So Worth the Time!

I finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel last night as the curio cabinet makeover was completed.

This, like so many projects, turned out to be a bit more involved than anticipated.  Why the drama?  One word people, glass.  Six panels of glass and a long mirror in the back of the curio meant all of the inside of the cabinet had to be painted too.  Not sure why I failed to fully grasp that fact prior to beginning, but let's just chalk it up to a blond moment and move on.  There was much switching back and forth with big, small, very small and tiny paint brushes to reach all the nooks, crannies and nether regions in this piece.

Overall, I'm very happy with the results.  My hideous 80s cabinet looks almost hip (don't go making any nasty comments either - I said almost hip.  I'm happy with it but not delusional).

With no further ado, here are some snaps of the after.  If you want a quick reminder of the BEFORE photos, check out this post.  If you want to try out the products yourself, scroll to the bottom for some tips.

 
I used a product called Caromal Colours Country Living for the makeover.  It's a paint that's designed to give a piece of furniture a distressed look.  It requires zero sanding or prep (beyond wiping down the piece to insure it's clean and dust free) before painting.  You just paint it on and then sand only where you want a distressed look.  You can make it very distressed or only lightly distressed.  I went with very light distressing as I was trying to get away from the country look of the piece.

I gave the cabinet some new bling to go with its new look...

Now that that project is done, I plan to tackle this monster next...

Not sure what color it will be, but the pine has to go.

Quick tips I learned while working with this paint:

• No drop cloth needed when painting - this stuff is so thick the paint brush stands up in the paint.  You do need to lay down something down when you use the toner which is very drippy.
• Definitely add a little water to the paint or you'll go through too much too quickly.
• You don't need the gloves they give you when you paint, but you will definitely need them when applying the toner - had a tough time getting it off my hands.
• They do give you a small paint brush with the kit, but would recommend you have some larger and smaller ones handy before you begin for larger or tight areas.
• They recommend using a mish mash approach when applying the paint, but I used more of a traditional stroke when applying and achieved a smoother look than you see in the pictures on their website.

Good luck on your project!