of Poly before going on the porch. This bench out of bits and parts will probably end up being one the most used benches we own. I am going to make rolling crated to go under it for shoes.

I would love hearing from you.

Have a great day,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, Blogging, Painted Furniture, painting, rescuing damaged furniture

Project Update

April 28, 2014April 28, 2014 Karen

I apologize for ignoring you all so long. I have been crazy busy at work and I have been steadily working on furniture at home but nothing spectacular. By spectacular I mean that mainly I have been painting end tables (four of them) and finally finished my third sewing cabinet to beverage station. It has been hard work, and very satisfying, but I know that most of you will not be that interested. It feels sort of been there, done that. I have already told you all how I paint stuff and walked you through the process of turning a sewing cabinet into a beverage station. Here are some pictures of the current work:

The color is Behr Intoxication. It is a bright kiwi color, but the photos look Limey.

If you want the DIY on this project, here it is Beverage Station

I was given an antique wash stand that was in pretty rough shape. Here it is after I already stripped the top.

Silly me. I don’t have my picture from when we brought it home. This is going to be a gift for a friend.

My friend chose yellow for the washstand. I chose Behr Bicycle Yellow.

Here is the remade version.

I am also working on another mid century modern piece. The headboard will go with night stand that is done and upcoming dresser.

Here is the night stand.

The headboard is going to be a mix of sea salt white and stain just like the night stand.

So far I have it sanded, painted, and ready for stain… Once I finish cleaning up the places where it bled under the tape. Grrr.

This week I will have a couple of projects completed that are fun, easy and a little different. I am picking up some fun stuff tonight and will have to ask your opinion on one of the projects.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the warmer weather.

Blessings,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, collecting, Repurposed Furniture, rescuing damaged furniture, Roadside Rescue, The Garagemahal

The Things I Do Not Throw Away

April 2, 2014April 3, 2014 Karen

This weekend we cut up some double bed foot boards and turned them into arms for benches. That meant that parts of the foot boards had to be removed.

Some people would have thrown the cut off parts away.

Let’s face it, some people would have thrown the double beds away. Since I was able to pick up all five of these beds for a total of $77.00, they are not very valuable these days, but I digress.

Back to the stuff I don’t throw away. I keep all the solid wood pieces cut off and try to reuse them. Here is a sample of the things I had laying around the Garagemahal this weekend:

I never, ever, throw away a chair or table leg.

I have even been known to rescue legs out of trash cans. At garage sales.

But look what they become: Building a bench from table legs.

I don’t throw away solid wood boards. I keep it and it always seems to find a purpose. These old fence boards became my reclaimed wood wall. This was cedar wood taken down and headed for the landfill.

It turned into this: Reclaimed wood wall

I don’t throw away drawers or even drawer fronts if the drawer is shot because I have used them for a lot of projects. Here is my sweet daughter in law’s Christmas gift to her buddies last year:

I do not throw away hardware. Hinges, knobs, handles, and even screws get saved. It may not work on the current project, but it has been my experience that I will need something as soon as I get rid of it. I even buy odd hardware at garage sales and thrift stores.

I also don’t throw away cut off sections of anything that was solid wood. This section of a door we cut off to make a headboard became a coat rack in my office.

I am not sure what I will be doing with the sections of headboard I saved… Do you have any suggestions?

I also save wood. Because we save every usable scrap, even scrap from building sites and out at heavy trash pick up, we don’t have to buy as much new wood. I love reclaimed wood and will keep every scrap until it is too small to save.

Paint gets used down to the last drop. I love buying oops paint when I can, but I am pretty picky about my paint (Behr paint with primer), so I do buy a lot full price and it is expensive. It gets treated like it is, too. I make sure the lids are sealed and try not to waste. When I am trying out a color, I always buy the sample first to make sure I love it.

I am not alone in the saving. When I visited Jeff at Facelift Furniture, he had this whole storage unit full of bits and parts. I have a feeling that most furniture repurposes are savers of spare parts.

