It is been several weeks since my last post, and I’ll tell you why. This last month my life has been hectic for personal reasons. Our family just moved from Connecticut to Northern Virginia. Last March my husband started a new job in a company based in Washington D.C., so we relocated to this area. Since I got married 15 years ago we’ve moved several times (5 different cities/towns, 3 different countries), and we always loved the idea of starting a “new life” in a new place. And each place was special. Some of our dearest friends live in different parts of the world and thanks to the Internet we manage to keep in touch with them. We even have some reunions in rare occasions and they are pure joy! This time, however, it felt like we were finally settling down. We lived for five years in a beautiful town in CT, with a wonderful community where we met lovely people, our kids made their first good friends, and I started my own furniture refinishing business. We knew this move was the right thing to do but it was sad to leave behind the place we thought would be our home for many more years.
I am still a little nostalgic, but at the same time excited. I’m sure I will find wonderful places to go, things to do, and people to meet here in Virginia. One thing our nomadic life taught me was to appreciate the good things each place has to offer. There is no such thing as the perfect place. My family is my perfect place. I am happy as long as have my three men and five pets around 🙂
Now let’s talk about furniture. I refinished this buffet for a lady who had seen this desk I painted in metallic colors using layering technique. She wanted hers to have the same kind of finish, but instead of metallic, she chose different shades of beiges and browns to match her home’s neutral decor.
Here is how I refinished this beauty:
- Fixed little scratches with wood filler
- Wiped deglosser on the entire piece (the wood was in perfect condition, so no need to sand)
- Removed deglosser completely with TSP diluted in water
- Primed entire piece with Rustoleum Primer spray, white
- Spray painted one coat of Benjamin Moore Secluded Beach (light beige)
- Applied layers of a medium taupe paint using a chip brush. I added water to the paint to allow more time to work on long, linear strokes
- Applied layers of dark brown paint with a chip brush, also watering the paint so it would blend with the other color.
- In the areas that were too dark I went back with the medium taupe, and in the areas that were too light, I applied more of the dark brown until the whole piece had the right balance of colors. Adding water helped a lot to extend the time to work on areas I felt needed some change
- Painted raised trim with Modern Masters metallic paint, Champagne
- Sprayed 3 coats of Minwax Polycrylic Satin for protection.
And now.. pictures. Let me know what you think!
I am sharing this project on these awesome link parties!
Thanks for reading!
Patricia.
The Wood Spa by Pat Rios 
LOVE how it turned out, wish I could do this…A couple of questions, from the picture, it appears to have a bluish hue, is this just the picture? Also, if I use deglosser, is TSP the preferred cleaning solution or can I use Murphy’s Soap?
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Thanks Beatriz! I haven’t used any blue in this piece, however the dark brown had a hint of blue in it and when diluted in water it showed a little. I never tried to clean the deglosser with Murphy soap. It will probably work as well. My suggestion is that you try it in a inconspicuous area of your piece first. Deglosser-Murphy Soap-Primer-Paint. If the paint won’t come off easily after 24 hours, you’re good to go.
Good luck!
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Another beautiful piece!
Good luck in your new adventure it is a great area & a little bit milder winters-sounds good to me!
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Thanks Cathy! I’m already enjoying the warmer weather!
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Oh Pat this finish is just magnifique! What a beautiful example of dry brush and layering, I usually tend to gravitate towards blue hues but this color combo is just stunning! Thanks so much for sharing it at #FridaysFurnitureFix!
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Thanks Brenda! Yes, I love working with blues too. For this customer I had suggested several options with some blue and was a little bummed when she picked the one with no blue. 🙂
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It really is a stunner! And the staging is the cherry on top! Well girl here’s a bit of cheer for ya… Your project is being featured tonight at Unique Junktique, and this week Daddy Vans is sponsoring a giveaway at Fridays Furniture Fix, hopefully this will generate lots of traffic to your site this weekend! Have a great one!
