Buffet Redo Complete

Last Saturday my vintage-junk-pickin' buddy Julie joined me in dabbling with

Annie Sloan chalk paints. 

Julie is a long time furniture restorer and does awesome redos.  Neither of us had tried Annie Sloan paints till now.  Like so many, we were skeptical of the Annie Sloan claim that no prep work is necessary with her chalk paints... no sanding... no stripping...

get real Annie!  

Well, her claim to fame chalk paint did not fail us.  I washed the originally-varnished wood with mild soapy water, rinsed and let it dry.  We did not strip or sand any of the original finish.  We simply painted it on and were amazed how quickly it dried.

Later after Julie left I applied the 2nd coat of paint.  I let the 2nd coat of paint cure overnight.  The next morning I used a little bit of 180 sandpaper for distressing and then hand-rubbed a layered of clear wax.  My sweet hubby helped with the wax - that hand rubbing gets tiresome.

Originally I wanted to retain the original wood top, but ended up painting it due to a damaged corner.  The corner was repaired & painted - you can't tell it was ever damaged. 

Buffet before photos showing veneer repairs

Julie & me

Painted & drying

My finished buffet redo!

I gave myself a pat on the back as I think my first big piece of furniture redo turn out beautifully!

Thanks to Julie & Larry for their help and inspiration!