I guess I am a hoarder. My husband accused me of being one this weekend when I was digging the spindles we removed from the trash can. I prefer to think I am doing my part to save the environment. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

DIY, DIY Projects, Repurposed Furniture, resale finds, rescuing damaged furniture, Thrifting

A Benchy Weekend Ahead

March 26, 2014March 28, 2014 Karen

Well now that my third antibiotic seems to be killing the super nasty bacteria that moved in and won’t leave, I am ITCHING, dying, ready to get some work done this weekend. We have 4, count em’ f-o-u-r, headboard/footboards to turn into benches (one of them may become a swing) this weekend. I figure “In for a penny, in for a pound.” No way we will get to painting, but I am hopeful we will get the benches constructed. I am busy looking for inspiration for my benches. Here are a few of my favorite sites with awesome tutorials.

For the swin I found the Rustic Pig. I am loving this one. It only uses a headboard and not a footboard so I have to see if I have one that will work for this.
http://www.therusticpig.com/2013/06/16/summer-back-porch-headboard-swing/

Gail at My Repurposed Life is a master at repurposing beds into benches. I got the idea to turn the dresser into a bench from her. I love that she took the time to write me when I mentioned her inspiration. Her site has a number of different headboard benches so there is a lot of inspiration.

http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2009/09/headboard-bench-tutorial.html

Brittany at Pretty Handy Girl has a great site with simple instructions. I love her blog header : empowering you to complete your own DIY project. Thanks, Brittany for the great drawings and pictures.

http://www.prettyhandygirl.com/2010/07/turning-craigs-list-bed-frame-into.html

As I said, we have four headboards. I just counted and we have FIVE. Shhhh. I am going to see if Hubby reads this to see that I have more than I thought. I bought one set over a year ago for $25.00 but can’t find a photo, I got the three below stacked all together for $12.00. One of them is my favorite. It is a curvy vintage double bed that will make a cool and very comfortable bench.

Hard to believe there are three future benches in this pile of wood huh? The curvy one is mine. I just love it. It is going to be either rustic red or black. Feel free to chime in on the color. The twin is going to my friend, Trenda. Final one may become the swing. I think it will work for what we want.

This bed is going to be a bench for my buddy Norma. I bought this one at Canton. I liked the look and the solid back. It is going to be a beautiful rustic red when done and have stained slatted seat I am very excited this one.
.

This one is going to my buddy Shahana. We found this one at the HAAR (Humble Area Assistance Resources) thrift store for $10.00. I will show you the awesome chicken she painted for me on my Facebook page this week. Be watching for it FB friends.
I think I just counted and we may have six future benches. We will see if my husband actually reads this post. If so, I think I could be in trouble.

family, Painted Furniture, painting, Repurposed Furniture, rescuing damaged furniture

Team Dean End Table

February 3, 2014February 4, 2014 Karen

I bought this homely 1950’s end table at my favorite resale shop because it was wood, and $5.00. I did not need this table, but I knew it would find a home. I did say it was $5.00 right?

The very evening I brought this beauty home I read a request for green colored items to auction for the medical expenses of a friend’s brother in law. Dean has nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver and is in dire need of a liver transplant. He has come close a couple of times but right now he is fighting an infection and has been in a coma 23 days. The medical costs are astronomical. You can read more about Team Dean Here.

A year ago I repainted an old end table dropped off at my house “Happy Camper” green by Behr. It went to live with my friend Robin and has been very popular on Pinterest. I liked it so much that I painted myself a green buffet table when we moved into our new home. I knew the homely end table would be “Happy Camper” with walnut stained tops. Happy Camper is a color that reminds me of spring, and new life, something Dean needs right now.

I have learned a thing or two about tables in the last year. I am not afraid to take them apart to sand, stain, or paint. If it is screwed together, it can be unscrewed for easier refinishing. This one fought me, but Hubby stepped in and got the last two screws out for me. I was ready to get out the hack saw!

Here is the top removed and sanded.

The top of both parts got sanded and repaired. There were a few cracks, dings and scratches. I love this wood filler. It is sort of a putty that fills in all the cracks and can be stained one it is dry.

After everything was sanded. It got stained with Minwax Dark Walnut. It took two coats of stain to get it dark enough for my taste.
The legs and sides got two coats of green, then a brown glaze, then three coats of polyurethane, and new (re-purposed) drawer knobs.(Check a local ReStore for hardware. It can be painted. These knobs were shiny brass before they were sprayed oil rubbed bronze.)

I used liquid sand on the legs and sides of the table then I slapped on a coat of the paint. It has primer in it and because it is a darker color that is going to have brown glaze over the top I did not prime the wood first. After my messy coat of paint went on, a quick sanding smoothed off any ridges.

