A Leap and a Prayer (And a Revamp, Too)

I have been contemplating starting a blog to document and share my craftiness for some time now, but working up the nerve (i.e. confidence) has been a major stumbling block for me. I have been "blurking" (blog lurking) around on blogs run by such amazingly talented people, like Centsational Girl, and Prudent Baby, and A Penny Saved, and while I felt so very inspired, I also began to feel so very inadequate. Especially when I would see posts like this, and this, and this one; which nearly made me hyperventilate and pass out.

But today I am taking the plunge into the world of blogging. I may not be the best at this, but I don't think that I will be the worst either. So............without further ado:

My $45-Buffet Makeover.

The doors were warped, so they had to come out. I filled in all of the holes left by the hardware with plain old spackling compound because I was just going to paint it anyway. If it were going to be stained, I would have used wood filler. Anyway...

I gave her a good sanding with my belt sander. I hate sanding, so any tool that makes this step as quick as possible is perfect for me.

Next, I primed all of the surfaces that would be painted and when that was dry, I painted the interior a nice turquoise that I found on the "oops" shelf at Home Depot. I used Zinsser Cover Stain Primer (oil based.) When it comes to adding durability to a piece this stuff can't be beat, in my humble opinion. Plus, the short dry time means that I was able to get 2 coats of primer on in one day. Centsational Girl has a great post on the topic of primers here.

After a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper, I put on two coats of latex paint. I used Floetrol, a paint conditioner that truly does help to keep brush strokes to a minimum. Because latex paint can take up to two weeks to cure completely, I put on three coats of Minwax Polycrylic - a water-based polyurethane that will protect latex paint from chips and scrapes.

And finally, I sewed some quick pleated curtains from unbleached cotton and hung them with inexpensive sash rods where the doors once were. Ta-da! A great find and a truly useful piece in my very short-on-storage kitchen.

The shelves were not in yet when I took this photo. As the title states, I purchased the buffet from a thrift store for $45, and I spent about $20 on supplies.

There it is; my first real post!

So tell me, do you have any painting projects on your to-do list?