I'm going back to basics with you to show you how to prep, what you need as far as primers (if any), how to get a simple, classic smooth finish AND how to paint marble!!
Here's where we are going....
GET ALL THE PRODUCTS to recreate this look on your own piece👇🏻:
And here's where we are starting....
The first thing I do, and THE most important step to prepping your furniture, is to properly clean all the dirt and grime off. I use a premixed bottle of White Lightning and water and spray the section down generously and let it sit for 30-ish seconds. Then, I take a finishing pad that has been cut into a small square and scrub the piece while the white lightning is on it. You'll wipe that off with a shop towel. You'll want to rinse off your white lightning residue well, so then I spray with a water bottle mixed with 50/50 ratio of white distilled vinegar and water. You'll wipe this off with a shop towel too. Now, once you've cleaned and rinsed, this is the time where you'll be able to see if any more prep is needed. If your shop towel is completely (or mostly) clean you will more than likely be ready to go in and paint. If your shop towel is dirty, repeat the scrubbing process to see if you can get it all the way clean. If not, then you'll want to BOSS your piece. BOSS blocks odors and stops bleed through. When you sand or scrub your piece, you can disturb the tannins and you'll have to block those so your paint won't look splotchy with oils coming through. This piece, was still very slick. Here, there are two options...you can scuff sand with a Medium Rad pad OR you can Slick Stick it...which is what I chose to do. Your slick stick should sit for 24 hours before you paint. Two coats are generally recommended, especially if you're painting glass, plastic or metal. I was very comfortable with just one coat on the end tables, but I still let the Slick Stick dry for 24 hours.
Watch how to prep...
After 24 hours, you're ready to paint! I chose Dried Sage for these end tables. Now, the key to a smooth, flawless finish is thin layers. In order to get this, your fine mist water bottle will be your friend. Dixie Belle Paint is self leveling, but if you put your paint on too thick, you'll more than likely have to sand in between coats and/or be more prone to paint chipping. To avoid this, use thin layers and mist your paint as you go. This not only saves a step, but saves your paint! Start with a damp brush and use the sides of the bristles of your brush to apply your Dried Sage. After it's on your piece, make one final swipe from start to end, with the sides of the bristles of your brush. You'll let the Dried Sage dry and then repeat the process on your final coat. You can heat gun if you'd like to speed up the process, but keep in mind that when you use a heat gun, you eliminate the self leveling process and could potentially set any brush strokes that you may have, on your piece.
This video shows how to paint for a flawless finish...
I wanted to use the newly released Silkscreen Stencils in Roses on these end tables for a delicate added touch. Your Silkscreen Stencils can be used multiple times, as long as you take care of them...they are a great investment and addition to your painting arsenal! For these, I chose to use Voodoo Gel Stain in White Magic and I used a cut up Blue Applicator Sponge to apply the gel stain. Using the stencils is so easy...you simply peel off the backing, stick it where you want to on your piece and smooth down, ensuring that there are no bubbles or any portion of the stencil sticking up. If your stencil isn't completely flush with your piece, your paint/stain/mousse, etc. could potentially get under the stencil and you'll have a muddled mess! **Note, if this happens, simple clean off, sand down or just paint right over** Watch your stencil to make sure that the silkscreen is completely covered before you remove it from your piece. On these end tables, the first stencil I did, I didn't get complete coverage on a portion of the stencil...I simply was not paying attention. I embraced this! After the Voodoo Gel Stain dried, I took my flat mini that had Dried Sage on it and dry brushed over the stencil for a bit of a weathered look!
As soon as you're done with your stencils, you'll want to clean them immediately. Personally, I will spray them with White Lightning, scrub gently with a soft bristled baby toothbrush, then rinse (and softly scrub if needed) with vinegar water. Lay your stencil sticky side up to dry and once dry, put back on the protective backing for storage. You can also use scrubby soap to clean them as well.
If you cannot wash them right away, spray generously with water, lay down on a wet shop towel and then put a wet shop towel on top. You're basically trying to keep it wet so the paint/stain/mousse does not dry and clog up the silkscreen.
Watch how to apply the Silkscreen Stencils...
The end tables came with marble tops, and for me, looked extremely outdated. So I decided to paint them, naturally! Now in this case, you'll DEFINITELY need 2 coats of Slick Stick, thoroughly
dried for at MINIMUM of 24 hours. In between your 1st and 2nd coat, you simply wait a couple of hours. To minimize brush strokes on the marble tops, I used an applicator sponge to apply the Slick Stick to keep the brush strokes at a minimum. I wanted a smooth surface, just like the bodies. When you're using an applicator pad with the slick stick, make sure your pad is covered completely and work fast.
The tops of these end tables needed to be just as smooth as the body, so I used the same process to paint them. Thin layers, except the tops needed 3 coats of Sawmill Gravy.
To seal the end tables, I used a flat mini and Gator Hide on the body, and on the marble tops, I used an applicator pad and Gator Hide....two coats aaaand all done!
These end tables were easy to do and turned out beautifully! Take a look!
You can watch the full LIVE video here:
**The Dixie Belle Product link is an affiliate link and I do
earn a small commission when you use it. This is not a paid promotion of any sort**
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