I really like how this ugly duckling transformed. I hope it makes some money for Team Dean. If you are interested in buying it now, send me a message and I will donate the money then make a second one for the event.

It was not all fun and games at Star Hill this weekend. It was our first trip back to the lake with our rescue we named Lumi. (Snow in Finnish). It rained A LOT. We had one bored ten month old high energy puppy.

Sunday morning I found one of my paintbrushes had been destroyed. it is what I get for leaving it where it could be reached.

Who wouldn’t forgive a face like this?

Behr Paint with Primer, Chair, family, glazing, master bedroom, new home, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture, rescuing damaged furniture, Rubbish Rescue, Thrifty decorating, vintage style

A Chair With History

September 30, 2013September 30, 2013 Karen

I for sure, one hundred percent get my junking tendencies from them. Both my parents are the use it up, make it last, only throw it away as a last resort type. They were green before it was trendy. My mom reuses her zip lock bags because using them only once would be wasteful. My dad also tends to be a junk collector like me. Recently I have been able to use a few of his finds. I now have this awesome work table under the porch at the Garagemahal because he found the resturant table legs. I have this amazing buffet table because he picked this wood up out of the trash, and now I have a reading chair in my bedroom.

Of course she has a story. It involves a scary old house, a copperhead snake, and a cane.

My dad purchased some property a while back with a house on it that is literally falling down. I have been the recipient of this amazing window from there.

The house has not been lived in for 50 years. While looking around the house from the outside dad saw a chair that had been abandoned. He asked me if I wanted it. Heck yeah. I didn’t even have to ask any more. A chair that was junk 50 years ago and still is around today was at least worth looking at. My mom and dad climbed up in the old house to get the chair. Quite a feat since my dad had recently had back surgery and was on a cane. As they walked across the room of the house toward the chair a copperhead stuck its head up between the boards, according to my dad, my mom took off and left my dad to fend it off with his cane. We have a history with copperheads at our house

. My Hubby almost died from a bite at Star Hill a few years ago so we have great respect… and a score to settle.

: English: Copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen at Louisville Zoo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dad made short order of the snake and managed to bring home the chair. The chair wasn’t much to look at. Okay, she was a total wreck. But I liked her low slung style. She is definitely from the 1940’s. The total opposite of the sleek modern style of the 50’s. Thick and chunky and close to the ground. She was broken on the back but nothing a little Gorilla glue and screws and Hubby couldn’t correct. This piece has really for real worm holes. You know how they try to replicate the tiny pin holes in furniture? This old lady got hers the hard way. My brother brought the chair to us and she looked even worse than I remembered. You could literally take pieces of it off with your hands because the pegs holding the chair together had shrunk to the point they weren’t holding. Hubby had to put it back together like a Tinker Toy set.

See the dots on the arm below? Those are the for real wood worm holes that people try to replicate.

I found a cushion that fit perfectly in Target’s patio clearance section. $7.00 for this all in. It was originally much more expensive. I have no idea why it was marked down so much. I love that. Perfect color for the room with the updated lamps, and my newly built bench. The cushion fit the chair upside down. The part that should be the back is the seat.

I am just going to stick in some pictures of the process here, but I am sure it would put you to sleep to see how many weeks this old girl was in the process of gluing, clamping drilling etc.

I stained the arms dark walnut and I painted the body of the chair Behr Powdered Snow with a brown glaze.

Didn’t she turn out pretty? I am going to love sitting in the chair by the window reading. It is a real curl up in chair.

Curbside rescue, home decorating, master bedroom, new home, Painted Furniture, Repurposed Furniture, rescuing damaged furniture, Roadside Finds, The bedroom, Thrifty decorating, upholstery

A Bench for the Foot of the Bed

September 19, 2013September 21, 2013 Karen

This project has been a long time in the works. A year ago, before I even considered moving to the burbs, I literally picked up these legs out of the trash at a garage sale. (I did ask first.) They once were legs for a side table and were solid wood.

I did not have a plan for them but they were too nice to be trashed.

