Our first side table up cycle!!

It's been really hard to pick up old pieces of furniture to up-cycle in Christchurch for a reasonable price. I came across a great little occasion table off trade me from Nurse Maude which seem to have great bargains all the time (don't auction battle me).  It's summer here in New Zealand and I really want to make the most of the great weather we are having - especially because it stays warm for so long in Canterbury.



This piece was something really different for me as I had never played around with edging.  I am useless with a fine brush so decided to go for an Elmers Gold Painters pen from Bunnings, this pen is fantastic I chose the medium as I didn't need a sharp edge and could use the shape of the piece to cut in to. 



When I first saw the table I knew it deserved something classy that could be used in any space so I went straight to my Voodoo Molly Vintage paint colour swatch to choose something - Georgia my trusty colour consultant was a huge help again and we chose charcoal and damn im happy with it!! The beauty of this paint is that it hides any imperfections, so if you have a piece that you are looking at up-cycling take a look at their paint colour - they even have handy tutorials on how to use their paints (tell them Mooch Style recommended you). 



This piece needed no sanding, no touch ups just a few quick coats of the charcoal vintage paint and then down to the trimming of the gold, I SLOWLY painted the edges first and then filled in the middle.  Its really important you let the gold paint dry thoroughly before touching up as it needs time to key in.



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This week we had the opportunity to use a new paint. I picked up a table for $1.50 off TradeMe last week so was perfect for testing.

Voodoo Molly Vintage Paint
You will be shocked at how little preparation and expertise is needed to transform your shabby and tired furniture into custom bespoke pieces.

No stripping, no undercoat and no wax formula will make your next project fuss free and full of character. The first thing I noticed was how amazing the colour range were for up cycles, the paint is EXTREMELY easy to apply and has great coverage.

The desk I up cycled was painted using Classic white and Duck egg blue.  These colours look so nice together and I am really impressed with both colours (that never happens).

If you are worried about using a brush vs spray I recommend you tubing a few techniques - or look out on VMV's website for workshops.

I think it's fair to say that this is my new favourite paint.  The piece is sitting in our office 2 weeks on and I am just so happy with the freshness of the colours and how its not streaky.

For your next project give Voodoo Molly a go - you won't be disappointed!

www.voodoomolly.nz

We picked this gem up from TradeMe today for $2.00!!!

We went with a Matt black top and plasticoted it so it doesn't damage when cleaned.

The legs were going to be white but when you peel away the tape you never know what it's going to look like - this time the original stained wood looked great.

To achieve this affect all you have to do is tape the section that you want original or to do later off. I always use newspaper and tape it just down from the original tape line to save on tape.  I sanded the top back as it was a bit rough but left the grooves of the woodgrain to give it a masculine look.


Black and Wood paired look great together, they can be added to a mans room or used as we have here to add a great effect to a room. If you are using in a lighter room decorate as we have here so it doesn't darken a space, if you are matching with blacks to achieve a more masculine look I would add blacks and stainless steels.

Nesting tables, everyones grand parents had them (probably still do).  They are the table that we often think are a bit nasty because if the treatments to the wood and the fact that your nana paired them with lovely doilies and the 1970s lamp which had a really dodgy light switch.

With a bit of creativity and patience you can create a piece that the shops no longer sell, Nesting tables will not date, they will always have that place in your heart and add a focal point to a room. Because of the style they will be universal with which ever paint type you choose: Minimalist Luxe - Pastels, Modern contemporary - High Gloss, Boho Chic - Flat and chalk paint.

I have wanted to up cycle a set of nesting tables in this style for a while but the prices on trademe and in thrift shops in NZ are ridiculous. My friends have quite the collection of furniture from generations of falling in love with certain pieces and then storing when a new piece was introduced.  So they kindly gifted me these to put my up cycling powers to work.

Originally I thought that a Pale blue with original brown would work - it didn't!  Furniture up cycling can be a challenge at the best of times because you really have to think about which colours work together and then if they will work with the style of the pieces and of course fit into your home (a great book to help with this is Your home and garden's Golden guide to redecorating).

Georgia is great for pulling me back in line, often when your in your creative element you get a bit blind sided so its awesome having her to overlook my projects and I guess the same . Down to Bunnings we went to get our paint, we spotted a new type of paint by DULUX called Dura Max this paint is the business!  It dries fast and hard, has great coverage and looks amazing. The colours we ended up using are "wiggle" which is the Citron colour for the top and "endless dusk" the amazing grey for the legs.

I got a bit eager and decided to tape then thought - I didnt take a before photo!  So here it is taped up ready to go.


Once taped I put new paper around the edges so the spray did't go on the legs also, I always use a grey undercoat so the colour doesn't go too bright. I gave the top 1 under coat and 2 good coats with Dulux's "wiggle". After 1 hour the paint was so hard I could flip it upside down on a sheet and mask off the tops underside edges and start with the legs - again 3 coats in Dulux's "Endless Dusk".

TIP: make sure you always use a high tack painters tape, this paint can take it (peel slowly) and you will have sharp edges like the pros!

The Trestle Desk

How to up cycle a table 

The nesting table.

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