Beginner Friendly Painted Furniture Makeover Ideas and Tips

Welcome to Fox Hollow Cottage! Today I’m sharing a few of my all-time favorite furniture makeovers. From simple painted furniture makeovers, to ombre finishes and patterns. All are able to be duplicated by you, with a little time, the willingness to try, and the right supplies. I’ll walk your through every look and if you have any questions, just comment on the post and I’ll get right back to you. Have fun and let me know which one is your favorite!

White Cottage Style Shuttered 2 Door Chest

You can play it safe and still jazz it up!

This little chest started out a cottage green. It had a semi gloss finish and dark bronze hardware. I got this piece from ROSS and I had it for several years in it’s original color. When I was ready for a change I went white because it’s so neutral but added metallic gold accents for a little pizzazz! Such a small feature takes little commitment and is simple to change on a whim.

It was transformed with:

• Maison White Vintage Furniture Paint by the Maison Blanche Paint Company. One light coat was applied quickly as a base to cover and let dry. A second and final coat was applied with a heavier hand and left to dry overnight.
• Note: Sometimes a third coat is needed. This is very normal, especially with white or when making a dramatic color change.
• Sometimes with very dark wood furniture, stained or shellac style finishes, you can can bleed through. This can occur with any paint. The only way to remedy this is with a stain blocking primer or sealer. You can often times spot treat the offending areas. Kilz has saved my sanity a few times!
• I prefer Purdy paintbrushes for almost all my painting. A good brush will help minimize brush strokes and cut down on the amount of time you need to spend “working” the paint.
• It was then finished with Maison Blanche Antiquing Wax in Clear, which was applied with a soft cloth, then left for 30 minutes and buffed off.
• The hardware was transformed with Martha Stewart Plaid Paint in Yellow Gold and a small craft brush. This is the prettiest gold paint! I’ve been using it all over and I love it!!

Aqua Ombre 7 Drawer Chest

It takes two to tango!

The great thing about OMBRE is that you only need two colors to achieve the effect.

This chest started out as raw, natural wood. You can find the before and after here.

Details:

• No special prep work was needed to paint this piece.
• I used Maison Blanche Company Paint in Magnolia and Colette. Mixing the two to get the lighter, and ever lighter shades of aqua for each drawer front as I progressed.
• The ombre look was achieved by starting on the bottom drawer, with the darkest shade and working up to the lightest shade in the very top drawer.
• The base/body of the chest was painted white.
• It was waxed in Maison Blanche Antiquing Wax in Clear to preserve and protect the paint finish.
• Knobs are from Hobby Lobby

Harlequin Painted Furniture Makeover and Tutorial

Pattern Play Adds Loads of Drama

The first time was a charm. Boy was I surprised! Painting the harlequin pattern on this table was surprisingly simple. Swear! You can find the full tutorial HERE. When you read through it you’ll see that you can totally do this too!! I’ve got step-by-step photo instructions on how to lay out the pattern. If you like the idea of a harlequin design, give it a shot. I think you’ll be really happy you did.

Some of the details:

• I used Maison Blanche paint in Miel and Magnolia. I love the soft buttery shade of the Miel.
• Again, I used a Purdy brush.
• Sanding block. This are great for fighting hand fatigue and easier to maneuver on detailed sections.
• This table was also finished with Maison Blanche Antiquing Wax in both Amber and Dark Brown
• Paint Can Lid Opener. (hint: and not for opening my paint can!)

Coffee Sack Chair Makeover

Have you ever painted a chair? Then you know chairs are a pain in the ___ to paint. Feel free to fill in the blank with whatever descriptive word works for you. hehehe. One way to make it easier is by not having to sand or pre-prime. You might notice a trend on the previous pieces, in that I’ve been using Maison Blanche paint on all of them. This one was no different. You can get all the details HERE about how I made it over with a $5 coffee sack.

Details:

• TIP: If you don’t have access to no-prep paint, to make your project a little bit easier, you can also use Rustoleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover 2x Spray paint primer. Even if it’s just for the initial base coat, to hurry things along.
• This spray paint option also works great for furniture with shuttered sections. Huge time saver! 

Give Garage Sale Cast Offs a Second Life

With a good cleaning and fresh paint, almost any find can be reinvigorated. Even multiple times!

Some finds might need a little repair but don’t be scared! Here are some tips to overcome furniture in disrepair:

• VENEER: Chipped and raised veneer can be repaired, filled in and in extreme cases can even be removed removed. Any of these methods will require some sanding afterwards. TLC has a comprehensive repair article HERE, and This Old House has a fast fix method HERE.
  
• WOBBLES: Loose parts can often be repaired by simply tightening loose nuts and bolts.
• REPAIR: If loose parts/sections like legs or tabletops are striped, irreplaceable, beyond tightening, or can not be fixed with tightening you can use wood glue and clamps.

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You Can Paint Fabric! (even velvet)

This is not a difficult thing to do but it does take time. You must be patient to layer the paint on. I’ve got a full tutorial with links to other successful projects and tips and well!

Find the Velvet Upholstery Painted Chair Furniture Makeover HERE.

Details:

• Painting Upholstery: This is a fantastic way to change up upholstered pieces if you don’t know how to do upholstery or recovering is not in your budget.
• This opens up the possibilities to take advantage of tons of great thrift store and tag sale finds. Even if just temporarily until re upholstery is an option.

For even more budget friendly, simple to achieve projects and ideas just click on the links below:

Click HERE for Before & Afters

Click HERE for DIY Projects

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