When we moved into our new house I knew I would want a bench at the end of our bed. The room is big and I love having a place to sit and put on shoes in the bedroom. I stalled on completing this project because I am trying to keep the cost down in decorating our room. I am way over budget in the den and guest room. (Like double my $100.00 per room budget in both rooms.) Before starting the bench I had spent about $80.00 on the master bedroom and I still have a few things to do. The holdup was upholstery foam. It is expensive. Crazy expensive. The foam for the mudroom bench tufted cushion was $32.00. A friend of my daughter told me she bought foam on Amazon, but it was still going to be $20.00 with shipping.

A trip to Ikea solved the problem. Have you ever been in the “As is” section of an Ikea? It is a great place to find what you didn’t even know you were looking for. Table legs, cabinet doors, scratch and dent furnishings, hardware…the place is fun to look around in for the unexpected. I found a huge cushion for a couch or chair marked $5.00. Plenty big enough for my bench.

I sliced the thickness of the foam in half using an electric knife then used spray adhesive to attach it to a scrap of plywood pulled from the hoard and cut to fit, added a layer of batting then wrapped an old sheet around the foam and attached it to the plywood with my staple gun. This step keeps the foam in place and smooth while the upholstery is being attached. It has been so long on this project that I could not find a photo of the cushion or the big slice job. I will keep looking.

In order above: sheet on bottom, then a layer of batting, then foam, then plywood

Hubby built a frame for the bench base and attached the legs with thumb screws. The frame and legs got painted a couple coats of Behr Revival Mahogany.

This is a cool tool. It holds the wood at a 90 degree angle so you can attach the parts.

Here it was while we were fitting the bench top on the base. It looks like we did not have it on evenly.

The upholstery brings a little color into the room. it was $15.00 for two yards. Well it looks like I am going to go over on this room also, but not by much. The bench ended up costing $22.00. Not bad.

I love how this looks.

I really want to paint the wall behind our bed a darker color. I believe it is going to be Garden Wall by Behr.

Here she is in all her beauty. Hubby wanted some color in the room. I think this fills the bill.

Behr Paint with Primer, Coldspring, Curbside rescue, DIY Furniture, Painted Furniture, rescuing damaged furniture, Thrifting, using bright colors

Buffet Table With History

July 23, 2013July 23, 2013 Karen

The best time to shop for anything at a resale shop or an auction is when no one else is willing to be out shopping. If you want the best deals go when it is raining, early in the morning or, like we just did, when it is blazing hot. It was 102 on the truck thermometer and we were pooped after a day of shopping when I spied this table sitting outside a charity resale shop. It had just been delivered and heat waves were radiating off the black asphalt where it was sitting. The table was marked $60.00.

I walked around inside the store for a little while then asked the lady at the register what she would take for the table. To my surprise she said it was too hot and heavy to bring in so if we wanted it we could have it for $20.00. Sold.

I really only wanted the legs of the table, but both Hubby and I were surprised at the quality of the table as it was loaded. I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it. I ~~need~~ want a buffet table at the end of our breakfast room. I have been secretly jealous of my friend Robin’s green end table with a stained top so the color was obvious…well to me it was. We worked on getting the base and table top cut from the original table, but it was just so new and commercial looking. Yes, I am one of those people who like a room to look collected, not bought as a set. I feel the same about furniture. I want unique, original and character. Hubby and I sat in the Garagemahal looking at the piece when it came to my husband. Use the wood from my dad. the plank has been sitting in the hoard over a year. It is heart pine and full of character. I love that my dad saved it from a trash pile at the place where he worked for 30 years. According to my dad the wood was used as a drafting table in the shop of Gulf States Utilities. He said it was built in the 40’s and was already old when he started there in 1960. A quick measurement let us know that it would work. Yay! It needed a quick cut down to the sides to make it fit, a rub down with mineral spirits to clean it, and a coat of poly. Nothing else.It will live in our house proudly. I love wood with history.

The color is a little richer than Behr’s Happy Camper, because I needed it to match my fabric on the chairs in the breakfast area. I chose Behr’s Jungle Trail.

One coat of Bona Floor Poly on this was enough to bring out the shine but not make it too glossy.

I love those nail holes.

It is hard to photograph a green piece of furniture at Star Hill. I had to move it to the gravel road to allow it to show up.

Lots of work took place on this old wood. I love that my dad saved it from the trash pile and held on to it for more than 10 years before I got it. It looks amazing.

It was so well made that the two pieces of wood match perfectly. We thought it was one piece of wood until we got it cleaned up.