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Thank you so much for the great news Brenda! Always an honor to be featured on FFF.
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Thank you!
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I love every single piece of furniture you do and this one is no exception. The depth it has because all the layering and the shine makes it amazing.
Thank you for sharing it with us at Sweet Inspiration, have a wonderful weekend!
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Thank you so much for your kind words!
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Pat congratulations on your move. I also want to move. We have a home in New York near Westchester but I want to move up to Connecticut. Haha! I have always loved Virginia too. You’ll have to give me advice. Now about your beautiful buffet. The layers and colors on this beauty is astounding. It is so opulent I can stare at it all day. Pinning because it is so special! And I will pm you so you can give me advice about Connecticut. 🙂
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You’re always so kind Mary! Thanks for your sweet words.
You can email (patricia@thewoodspa.com) or PM me at any time! I will be happy to answer any questions. Are you considering leaving Greece? Oh, that must be a tough decision to make.
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This is perfection! Gorgeous! Thank you for sharing. You are one of the features at the Make it Pretty party at The Dedicated House! Here is the link to this week’s shindig. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2017/06/make-pretty-monday-week-218.html Hope you have a lovely week! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
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Thank you so much for your nice words and for featuring my project!
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I know this post was awhile back and before I started following your blog, but I’d been meaning to get back and read up on how you did this stunning piece! Up at 4:00 a.m. and can’t sleep as a vinyl chair re-do idea is buzzing around in my head, but the hardware store isn’t open yet for me to go buy paint (LOL), so I’m reading over some of your posts. First, having grown up abroad and in a family that moved a lot, then continuing that tradition myself until recently, I can relate to what you’re saying about how you approach new places and change. I wish you all the best in your new home. Second, I love this piece and again must admire the subtle way you apply color. When applying these varied layers, how do you manage to get such a lovely soft blending without ending up with a muddy effect but also not an overly done dry-brushed look? Is it the degree of dryness between each layer or the watered down paint or types of brushes? Third (and off topic), have you worked with vinyl paint, and if so can you recommend a favorite? I’ve been reading reviews and looking at tutorials but see a lot of mixed thoughts on it. Just curious if you know. Thanks, and happy painting!
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Hi Ginger!
Thanks for you kind words! I’m curious to know if you feel now you are finally settled wherever you are.
And I can totally relate to your story of sleepless nights because of an idea. I wish that was the only kind of reason that kept people from sleeping well. Great ideas.
Let me try to answer your question.
I first primed and painted the entire piece with one base color and let it dry well. Then to apply the other layers, I kept three containers of water with one brush for each. I chose the base color and two more darker colors for my layers. I used very little paint and a lot of water to apply each color in linear movements. At all times the three colors were very wet, and I would just alternate between them with no particular order. Just did several strokes and let them blend and form more shades until the effect pleased me. I wanted the brush strokes to be visible so I used chip brushes.
After it was all dry I applied some antique wax on the edges of the piece to add yet another shade and some character.
I know it is much easier to see it in a video, but I hope this explanation is helpful. Try it on small pieces of wood first.
I don’t know vinyl paint. At least not by that name. Let me know if your project turned out ok.
Good luck!
Patricia.
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Hi, Patricia. To respond to your question… Sort of. My dad’s work took us all over the world, then I moved often as an adult. I finally married (in my 40s) a man with about as much job security as you can get these days, who is blessed to love his work so plans to stay. It’s so different for me to think of staying put in one place for years to come, and we still rent instead of own which makes really settling in a bit elusive, but we’re in a beautiful area, and more than that I like what you said about what home is. Wherever my husband and our dogs are is home (even if I do still have a few unpacked boxes after 6 yrs. lol). Secondly, thank you so much, Patricia. You described well how you get that look, and it is lovely. I’ll practice that technique for sure. I can’t wait to see your next project. Happy “settling in” to you. 🙂
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I loved it then and still love it now. May I ask what paint you used, brand and shades?
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