Furniture Re-Dux

              According to Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, re-dux means, to be brought back.  For the purposes of this blog, I am going to use it to describe, bringing a piece of furniture back to life, that you thought you could no longer use.

In college I bought one of those “assemble yourself” shelving units, to place my small TV on. When I moved home after college I resented the item. I felt it stuck out, like an ugly duckling in my room. I knew I could still get some use out of it, so I decided to add color with a pattern.

I used primer to make sure the paint color stuck, I spent about eight dollars on a can I know I will use for other projects. I also paid about four dollars for a small foam roller designed to paint cabinets and other items.  You can buy these items at any hardware store that sells paint. I also let the primer soak in and dry for two days.

I painted two coats with latex based paint, using a small foam brush for the corners and edges. I let this dry for two days before I peeled the tape.  (Slowly moving my finger allow to provide nice even tension as I peeled)After I peeled the painter’s tape, I used a small brush to do touch ups on areas I might have missed or corners that did not paint well.

Then using a 12 inch ruler, I made marks with a pencil to guide my first row of painters tape. Then I marked the rest of my rows at 3 ½ inches, laying down one line of tape at a time. I then did the same going the other direction. (Make sure to mark your measurements from the top of the prior tape line each time.)

To really make my new and improved furniture pop I used chocolate brown storage bins I had on hand to store various things. I also used scrapbook paper, I had on hand, and that was in the same color family as labels.

Note* I learned that when dealing with any type of compressed wood that is pre-painted or treated it is a good idea to add primer to get whatever color you’re going for to stick to the wood.

There is also a magnetic primer out there that will make most things you paint magnetic! I hope to use this in a project soon.

Supply List: Primer, Small paint roller, Foam roller brushes, Small sample jar of latex paint, 12" ruler, pencil, and painters tape.